I do enjoy this series with Inspector Banks,and I appreciate the author's ability to bring historical accuracy into his novels through the lives of his characters. I got a good sense of the London blackout and rationing, and some idea of the war in Burma about which I know very little, and a better understanding of why my parents made such a big deal out of celebrations like New Year's Eve. I like books that give you good for thought while they entertain you. Well done Mr. Robinson. You are rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors!All those young;'uns who think they are the first to recycle and care about the earth should read some fiction like this which might open their eyes t0 saving the planet byrespecting its products. Imagine using sugar water to set your hair!

[December 2023 re-read] I was saddened to hear of Peter Robinson's death last year; I hold him in high regard as a writer. I haven't read him in a while, however, and I planned to pick up and read his final book, but a few pages into it, I realized what I actually wanted to do was re-read this one.

In 1941, a bright, vivacious Land Girl arrives in a small village and finds home and a family.

In 1953, that same village is abandoned and flooded into an artificial reservoir.

In 1999, during a heat wave, the lake dries up and a child playing in the ruins discovers very old human remains. Alan Banks, currently in professional disgrace, is shunted off there to deal with it.

Despite being the tenth book in the series, In a Dry Season can be read and enjoyed as a self-contained stand-alone. It's one of crime fiction's most lauded novels; it just about swept all the awards back in 2000. For good reason, too: Robinson's good at complex plots, and quite a few of his novels are structural gems, but the thing that struck me the most in this re-read was how well he orchestrated the plot points, the uncovering of clues, and the emotional notes in the two separate timelines. The narrative flow felt positively symphonic, the layering of emotions and memories and choices.

So many quintessential Robinson touchstones are present here, from the music and the art, to the time he takes to delve into characters emotions, to the final page twists. Ahhh!

This is very 1999 in its sensibilities, and I'm not into police procedurals like I used to be, but I hope this book continues to find readers.

It's a year since Alan Banks and Sandra have separated and Alan has moved to a small cottage in another village. His superior, Jimmy Riddle, assigns him to investigate a skeleton found in a dried-up reservoir. He meets a local detective, Annie Cabbot. Together they learn that the skeleton was a female and through eliminating women who had lived in Hobb's End, believe it is Gloria Shakelton, a beautiful blond who had lived there during the war.

The back story is told by a manuscript written by Vivian Elmsley, a popular detective novelist. It's a very believable depiction of life in a small English village during the fighting.

This was a very good read. The character of Annie was a good addition to the story, and I hope she's in the next one too.

A roasting hot summer and a village that was submerged beneath a dam rises from the water. A young boy playing in the ruins makes a gruesome discovery. Alan Banks, in disgrace with Jimmy Riddle, is sent in to investigate.

An excellent book. Well plotted, well written, and the switches between past and present easy to follow.

This is the book that introduces the character of Annie Cabbot, one of the feistier female police officers to be found in today's crime novels.

Because plenty of back story is given, for both Annie and Alan, it can easily be read by someone just coming to the books. And the back story doesn't intrude too much on the plot, making it fine for those of us who are already familiar with the characters.

Highly recommended.