Our Inspector Banks is going through big transitions in his personal life. He's kind of an ass through a lot of the book, and he's not quite as introspective as I would have thought. But while he's exploring post-divorce relationships, he's trying to solve the murder of a young woman that was committed in the middle of the 20th century. Robinson is a great author. He manages to intertwine the present day story lines along with the story of the past quite well. And the ending is masterful. Packed a punch.

Well I got nothing done today except to read this cold case story. I just had to know how it ended.

After a submerged town Hobb's End is rediscovered when the waters recede, a boy playing in the area discovers a buried body and Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks is brought in to investigate.
In this story he is introduced to an important person in the series, DS Annie Cabbot. They make a great team of investigators and provide comfort to each other outside the office as well.

It is soon determined upon examining the skeleton that the death must have occurred before the town was submerged. The time period is WWII and the Americans have arrived. They bring with them a lot of hope and resources, and also a piece of the bigger outside world.

Gloria Stringer is a Land Girl from London with secrets. She works at Top Hill Farm and wins the heart of the brother of one of the POV characters Gwen. When her husband is sent off to war, Gwen and Gloria buddy up for the duration of the war. A host of possible suspects is outlined as the war drags on and the village life is detailed.

There are constant POV changes, which whip you from one time period to another, and from one facet of the investigation to a personal memory. This is a writing technique I don't particularly care for but worked to move the story along.

I would have loved a map, but one was not provided.

I own a copy.

One of the top Banks'! A really cold case and with the inspector himself out in the cold in more ways than one. We get to know a lot of background and not seldom does his own history and life mirror the happenings of the past that Banks is called upon to investigate. All that and the introduction of the lovely DS Annie Cabbott! This book saved me from a reading slump I was edging towards and I enjoyed it very much. So much, in fact, that I'll do one more as I still have a few unread in the series.

Probably more like 4.5.

I don't know if it's because I've been in a bit of a reading slump or what but I really freaking loved this book. I felt like I was returning to my first true reading love, a good ol' detective novel, a whodunit, a police procedural, whatever you want to call it, but they have been my most favorite books all of my adult life and with this one, I finally felt like I'd gone back home. Perhaps branching out and reading other things was not the best decision for myself but that's a story for another time...

I absolutely loved the dual time lines, present day (in the 1990s I believe) and WWII in the UK. I loved the glimpse into wartime life for the characters and the town of Hobbs End and it's sometimes peculiar inhabitants, I loved how Gloria, the victim, was a complicated woman, mysterious and multifaceted, I love the present day detective, his complicated relationship with his superior, peering into his personal life and his complicated feelings for his ex-wife, seeing Detective Banks navigate single life, a life he doesn't really want, his dating life and fatherhood and of course, his investigative skills and the role Gloria's sister in-law plays throughout the story. At 500 pages, this is a long one for this genre but it didn't feel that long at all. I loved the author's pacing and his prose in general. I enjoyed the bits of sarcasm thrown in, some of it even had me laughing out loud. My one and only complaint is that most of the chapters were entirely too long. This is a personal preference, however, and didn't have any effect on the story.

I would gladly read this one again in the future. I highly recommend if this is the genre of books you like.

I really liked that Robinson used a crime that happened during World War two. It was interesting how he went back and forth between Gwyneth Shackleton's story of what happened and life during world war 2 and Banks story of the investigation. Love Banks!

Intriguing premiss: how do you go about solving a murder which took place 50 years ago in a place which no longer exists - let down by somewhat turgid verbosity in places, and slightly embarrassing sexual psychology. Good plot, which kept me coming back to it, but I can't say I'll be returning to Robinson soon. Kept thinking I'd like to see what someone like, say, Henning Mankell or China Mieville would have made of the central conceit. Something a bitmore imaginative, I'd guess.

I have seen numerous episodes of the TV series DCI Banks, but this was in fact the first one of the 25 (to date) novels that I have read. I chose it because it is among the most highly rated of the series here on GR. There are two interrelated stories being told, one by Gwen Shakelton, sister of Matthew, and close friend with sister-in-law Gloria that takes place during WWII. This depicts in detail the difficulties the British civilians underwent because of the blackout and the rationing of petrol and nearly all foodstuff. The second story in present time concerns DCI Banks and his assistant (and new love interest) DS Annie Cabot investigating the accidental discovery of a woman's skeletal remains at the bottom of a reservoir about 50 years later. The link between the two is revealed quite early, but the story of just what happened during the war takes a long time to uncover.

Along the way, there is much about Banks personal life, his demotion and disgrace on top of his separation from his wife nearly a year earlier. For followers of the series, I suppose this is relevant. I never could quite figure out what Annie saw in the much older Alan Banks. They have few shared values other than their interest in detective investigations. Robinson is a very good writer and does his research (although at one point, he refers to "Take the A-train" as a Glenn Miller song. It was in fact the theme song of Duke Ellington's band, a composition by Billy Strayhorn.) His psychological analysis is heavily Freudian, which I found raher superficial and dated for a book first published in 1999.

Overall, I liked the book, but it was too long (430 pages) and the denouement of this 50-year mystery was actually rather disappointing. The reader is quite unprepared for the revelations by Gwen Shakelton (aka Vivian Elmsley) toward the end of the book. Robinson is a master of character development but often the character turns out to be irrelevant to the mystery. So the book could have been much shorter without much loss. I will read others in the series if there are good ones that are shorter (under about 350 pages).

In A Dry Season by Peter Robinson is a well written and attention grabbing police procedural set in Great Britain. There were several plot twists that kept me guessing about the solution to the crime, a cold case from 1945. I enjoyed both the storyline set in the present and the storyline set in WWII and I enjoyed how the author wove the two storylines together to solve the cold case. Will definitely read more of this series.

I think Peter Robinson should give a master class in how to write mysteries to certain authors.
Chief Inspector Banks is still in the bad graces of the Superintendent James Riddle that he slugged in the last book. His career has been sidelined and he has been reduced to shuffling paper as opposed to active murder investigations. He is now separated from his wife of 20 years, Sandra, and is at odds with his son Brian. His life has gone to hell in a hand basket.
Banks has been assigned by Superintendent Riddle to investigate bones found in a town that no longer exists. It soon becomes clear that these bones have been buried under a building since WW II. The town of Hobbs End was buried under water in 1952 to create a reservoir. The area was recently drained for some repairs when the bones were discovered.
Banks soon finds himself trying to unravel the death of young woman who was murdered over 50 years ago. This is no easy task.
While dealing with this investigation we meet DS Annie Cabbot a lovely young police person who develops a much more personal relationship with Banks.
I mentioned that Peter Robinson should give a master class on writing mysteries. After the last book I read by a so called mystery writer it was refreshing to read a mystery that held together.
The story was believable, I like the characters, I like how he develops his characters and that they are not stagnant, nor do they get on my nerves. I like that he addresses current issues. His character, Banks, is very personable and can kick himself when he does something stupid but does not beat himself up over it and finds a way to at least address the situation, hopefully to make the situation better.
Peter Robinson also entwines the past with the present in this book and manages to keep both the past and the present on the same even keel as the mystery unravels.
I am making my way slowly through the Inspector Banks series and so far, this book has been the best in the series. I look forward to reading more of this series and finding out what becomes of Banks and the secondary characters.

This is an intricate story told from several perspectives which makes it interesting. It involves the discovery of skeleton in an old building only coming to light when the a particularly dry spell uncovers the old town previously submerged by a reservoir. It is dated back to World War II. Discovering who the bones belongs too falls to Inspector Banks. Twisted plots with Banks in his personal and professional life add increased complexity. Reflections of life in the war era is well done.

It was indeed a dry season. So dry that the Thornfield Reservoir has completely dried up exposing the village of Hobb's End which was flooded when the reservoir was made in the aftermath of WWII. A curious child can't resist exloring the old village when he accidently falls through a rotting roof, lands deep in mud, and comes up holding a skeletal hand.

Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot are both in their supervisor's bad books and that's how they end up investigating this seemingly hopeless case.

I often find that about half way through a mystery I really don't care much about the victim or the murderer. Not so this time. The characters are well-drawn and nuanced, the historical and physical setting informative, and the subplots interesting. I felt empathy for everyone, even the guilty one(s?).

I'll definitely be reading more Peter Robinson.

Fantastic read, very well written in an interesting way. One of my favorites!!