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Innocent Graves: An Inspector Banks Mystery
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More About the Author
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Review
'Robinson is steadily ascending toward the pinnacle of crime fiction.' Publishers Weekly; 'Atmospheric... distinguished by a deep understanding of human nature and its foibles.' Time Out
Product Description
Don't miss Inspector Banks: 'A definite contender for fictin's new top cop' Independent on Sunday
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Since I gave a favourable review to the first of the Banks series, Gallows View, I have read nearly all of the rest of the books in the series. I have enjoyed them all, but this one is by far the best yet.
It marks a new departure in Robinson's style. The preceding novels tend to focus on Banks himself, whereas his viewpoint is one of many in this novel. For the first time, we see a significant part of the action through the eyes of a suspect - Owen Pierce, who is suspected of the murder of a teenage girl. This means we get very little of Banks's family life, and I for one consider this a bonus. When reading a detective novel, I can't muster up much interest in the detectives' relationships, marital problems etc. Not that Robinson overdoes it in his other books, but the passages involving Banks's wife and kids are the ones that I have found least gripping, as a rule.
The other significant departure is that we see Banks and some of his team as rather more brutal than before. They are convinced that they have the right man for the murder, and go well beyond what should be acceptable police procedure to prove it. When they find that Pierce has an edition of Playboy, a dirty video and a copy of Lady Chatterley (!), they treat him as a pervert. In interview they bully him and twist his words until he becomes so confused he starts to contradict himself, to their great delight. This part made for uncomfortable reading, as did Pierce's treatment at the hands of the police while in custody. What Robinson does here is move his police characters away from likeable, dependable, upright types with civilised tastes towards single-minded, inflexible people who don't mind making the evidence fit the suspect rather than, as it should be, the reverse. I lost some respect for the characters due to this but this was clearly intentional - it is an honest portrayal of how many police officers actually behave. Not surprisingly, I was rooting for Owen at the trial - how that turns out is, of couse, for you to read for yourselves.
With Innocent Graves, Robinson has moved ever closer towards realism which is what makes the book so gripping. Better still, he succeeds at this without resorting to the sort of macho posturing so prevalent in many detective novels and cop shows.
I strongly recommend this and find it sad that to date it has so few Amazon reviews in comparison to some of the garbage that clogs up the bestseller lists. Enjoy!
It marks a new departure in Robinson's style. The preceding novels tend to focus on Banks himself, whereas his viewpoint is one of many in this novel. For the first time, we see a significant part of the action through the eyes of a suspect - Owen Pierce, who is suspected of the murder of a teenage girl. This means we get very little of Banks's family life, and I for one consider this a bonus. When reading a detective novel, I can't muster up much interest in the detectives' relationships, marital problems etc. Not that Robinson overdoes it in his other books, but the passages involving Banks's wife and kids are the ones that I have found least gripping, as a rule.
The other significant departure is that we see Banks and some of his team as rather more brutal than before. They are convinced that they have the right man for the murder, and go well beyond what should be acceptable police procedure to prove it. When they find that Pierce has an edition of Playboy, a dirty video and a copy of Lady Chatterley (!), they treat him as a pervert. In interview they bully him and twist his words until he becomes so confused he starts to contradict himself, to their great delight. This part made for uncomfortable reading, as did Pierce's treatment at the hands of the police while in custody. What Robinson does here is move his police characters away from likeable, dependable, upright types with civilised tastes towards single-minded, inflexible people who don't mind making the evidence fit the suspect rather than, as it should be, the reverse. I lost some respect for the characters due to this but this was clearly intentional - it is an honest portrayal of how many police officers actually behave. Not surprisingly, I was rooting for Owen at the trial - how that turns out is, of couse, for you to read for yourselves.
With Innocent Graves, Robinson has moved ever closer towards realism which is what makes the book so gripping. Better still, he succeeds at this without resorting to the sort of macho posturing so prevalent in many detective novels and cop shows.
I strongly recommend this and find it sad that to date it has so few Amazon reviews in comparison to some of the garbage that clogs up the bestseller lists. Enjoy!
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I love Peter Robinson's Banks stories and going back to read them again one after the other really lets you see the development. For me this is the book where the series goes from quite polite thrillers to big meaty thrillers. This is acheived by having two stories running together - the Alan Banks story line, where he's investigating the murder, and the story through the eyes of the man accused with the crime. Excellent stuff!!
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
To me this is how a good crime story should be done, its not trying to be pretentious, it doesn't lose itself up its own bottom, its main character is believable, likeable and has flaws. Its not written to heavily you become so bogged down in description you lose the plot, it keeps you guessing the characters are well written and rounded.
My first Peter Robinson but def not my last
My first Peter Robinson but def not my last
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A GOOD READ
This was a excellent read as all of Peter Robinson's books are. He is one of the best crime writers around to-day that of course is what I think everyone to their own.
Published 8 months ago by ginger top
Inspector banks mystery
Having seen the tv programme advertised i decided to get the books. Thoroughly enjoyed them.
Published 19 months ago by Ms. S. Howey
the best yet
i am working my way through the peter robinson / inspector banks series. I have enjoyed them all but this was the best so far. It is bigger the others fitted into my inside pocket. Read more
Published on 28 Feb 2010 by A. Browne
Enjoyable thriller
A typical police procedural novel featuring the engaging Inspector Banks. A seemingly senseless murder - a sex crime that wasn't, or was it? Read more
Published on 8 Aug 2009 by Peter Smith
"Are you saying you still don't think he did it, sir?"
If you are familiar with the Inspector Banks novels, get ready for a noticeable change in the usual flow of the story. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2008 by Sebastian Fernandez
Another Gripping Tale from the Author
Peter Robinson grew up in Yorkshire, and is the author of a number of previous novels featuring Inspector Banks. Read more
Published on 3 Jun 2007 by J. Chippindale
Best Inspector Banks so far
I found Innocent Graves to be an excellent, gripping read. Having read each book in this series from Gallows View onwards I believe this one to be the best. Recommended.
Published on 27 Feb 2006 by I. H. Robinson
English Henning Mankell
I have never read anything from Peter Robinson before and was looking for a book to read on the beach. Read more
Published on 14 Jun 2003 by Stuart Rickards
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