The Price Of Love: And Other Stories

Inspector Banks

by Peter Robinson

The award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Inspector Alan Banks novels, Peter Robinson dazzles with his first collection of short fiction, The Price of Love and Other Stories. Marked by the piercing psychological insight, brilliant characterization, and riveting suspense that are the hallmarks of Robinson’s fiction, The Price of Love gives us ten remarkable tales—two of which feature Robinson’s inimitable Yorkshire police detective Alan Banks—as well as a stunning pair of new Banks novellas. The Price of Love is a bravura demonstration of the exceptional storytelling skill that has made critics, mystery lovers, and famous literary peers the world over—including Dennis Lehane and Stephen King—fervent Peter Robinson fans.

Genres: Short Stories, Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, British Literature, Suspense

356 pages, Hardcover

First published March 5, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Peter Robinson was born in Yorkshire. After getting his BA Honours Degree in English Literature at the University of Leeds, he came to Canada and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University. He has taught at a number of Toronto community colleges and universities and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992-93.

Series:
* Inspector Banks

Awards:
* Winner of the 1992 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 1997 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 Anthony Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 Barry Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2001 Ellis Award for Best Novel.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Robinson - image from Wikipedia

Robinson has been writing mysteries for a long time, but what I had seen of his work was all in the novel format. In The Price of Love Robinson stretches some other muscles. The stories are diverse. In size, they range from only-a-few-pages to novella in length. Some include Inspector Banks and others cover a wide range of topics, including racism and extraterritoriality during WW II, a Poe-inspired tale of horror, and some O-Henry-type irony. Robinson is a quality writer, not necessarily of literary-type work, but of the highest quality mainstream fiction. He shows a real feel for family dynamics, for the politics of working relationships. Read Robinson and be Alan Banks for a while. If you are already a Robinson reader you will not be disappointed. If you are new to this author, this would not be a bad introduction to his work.

Published - March 5, 2009

Review first posted - 2009



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

Robinson's site

My reviews of Inspector Banks novels
-----#5 - Past Reason Hated
-----#9 - Blood at the Root
-----#10 - In a Dry Season
-----#11 - Cold is the Grave
-----# 12 - Aftermath
-----#13 - Close to Home

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from Robinson, mostly crime stories, although the first story, takes an interesting look at racism within the US forces in the second World War; in addition are a number of Inspector Banks' stories, including one with his first meeting with Burgess, set in London prior to his move 'up North'.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, here's something I wasn't expecting. I picked this book up, assuming it was a collection of short stories featuring DCI Alan Banks, but instead I was treated to a varied selection of tales (including a horror story!) that didn't feature Banks at all. Yes, there are some stories here featuring Banks of course, but Peter Robinson shows that no matter which country or time period he sets a story in they all have one thing in common-they are hugely entertaining.

[Jahanvi Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The rating for this book is 5/5

This is my first time reading multiple short stories in a single book which was very fascinating that matched my genre needs 100% which are thriller, mystery, and crime. I remember reading Robert Langdon stories in Da Vinci books, and now its Alan Banks to the rescue!

Each short story was amazing in its own way and I'd like to share something about each story! I can't decide between The Blue Christmas and The Cherub Affair to be one of my favourite from this book.

1. Cornelius Jubb
He was an object used against racism and bullying just because he was one of the coloured amongst the crowd with decency in his attitude often being ruled out by others. The jurisdiction did not serve him right as it leads to a bad result of injustice towards him.

2. The magic of your touch
Simple as it is, the work by each individual comes by magic which serves itself. The stolen magic never gave peace to him which indeed he had to face consequences for getting away with someone else's work.

3 The East Vale Ladies poker club
Victor Vancalm finds a way to get away with his sins but, maturely Denise Valcalm stops nourishing his sins in her own secretive way.

4 The Ferryman's daughter
Young lads wanting to enjoy and enhancing their groups. A group of newcomers come in their town, by looks completely modern and untraditional people. They started mingling with the newcomers, did they know what they were getting onto? Young aspiration of exploring while badly recognised by elderly in their town.

5 Walking The Dog
Who wouldn't enjoy walking their dogs? Laura Francis has an individual affair outside her marriage. She felt more satisfied with Ray than her husband Llyod Francis. They often found their ways to sneak away before getting into the eyes before one but, who knows? One must have a clear cut vision of what's going around. ;)

6 Blue Christmas
It's a complete tragedy of Brenda Mercer facing the blues due to her past that causes her to give up her life. Banks was able to understand her pain and gave her comfort, it is always said when two similar souls come together it's easier to understand and share. She could finally feel that there was someone who could understand her without saying so much. Finally, she believed banks and gave it a fresh start.

7 Shadow on the water
This story portrays the tough life of a soldier being the bravest and outmost challenging to fight. Adrian and Joe's friendship shows us that sometimes it's good to run away to save others from the troubles.

8 The Cherub Affair
A growing business involving a Lifestyle, Status, Money must be good but, a misfortune of giving away life for saving the mess which Jacquis business developers had thought so, leading to nothing. A task is done with vigilance to frame someone else and put themselves away out of it.

9 The Price Of Love
The price you need to pay for loving the wrong person. Simply, it derives that underestimating usage of powers in control. Tommy a sweet loving child proves to be brave yet, missed out on a lot of things at a very young age.

10 The Birthday Dance
The price you need to pay for loving the wrong person. or, ruining childhood forever by following commands by parents due to personal vendetta.

11 Like A Virgin
A clear defining story of symbolizing innocence and purity of a woman is by restoring their pure nature by introducing vitality similar to the Virgin Mary. Ever wondered way ways could have been put upon a female?

[Lance Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little collection!

I really enjoyed this collection of ten short stories and a novella.

All of the stories have their very different twists and turns, and there is a good variety of unexpected endings. Some of the stories are fillers in the life of Alan Banks, the fictional detective for whome Peter Robinson is most renowned. The settings are mainly Toronto and Yorkshire: places where the author has lived.

I particularly enjoyed "The Magic of your Touch" for its light supernatural element, and "Shadow on the Water," as there is a reflection of my own life in this one, and an example of how childhood events can affect adult behaviours.

My favourite of all of these stories is the title story, "The Price of Love." This brings out the deep feelings of a young lad whose father, a policeman, is murdered in the line of duty. The subsequent actions of the adults who surround his private and personal world are made in total ignorance of the effects that they are having on poor Tom's life.

I shan't say any more about any of the stories for fear of spoiling them for you.

Finally, and this is just the nicest touch imaginable for me, the author rounds of the book with his own short explanations of each of the stories. His personal thoughts and motivations for each of them, and insights into how they came about. These explanations just add an extra spark.

This book is well worth my five star rating.

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good collection of shorts (and one novella I guess, if one wants to be picky about it). Good stories, but I really miss any twist ending to a few of them - perhaps the hopelessness and bleakness of how it all works out is a bit too life-like...

The Banks stories (two shorts and the aforementioned novella) are of course of most interest (a lot due to the familiarity with characters and theme). The final longer one gives good background and insight to Banks (even if he's being quite the bastard to his wife, not winning a lot of sympathy points), since it's set in London in the mid-80's, one of his last cases before he relocated to Eastvale.

The Banks stories are 4-star reads, as is a couple of the other ones, but, like most short story collections, this one has it's ups and downs.

[Larraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a collection of short stories and a novella that was written as sort of a prequel to the Inspector Banks series. The short stories run, as is usually the case from what I've experience, from very engaging to sort of forced. The short story about the guy who steals a song pretty much happened as I thought it would. There was a war story that I skipped. I liked the short story about the womens' poker group. That was different as well as the Canadian PhD turned detective. I'm kind of worry that Robinson didn't write more about him. I'm not familiar with Toronto, and the short story used locations and it seems like a good place for a series.

There is also a short story with a Christmas theme. Robinson was asked to write a DCI Banks story that did not involve a murder with a Christmas setting. This is an older Banks spending Christmas alone after his divorce and his brother's death. Inspector Alan Banks is one of my favorites.

In this novella he is working as a DI in London, and has garnered a reputation as a lone wolf, someone who won't play along with the system. The body of a 19 year old prostitute and exotic dancer is found laid out in a room, strangled, face washed, fully dressed with clear tape holding her labia together. A local vice cop offers some information about a property developer and club owner whose main source of income appears to be a brothel. He is a smooth talker and manages to find others to do the dirty work of enforcement.

The book takes place in 1985 in a pre-DNA world, Thatcher world where the mines and other industries have closed, forcing a stream of young people to move from the North of England to London looking for a fresh start. One of the young prostitutes refers to herself and others like her as "Thatcher's children." It's an interesting look at Banks as a still young, but already tired and cynical police officer with a rocky marriage and two children he neglects who is desperately trying to renew himself.

[Meneesha Govender · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Robinson is truly a man of the world. Born in Yorkshire, England, Robinson studied at Leeds University where he got an Honours degree in English Literature.

"So, if home is where the heart is then my heart never left Yorkshire," he says.

Robinson left England for Canada to complete an MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor and later a PhD in English at York University.

As plans go, his changed at a whim in those days and Robinson found himself staying on in Canada, teaching at a number of Toronto community colleges and universities over the years.

Then he married and never really felt the inclination to move back to England permanently.

Now, he says, he does not really know where home is. While his heart remains in Yorkshire, "Canada is far more permanent, and Toronto is very much home".

He and his Canadian wife divide their time between England and Canada - spending about four months of a year in England and the rest in Canada and travelling.

Like many writers, Robinson had a passion for writing from a young age - even before he started school.

His initial foray into creative writing, however, was poetry. He started writing poetry at the age of 16 and continued until his mid-30s.

Being an avid reader of crime novels, one day he had the idea to try his hand at writing a crime novel.

"I read a lot of detective novels as a young boy," he says. "Then I started reading them again as an adult.

"So it was a natural progression to write a detective novel."

He started his first novel in the early 80s, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Robinson's first novel, Gallows View, introduced Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, the man who has grown with Robinson in his writing and who features as his main character in his crime novels.

Robinson has since written 22 novels, 19 of which feature Banks, and his books have been translated into 19 languages.

Banks is an Everyman, according to Robinson. He is no all-hero Sherlock Holmes, because while he usually gets his guy, he is also fallible and very human. He is also a bit of an enigma.

Caedmon's Song, Robinson says, was the "first departure from the Banks series". There have been a few since, but Banks remains Robinson's signature character.

Robinson has also published many short stories, and The Price of Love is his latest collection.

Interestingly, this collection includes a Banks novella, Like a Virgin, that takes us back to Banks's life before Robinson introduces him in his first novel. So for the first time we get to know the man before the first novel.

In the 20-odd years that Robinson has been writing crime fiction he has won numerous awards and been recognised in many literary circles.

It's an illustrious career and Robinson loves his job.

He is passionate about characterisation, human relationships, a sense of place and atmosphere. The suspense and mystery in the story is important to keep his reader hooked until the end.

The realist in him also admits that the soap opera element in crime novels are the ultimate hook. For him, plot is not everything and he is not really interested in the whodunnit aspect.

Today's readers are interested in the main character's love life and their everyday travails and Robinson is at pains to deliver this.

He also admits that the social and political climate of the time in England and the rest of the world has a great bearing on the themes of his works.

"It's happening quite a lot more in my recent books."

According to him, his first books, which were written in the late Thatcher period, reflected that time in that there was a great deal of anger in the novels. "But it was a naive kind of anger."

Now international politics seem to play a bigger role in everyday life. "It is almost as if you ignore these issues at your peril," he observes.

And like many other writers, Robinson uses the events and fallout around 9/11 to drive home this point.

His last Banks novel deals with how the secret service operated, especially after 9/11.

"The world we live in now is more security conscious and freedom is severely limited," he says.

"If I wrote fantasy, perhaps I could step away from the reality of the world we live in. But even then fantasy is based on reality to some extent."

But Robinson is also aware that his main responsibility is to entertain, so the soap opera element and the suspense are always paramount.

"But my way of doing it would be to dig below the surface of things, whether it's the individual human psyche or whether it is society.

"I think readers like that. I like to do things that make people think, but I also think that's entertainment too."

[Val Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

My older daughter gave me this this book as part of a Christmas present. I had not realised at first that The Price of Love is a book of short stories. Peter Robinson is an excellent writer and I do enjoy his novels. His short stories are probably less well known than his novels about DI Banks, however they are beautifully crafted and I was thrilled to have a chance to read this collection.

Peter Robinson is an interesting man who is generous with his time and talent to newer writers. He was born in Yorkshire, England UK, but after getting his BA Honours Degree in English Literature at the University of Leeds, he went to Canada and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Joyce Carol Oates was his tutor. Peter then achieved a PhD in English at York University, England. He has taught at a number of Toronto community colleges and universitie. Peter also served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor for a while in the early 1990s.

Peter often chooses his titles from classical books, the Bible or lines from songs. The Price of Love was a song that was a hit for the Everley Brothers in 1965. They were an American country-influenced duo of rock and roll singers, best known for steel-string guitar and close harmony singing.

Peter's book, The Price of Love includes ten new short stories and a novella about his recurrent character, Alan Banks. The novellla tells about the time when DCI Alan Banks arrived in Eastvale. It seems his life was every bit as much of a mess as it is now. However, he has an envelope that could change everything he understood about the events that sent him north from London twenty years ago. He remembers the seedy Soho nights of his last case in London, dubious businessmen in dodgy clubs, young girls on the game -a killer on the loose.

In addition to the brand new novella that fills in the gaps in Banks's life before Yorkshire, Peter gives us ten more varied and eclectic stories that have never previously been published in the UK. These include the delicious The Eastvale Ladies' Poker Circle finds that murder may be just another game of risk. Another story is about a suitcase of cash. Is it worth a man's head on a plate? In another story a tragedy leads a young boy to learn the price of love. Bacause everything has a price. If you enjoy thrilling murder, mystery and suspence, The Power of Love is the book for you. Peter Robinson at his best. I really enjoyed it.

[Craig Sisterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although he is best known for his Yorkshire-set Inspector Banks mystery novels, Peter Robinson has been writing acclaimed short stories for twenty years. The Price of Love brings together ten such stories, along with a brand-new 110-page DCI Banks novella.

Many of the short stories have been published in prior ‘themed’ crime anthologies edited by the likes of Michael Connelly, Karin Slaughter, Anne Perry and Otto Penzler, and they veer from the First World War to present day, from police procedural to noir to touches of horror, and from Robinson’s childhood home of Yorkshire to his modern-day abode in Toronto (and several places in between). In “Cornelius Jubb” a black US soldier is accused of rape while stationed in WWII Yorkshire; in “The Magic of Your Touch” a jazz musician pays a heavy price for unearned success; in “Blue Christmas” Banks investigates a crime other than murder.

Despite the range, and the way in which Robinson ‘experiments’ with different things in some of the stories (as he explains in the afternotes), The Price of Love is a cohesive collection with few weak points. Readers will prefer different stories depending on their own tastes, rather for any glaring quality reasons. An enjoyable read that you can dip into, story by story, at your leisure.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Peter Robinson but I don't like reading short stories. Fortunately, about half of the stories in here were "Inspector Banks," so I could stick with them. I think I now understand one of my objections to short stories - I like a chance to get to know the characters.

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories. As usual, there is a twist at the end of most of the stories. Good read for a change.

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother reading this. The Inspector Banks stories/novellas weren't particularly clever, and the other stories were downright uninteresting.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Never been keen on short stories and this hasnt done anything to change my mind

[Paula Dembeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Robinson’s second collection of short stories, published in 2009. Each, except the final Inspector Banks novella written especially for this collection, were previously part of various anthologies or published in magazines, information Robinson has clearly identified at the front of the book. What readers will also appreciate is the section at the back in which Robinson expands in more detail how these stories came about, who asked him to write them and the difficulties or ease with which they finally came to the printed page. It helps make this volume more than just an effort to get out another book for his fans to read. I am not a true fan of short stories, but I do enjoy the ones Robinson writes because they never leave me wanting more. They all have a beginning, a middle and an end and I never come to the conclusion feeling unsatisfied.

There are two novellas as well as the short stories. For fans of the popular Inspector Banks series, the collection concludes with the case that preceded his move as a detective with the Met in London to Eastvale in Yorkshire and answers questions readers may have about his career.

The first story “Going Back” finds Inspector Banks visiting his aging parents when he meets Geoff Salisbury who has been helping his parents with household chores, paying their bills and running errands. He seems to have insinuated himself into their lives and Banks, suspecting he may be taking advantage of others who are elderly and vulnerable, decides to find out more about him.

The story titled “Cornelius Jubb” takes places in 1943, when this first class black private from Louisiana stationed in London, is accused of beating and raping a young woman. His friend Frank Brascombe, must stand by and watch as the U.S. military carries out a sloppy trial and delivers their own brand of justice.

In “The Magic of Your Touch” a jazz musician who steals a tune from another man learns the price he must ultimately pay for the success he profited from but never rightly earned.

In “The Eastvale Ladies Poker Circle” a group of wealthy and successful women gather each week to play cards. When one of their husbands is murdered, a detective focuses his attention on the successful man’s business partner, before targeting the man’s wife.

In “The Ferryman’s Beautiful Daughter”, a young girl called Grace tells the story of losing her best friend Mary Jane, the summer a group of hippies settled on their island. They were not welcomed by the residents or the local pastor who called them demons who had escaped from hell. When Grace and Mary Jane embrace the colony in friendship, someone who is unhappy exacts his revenge.

In “Walking the Dog”, a couple who meet on the beach begin an affair that progresses to murder, but the patient work of a detective uncovers the unintended consequences of their plans.

In “Blue Xmas” Inspector Banks is called on to help search for a missing housewife. As she stands dangerously on a precipice, Banks finds himself helping another person who like him, is trying to get through a lonely holiday alone. This is the only story which does not involve a crime, instead it simply describes how two people make their way through difficult times.

In “Shadows in the Water” a young soldier stuck in a cold, wet, smelly trench in Passchendaele, tells his buddies how he and his best friend, just young teenage boys, survived a dangerous encounter with a soldier experiencing PTSD.

“The Cherub Affair” describes a private investigator’s experience on a case brought to him by the sister of a man accused of murdering his wife. The woman is convinced her brother is innocent, but the evidence appears to be overwhelmingly in favor of his guilt.

In “The Price of Love” a young boy still mourning the death of his father, finds a police badge in the sand on a Blackpool Beach. It becomes the talisman he carries for luck, as he takes on the role of a secret agent, chasing down crime. He eventually stops a high stakes robbery, uncovering a crime which is painfully close to home.

“Birthday Dance” tells the story of a young girl who dances for her father and when he is pleased, grants her whatever she wants. This time, primed by her mother, she asks for a gift which her father dutifully delivers, something his daughter never expected.

“Like A Virgin” is the Banks novella, the centerpiece of the collection. It details the murder investigation of young prostitutes and strippers in Soho, all left posed to appear as innocent virgins. For those who follow the Inspector Banks series, it answers all their questions of why Banks gave up a promising career in London for a posting in Eastvale Yorkshire.

In some of these stories, justice is served, in others crimes go unpunished and in others, things just work out the way they should.

They are all good stories that are well written and work well.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a strange volume: a couple of novellas and some short stories, some of which feature Robinson's stock cop, Dec. Alan Banks. I only really enjoyed the first novella, GOING BACK. That one was not a murder mystery, not even a mystery at all, just a story about petty criminal turned "mercy killer." I liked watching Banks as he interacted awkwardly with his aging parents and semi-sociopath brother. I could have done without the extraneous weekend romance, but in general, it was a satisfying story.
In the foreword, Robinson states that he is primarily a novelist and that short stories are more challenging for him. In this grouping, I found that easy to believe. The one story that stood out as being a cut above the rest was, THE PRICE OF LOVE, about a 13 year-old boy who found his true vocation, following in his policeman father's footsteps. It, at least, rang true while most of the others did not.
All-in-all, not a stellar collection.

[Susan Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

Number 7 of my 10 Peter Robinson books

Oh my I am really not enjoying reading my Peter Robinson books! Including these short stories. They seem such a slog. I also skipped a lot.

Saying that, though there seems a lot of padding (in all the short stories and Banks novels) I did like the Blue Christmas story, with a happy ending. Christmas can be a very tense time for many, and maybe the mother of the family might feel put upon. And when it’s just her and the husband and children have flown what do they - or she - do? Or is it then time to, instead of enjoy herself and do what she wishes, to be a carer for he grandchildren?

Also the “Like A Virgin” ?novella? - lots of repetition, the ending was good bringing everything up to date with the introduction of DNA research for solving cold cases. It also tells us how and where Banks got the scar that is constantly mentioned in the Banks books.

3 more Banks books to go

[Michael Rumney · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with all short story collections you do get quite a mix in terms of enjoyment. In this I was engaged in all of them to give an above average rating. In reality the last story is in fact a novella which does explain some of the back story to Alan Banks, Robinson's best known character.
Most of the stories involve death, although one does have a supernatural aspect to it. I got the feeling that Robinson was asked to write these stories and decided he was going to stray from his norm and have some fun.
This came through in his writing and if it wasn't quite what you might expect just live with it.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those who have followed the cases and life of DCI Banks I think this is a book most Peter Robinson fans have been waiting for. This is an anthology of short stories but only 3 feature DCI Banks, the critical one is the final longer story which reveals what happened in Banks’ life that precipitated his decision to move to Eastvale, North Yorkshire.

The stories are a mixed bag including covering World War II, ghost story, Raymond Chandler style PI and a beautiful woman, mafia and the DCI Banks’ stories.

My favourites were the DCI Banks ones The Eastvale Ladies’ Poker Circle, Blue Christmas and Like a Virgin. The first was a topical story of our times hidden behind suburban life and what happens when you discover a secret; a woman having to make a choice and the last one DCI Banks’ at a seminal juncture in his life having to investigate a shocking murder in London in 1985 facing difficult truths and encountering Dirty Dick Burgess for the first time.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two novellas about DCI Banks and 10 short stories, 2 of which also have him as the protagonist. In "Going Back" Alan goes home for his parents' 50th anniversary, and remembers why he has stayed away for so long. This would be a good read before the novel Strange Affair, because it explains so much about his relationship with his brother."Like a Virgin" goes back to Banks' time at the Met in London, and fills in the blanks about why he left. "Blue Christmas" jumps ahead to his first Christmas alone, after his divorce. All this serves to make him a more sympathetic character.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this audiobook. This is a collection of short stories by Peter Robinson, who is best known for his Inspector Banks book series. Some of the stories are Inspector Banks mysteries, but several are just stories that he has written over the years. I found this collection quite enjoyable. Some are set in Toronto, some are set in Yorkshire, England. Some are set years ago and some are modern. It was nice to have a change of pace and perspective in these stories. At the end of the book Peter Robinson tells where the ideas came from.

[Alastair Scollay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Been a big fan of the Banks novels for a long time, but I enjoyed reading this collection of stories and their assortment of new characters. The notes at the end are interesting too and provide some insight into what Robinson was aiming for.

The Banks novella at the end is also very interesting, delving into his time down south, revealing some of his flaws and also giving a voice to his ex-wife Sandra.

[David Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent collection of short stories (including a novella). I'd not read any Robinson before this and will now turn to the Inspector Banks series.

I enjoyed most the variety of writing styles. Robinson shows himself to be a master of his craft in adopting different techniques.

I was particularly taken by the short story Birthday Dance. I wrote a short review. That review is linked: https://ozhamada-observes.blogspot.co...

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of stories, quite elecectic in nature, some with fairly depressing endings, I have mixed feelings, I enjoyed some more than others although what pulled this up from a three star to a four star review was the Banks novella. Worth checking out for this alone but there are some very good stories here, I particually liked his more horror based one, I would like to see the author write more like this but I think it's unlikely.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant short story collection including a novella featuring Inspector Banks in iconic Eastvale, Yorks. If you're a Robinson fan this book is sure to please. And if you live here in Toronto, the local landmarks in a couple of stories will delight. Most of all, the sudden twists in a handful of pages per story will jolt you and make you sit upright, suddenly surprised by the turn of events in pretty much, every tale. There's revenge, murder, and love. Happy reading, this one's a keeper!

[SUSAN TURNER · Rating 5 out of 5]

A change for me

I am used to reading his Banks novels which I love, the tv series too. It's important for me that the characters are really believable and interesting. I look forward to reading his books for the characters and the plot. I found that this book mainly really good, but one of two of the chapters was just passable. On the whole though the book was worth the money

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories most of which were written for collections edited by other crime writers.
I especially enjoyed The novella “Like a Virgin” which was written especially for this anthology and is an Inspector Banks story but set in his time in London before he moves to Yorkshire.

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories with wit, humor and drama. Each story was a delight to read. If you are a fan of the Inspector Banks tales, there are three short stories that feature Banks family and childhood, adding an additional richness to the character. The other stories, while stand alones, still give a detailed feeling of the people, the place, the events to make very good reading.

[Lara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable book of short stories, Banks makes a couple of appearances, and in Like A Virgin, we see him in his final case in London before moving North. Interesting too to see Robinson tackling tales on the other side of the Atlantic.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Read

All the DCI Banks short were brilliant and fans like me will love reading about his first meeting with dirty dick and how he got his scare. The other short loved the war time cooper more on him would be good.😀