In a Dry Season is Robinson's most complex, most sensitive and most satisfying novel. A skeleton, the victim of a violent murder 50 years past, is discovered in a ghost town. Banks, more for personal reasons (his marriage is falling apart) than for anything else, sets out to solve the crime. But who is the victim? Why was she murdered? After fifty years these questions are not easily answered. As Banks unravels this mystery, a second mystery, a story told by an unidentified witness, takes us back to the time of the murder - Britain during WWII. It is this dual perspective that makes In a Dry Season, so wonderfully complex. With utter mastery Robinson paints an evocative portrait of wartime Britain, and before long you find yourself immersed in the spirit of the times - the coupons, the rationing, the black outs. But what truly distinguishes this book from Robinson's other mysteries is the thoroughness with which he develops the humanity of the murder victim. You become so attached to her that when she is inevitably murdered, you feel her loss.

Solving a murder is what mysteries are all about. In a Dry Spell is unusual in that the solution plays a secondary role to the underlying tragedy that permeates the first person narrative. Banks, with all of his angst, finally takes a back seat to the main story. (Which is where he should have been riding all along.) The poignant conclusion of the book is deeply touching and shows Robinson's real skill as a writer.

It would be wonderful for all of us if Robinson could keep up the good work. (So far he hasn't.)We can only hope that he rises to the occasion once again, and produces another book as memorable as In a Dry Season.

I enjoy this author and I like his fictional character Detective Chief Inspector Allen Banks. I think that this authors greatest strength and weakness is the attention he gives to DCI Banks’ personal life. In some ways it makes the character more believable and in some ways you just want to get into the story. I felt that this book lacked some of the intensity of the other books written by this author.

You’ve got to like someone who listens to Arvo Pärt’s Stabat Mater!

Chief Inspector Alan Banks, CID, recently transferred from London to Eastvale, a town in the Yorkshire Dales, is no Harry Bosch or Harry Rebus. But then Eastvale isn’t New York City, London or Edinburgh either. Alan Banks is a real man with real characteristics – he loves opera; he enjoys a jar or two of his favourite beer; he’ll even indulge in a scotch if the problem he’s considering is a little deeper or a little more pressing; he’s mourning the loss of his wife who left him for another man; he’s having difficulties communicating with a son that he loves and is clearly proud of; and, he’s doing his best to keep a stiff upper lip and deal with the fact that his career is in the doldrums as he sits on the administrative sidelines at the behest of a superior who can’t stand him. In other words, unlike so many of today’s detective protagonists, he’s a real man without edging into darkness, neuroses or sociopathy. It’s easy to get behind him and cheer him on as he works toward the solution of a clever, but perfectly straightforward police procedural old style murder mystery. The tension, doubt and, indeed, fear that Robinson conveys as Banks explores the possibility of a new relationship with a police colleague, Annie Cabbott, is powerful, heartwarming and, at times, downright electric without ever being explicit. Talk about a master of the writing dictum, “Show, don’t tell”!

When a reservoir is drained for maintenance and a young boy accidentally discovers a skeleton, Robinson uses an excellent informative section on forensic anthropology to move the story forward disclosing that the skeleton belongs to a young female who was brutally murdered at the close of World War II. The hunt is on and Banks is assigned to close a new case that was a stone cold file on the day it was opened and to find a murderer who may or may not even be alive so long after the event!

Having only recently discovered the joys of CID Alan Banks in Robinson’s GALLOW'S VIEW, IN A DRY SEASON is only my second read in a series that now extends to (can you believe it?) 24 titles, I’m pleased to say that I’ve obviously got a lot of great reading enjoyment to look forward to.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

Excellent "novel of suspense"! Certainly the mark of a good writer when they let you guess whodunnit well before the book ends, but you still enjoy reading until the last detail has been clarified. Sure, it could have been shorter, but I didn't really want it to be. I'll definitely look to read more of this series.

I read this because my friend Gigi was clearing out her storage unit, and let me (and Tom) pick over her books before she donated the rest. She had lots of good stuff, but since our house is already overflowing with books, we were very selective in what we took. I took this book because my friends Mike and Stephen had recommended this author, and I'd never gotten around to reading him before. Since this was number 10, I think I'll go back to the first one and try to catch up to this one. Not sure when I'll do that, given the vast number of books in line ahead of it, but anyway I enjoyed this one!

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks remains in the doghouse to which the jealous, stubborn, petty Chief Constable Jimmy Riddle confined him in the previous novel, Blood At The Root. In this novel, Banks investigates a decades’ old skeleton exposed when the Thornfield Reservoir dries out during a summer drought. With Hobb’s End already a dying village due to the closure of the flax mill, the remaining villagers were evacuated, resettled hither and yon, and the village flooded in 1953 to create the Thornfield Reservoir; however, before that, someone killed the gorgeous blonde Gloria and buried her under an outbuilding. Just as the victim couldn’t stay buried under the reservoir, neither can Hobb’s End’s many secrets. But which secret killed a twenty-something woman nearly 50 years earlier? And which secret has the power to kill in the here and now?

The narrative shifts from the current investigation to an account of Hobb’s End from 1939 until its ignominious end, but author Peter Robinson deftly ensures that they won’t be confused. Each step forward in the modern-day investigation illuminates the past, just as each revelation in the war account advances the modern-day narrative. In a Dry Season won the Anthony, Barry and Macavity awards and was nominated for Hammett Prize and Edgar Award, and it’s easy to see why: Chapter after chapter, the suspense builds and builds and builds right to the unexpected denouement. The book is the best yet in this series — which is saying a lot!

DCI Banks, when under pressure, lights one cigarette off the last Silk Cut. Like him, I began reading the tenth novel in this series just minutes after finishing the ninth, Blood at the Root, due to its cliffhanger ending. Figuratively lighting the new one on the last, so to speak. Banks is trying to cut down on smoking, but, with novels as exciting as these, I don’t see myself quitting any time soon.

Again twists and turns right up to final chapter

Inspector Banks' tenth case, begins with Banks out in the cold on minor cases and separated from his wife, the former because of his run-ins with Riddle in the previous case. A female body is found in a reservoir where an old town used to be and Banks is assigned the cold case in the middle of nowhere with another police officer disliked by Riddle, DS Annie Cabot. Another good case, this time rooted in the second world war; in addition Banks struggles in his personal life with his son, his ex-wife and romantic interests. 5 out of 12.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, mainly because Anna Massey co-narrated it. Her narration is always wonderful in my opinion.

As far as content is concerned, this is a basic crime story. It definitely kept me entertained, but there wasn't a lot of depth to it. I feel like it focuses more on the personal lives of the characters than the actual crime. A strong 3/5 rating for me.

Peter Robinson - image from Mystery Sequels

When Thornfield Reservoir is drained by demand during a blistering summer five decades after it was created by flooding a valley and burying the village of Hobb’s End, a lad on an explore plunges through the roof of an uncovered building and finds the remains of a young woman. DCI Alan Banks is assigned to the case, joining local DS, and fellow outcast, Annie Cabbot. The story alternates between the account of a contemporary investigation and a recollection of the WWII era as written by a successful mystery writer, who played a major role in the events of that time. Who killed the beautiful Gloria Stringer? Were the bones really Gloria’s? This is a very nicely written whodunit, with interesting characters, and a very detailed look at life in the 40’s in a backwoods village touched by the war. Not great literature, but a first class representative of the mystery genre.

Despite being #10 in the Inspector Banks series, this was my introduction to Robinson's character. I subsequently read a bunch more. I cannot say whether it is best to begin with #1 in the series, but it probably wouldn't hurt.


=============================EXTRA STUFF

Robinson's Inspector Banks site

My reviews of Inspector Banks novels
-----The Price of Love and Other Stories
-----#5 - Past Reason Hated
-----#9 - Blood at the Root
-----#11 - Cold is the Grave
-----#12 - Aftermath
-----#13 - Close to Home

In a Dry Season (Inspector Banks, #10) by Peter Robinson.

Is there something new I can say about Peter Robinson the author or his series DCI Banks? To make it plain and simple after I finished this story I picked up my next read, Close to Home, another DCI Banks novel. Yes, I'm a DECI Banks to put it mildly with no apologies.
This was indeed an involved and intriguing story. The main factors were the environment/setting, the time period and the characters. The discovery of a body hidden for many years was found by a boy playing among a deteriorated village of sorts. The small village of Hobb's End had be underwater due to the Thornfield Reservoir since WW II. This story centers on England's valiant fight against the enemy during the last World War. The characters involved were the murdered woman, Gloria Stringer, and a Clique of young women her age and how they kept their chins up under the worst of times.
One person to keep your eyes on is Gwen, Matthew's sister. Matthew and Gloria were very much in love when they married and then he was off to War. All did not go well.
Detective chief Inspector Banks is at the helm with his gal Friday Annie Cabot. Banks is still finding his footing in the unattached world which includes Annie. There are major adjustments for both of them to work out, but will it be worth it in the long run?
Leave it to Banks to delve into realms unknown. Another fantastic ending that took it's time to unravel, but well worth the wait.

This compelling mystery was rightly recommended by the English Mysteries group. I quit reading it near the beginning, partly because I didn't immediately care for either of the alternating narrators, but mostly because 2 of my least favorite crime-fiction cliches loomed: the schlumpy heavy-drinking workaholic middle-aged detective who's nevertheless a babe magnet, and the jealous vain paper-pushing boss who's out to get him. Everyone urged me to give this 10th book in the Inspector Banks series another chance, & as promised, it turned out to be fascinating. The World War II period detail alone is worth the read--reminiscent of Foyle's War in its homely comprehensiveness. And the cross-cutting between eras is deft and illuminating. Best of all, it's a gripping mystery!

Even as Eastvale and its surrounding area experiencing a dry season, so too is Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks both personally and professionally.

Banks' marriage of 20 years is on the rocks, with him and his wife having been separated almost a year. Professionally, Banks has been relegated to office work after his episode of insubordination to his superior, Jimmy Riddle.

Riddle is a vindictive person with a malicious bend. He's enjoyed punishing Banks by taking him out of the field. Banks, then, is astounded when Riddle assigns him to an actual case, albeit a cold case of some 40-plus years when a skeleton is discovered in a recently dried reservoir.

Banks privately questions his boss's motives for the assignment of the case, but the DCI takes it on with the same curiosity and gusto he applies to all of his investigations.