Not Dark Yet: DCI Banks 27

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Much of the book concerns that abduction and the subsequent abduction of another important character. The material concerning the rape is almost totally separate. That is much more of a standard police procedural tale. There are some especially fine characterizations in this part of the book. The post-mortem revealed that both had been shot and that, while Roberts had died of his wound, Blaydon had subsequently been sliced open from the groin to the breastbone and his body dumped in the pool. Technically, he had drowned to death because the bullet hadn’t hit any major organs and he had been using his hands to hold his intestines inside rather than to swim to safety. I initially felt that Banks came across as a rather bland main character. I couldn’t help but wonder if, after 27 books, Robinson was assuming his readers know what Banks is like and he didn’t need to waste time fleshing him out. Because he certainly created a compelling character in Zelda. I loved the moral ambiguity of her ethics. Towards the end of the book, I revised my impression about Banks when he faces his own bit of moral dilemma and I could see the shades of his personality. No. Well, yes, but . . . we’re trying to make a case against Leka Gashi and the Albanians for Blaydon’s murder. Trouble is, we don’t even know where they are.”

Peter Robinson is a Canadian mystery writer. His books have won awards and have been translated into 20 languages. He's been called the master of the police procedural — and with the latest Inspector Banks novel Not Dark Yet, he's up to book number 27 in the popular series.How have I never read a Peter Robinson book before? I have no idea how I have managed to miss out on this series. Not Dark Yet is the 27th Alan Banks book and only the first one I have ever read. Since I loved this character, I have some catching up to do. Their conversation is desultory—Zelda is by turns disingenuous, sulky, and brittle. She finally spills the beans. Banks can’t understand why she held out on him. Zelda blames it on growing up in the Soviet system: police are not to be trusted. She senses Banks is not convinced. Her next comment proves prophetic: “I’ll miss this place.” A few days after their lunch, she disappears—not voluntarily, she’s been kidnapped. Read our review of Many Rivers to Cross by Peter Robinson I don’t want to say too much over the phone, but I think we should meet and compare notes. Are you seriously busy?”

I may be assuming too much, but NOT DARK YET seems to be the run-up to the conclusion of Peter Robinson’s series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks of the Eastvale, Yorkshire police force. Robinson has depicted Banks’ aging naturally (for the most part), so this latest installment finds the iconic protagonist somewhat faded, if not weary, as the world around him moves ahead with him. As a result, this book --- the 27th entry in the series --- marks a number of personal passages for Banks, as well as the resolution of a couple of professional cases that have formed an extended story arc over several prior novels. Both this book and the preceding volume Careless Love leave matters unsettled, evidently hoping that these cliffhanger endings will ensure that readers will want to read subsequent books. I probably will, but, if it matters, I will do so resentfully. Zelda’s kidnapping sends Banks over the edge. The last few months have taken a toll on him. He is tense, solitary, and brusque, flirting with insubordination when talking to his superiors. His family ties are important to him, particularly his relationships with his daughter and her new husband and his son. Still, at the wedding reception he comes perilously close to embodying the trope of an old man yelling at kids to get off his lawn. Naturally, Banks’s discomfort wraps itself around music. Sadly, at least to my mind, the trend continues here. As the book opens, a wealthy property developer named Connor Blaydon is found brutally murdered at his mansion, along with one of his associates. The investigation falls to DC Annie Cabbot and DC Gerry Masterson. Technically, they are working under the direction of Banks, but after an initial visit to the crime scene, he basically hands off the investigation to his subordinates and takes little or no part in the further developments. Zelda plays a very prominent role in all of these books. She had been brought up in an orphanage in Moldova following her parents' death. She left the orphanage when she was seventeen; she was immediately kidnapped and kept as a sex slave for the next ten years. She had finally freed herself by killing her captor. She had eventually made her way to England, begun working as an artist, and met Banks' friend Ray Cabbot, also an artist, and the father of Banks' colleague Annie Cabbot. Despite Ray being significantly older, he and Zelda had joined in a relationship. It had been noted that Zelda was a "super-recognizer," a person with a remarkable ability to recognize faces, whether in person or from a reproduction. Because of this, Zelda became a consultant to a British government office.

The 27th book in the number one best-selling Alan Banks crime series - by the master of the police procedural. The story is a strong one. Banks is investigating the death of a property developer and his “butler”. During the investigation, Banks discovers that the man was secretly filming the wild parties he held, including cameras in the bedrooms. And what shows on one of the tapes is a brutal rape.

The investigation into the gruesome murders of Eastvale property developer Connor Clive Blaydon and his factotum Neville Roberts at Blaydon’s luxury home reveals a cache of hidden SD cards that cast the murders in an entirely different light. Instead of showing Blaydon’s murderer, the grainy and blurred footage reveals a brutal rape. If Annie and Gerry can discover the identity of the rapist and his victim, it could lead them to the whoever wanted Blaydon dead. The case of the murder of a bent property developer and his factotum a week earlier is proving frustrating, although he has a chief suspect in his sights. The victim’s business partner appears to be a member of the Albanian mafia and fled the UK straight after the vicious killing. DI Annie Cabot and DC Gerry Masterson, on Banks’team, discover a video recording of a suspected rape while searching the murder scene. It was seemingly filmed at a booze and cocaine-fuelled party attended by hordes of young women a few weeks earlier. This is the final book of a trilogy involving European gangsters. If you haven’t read the first two, some of the references and the huge cast of characters to get to know throughout may confuse you. There are sometimes several points of view in each chapter too. Banks fans familiar with the characters may find this easier to read. Alan Banks is a brilliantly crafted character and I cannot wait to spend time reading more of the book in the series, so keep an eye out, there is sure to be more of Peter Robinson’s books featured on the blog in the future. Robinson is an author with amazing empathy, a snare-trap ear for dialogue, and a clear eye for the telling detail."--Michael Connelly

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As mentioned, this was my first encounter with Peter Robinson and I have already added the other twenty-six books in the series to my TBR. I enjoyed the writing and loved the characters. The regular reference to music had me reaching for my Spotify account to hear what the fuss was about. I cannot wait to spend more time with Alan Banks. The various investigations blur into one another as everything comes to a head. The storylines are disjointed, particularly after Banks is forced to take medical leave. Banks is under intense pressure from internal investigators to spill the goods on Zelda. They clearly don’t believe a word of his story hence his superior protecting Banks by forcing him to stand down temporarily. Does that stop his investigations? Hardly. Revenge, along with the grip the past has on the present and future, underlies the events of Not Dark Yet . Someone(s) enacts revenge on Connor Clive Blaydon, a “crooked property developer,” and “his factotum Neville Roberts.” Blaydon, a Yorkshire businessman of dubious morals, crossed swords with Banks in Many Rivers to Cross . Indeed, the characterizations throughout this entire series are quite good; I often find them as enjoyable as the unraveling of the mysteries. Continuing characters grow and change, as they would in life.

The plotting in Robinson's books is always intricately woven. Seemingly disparate threads are slowly but expertly woven together. The conclusion is always satisfying, but not always what the reader might have imagined. The plots ring true, often taking inspiration from current social issues and headlines. We reviewed earlier Banks novel When the Music’s Over. For more Yorkshire crime you could try the rather more spooky I am Dustby Louise Beech. Crooked property developer Connor Blaydon and his butler are found murdered at the former’s Eastvale mansion. They are known to have links to the Albanian mafia but the discovery of spy-cam videos depicting a rape indicate the motive needn’t be simply a falling out of thieves.

Games

The twenty-seventh installment of the #1 bestselling Inspector Banks series by "the grand master of the genre" ( Literary Review), Peter Robinson.