- Hardcover: 354 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins Canada / Fiction; 1 edition (Jan 7 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 006019877X
- ISBN-13: 978-0060198770
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16.3 x 2.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 567 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
The calm of the English countryside is rudely shattered when two run-down barges on a remote canal explode into flame. When the smoke settles, two charred corpses remain, those of young junkie Tina Aspern and failed artist Tom McMahon. Enter Inspector Alan Banks, on a quest to determine who the intended target was and why. Not an easy challenge, as he encounters a pedophile, art forgers, and an anti-social delinquent (Tina's unfaithful boyfriend Mark), potential suspects all. Peter Robinson gradually unravels this tangled web with typical skill in Playing with Fire, a tightly plotted and suspenseful police procedural that justifies the growing reputation of this English-born, Toronto-based writer. Such peers as Stephen King and Dennis Lehane are admirers, and it is easy to see why.
The crime fiction aficionado can be excused for occasionally getting anxious that the recurring lead character of a long-running series might be about to overstay his welcome. Recent bestsellers in this series like The Summer That Never Was and Cold Is the Grave certainly gave no sign of that. Happily, neither does Playing with Fire, even though it marks Banks's 14th appearance. Robinson continues to dig deep into his protagonist's psyche, and Banks remains a fascinatingly flawed yet likeable character. His neuroses and sometimes petty jealousies, especially in relation to former lover DI Annie Cabbot, are ones we can relate and admit to. And like Ian Rankin, Robinson uses popular music as a signpost for the feelings and personality of his characters. Banks deeply immerses himself in the music of such wonderful singers as Mariza and Cassandra Wilson, while this book's Mark and Tina loved Beth Orton. Some enterprising record label should release an "approved by Robinson/Banks" CD collection. In the meantime, let's hope for many more future titles in this superb series. --Kerry Doole --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Edgar winner Robinson's 14th police procedural to feature Yorkshire DCI Alan Banks isn't quite up to the level of last year's superlative Close to Home, but it's nonetheless an engaging pleasure. Three victims have died in two suspicious fires: Tom McMahon, an eccentric, mostly unsuccessful local artist; Tina Aspern, a young heroin addict estranged from an abusive stepfather; and Roland Gardiner, another down-and-out chap but one who just happens to have a fireproof safe containing a substantial amount of cash and what appears to be a Turner watercolor. To solve the crimes, Banks and his team-DI Annie Cabbot and the refreshingly direct DC Winsome Jackman-pursue good old-fashioned police work, interviewing witnesses, neighbors, relatives and lovers and sifting through the evidence gathered by their specialist colleagues. They also make ample use of contemporary forensic technology. In keeping with the moody and introspective Alan Banks, the narrative style is tempered and deliberate, perhaps too much so for those who prefer, say, the riveting urgency of a Michael Connelly thriller. Characterization is Robinson's real strength. Virtually every character is etched with care, precision and emotional insight. With each book, the quietly competent Alan Banks gets more and more human; like red wine, he gets better and more interesting with age.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
a good story,
By Novel Girl (Alberta,Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Playing With Fire (Hardcover)
This is my first D.I. Banks novel and I do like the character that Peter Robinson has created, along with his partner D.I. Annie Cabbot.We learn that D.I. Banks really enjoys good jazz & classical music and has a love of scotch-particularily Laphroaig. The story centers around a suspected arsonist, and the fires that claimed peoples lives. Following that the story unfolds into the concentrated detective leg-work it takes to solve a case once you start delving into a victims past life. There are no shortage of suspects, and the reader does not find out until pages from the end of the book who's responsible. The story was good and interesting enough, but I would have liked it to be more suspenseful. However, I always enjoy Peter Robinson's writing style, and the next one I will be reading will be Friend of The Devil.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A grand scale thriller,
By
This review is from: Playing with Fire (Audio Cassette)
Two derelict canal boats are destroyed by fire in the dark hours of the night. Firefighters find a body on each boat, squatters who had been living there illegally. Detective Inspector Alan Banks uncovers enough suspicious evidence to determine that the arson cases are also murder. The police catch a man fleeing from the scene, who turns out to be the boyfriend of a junkie named Tina who had escaped a horrible home life. She is one of the deceased. The other boat held a reclusive artist, and as the police dig into his life they find that he may have been involved in some shady dealings. When another fire occurs a few days later, resulting in the death of another man, Banks is sure that the fires and deaths are connected. As he and his fellow officers sift through the clues, they find ties to the art community and the possibility of forgery. Can they find the identity of the arsonist before he kills again? This is the first Inspector Banks book I have read by Peter Robinson, but now I am anxious to read the other books in this series. Obviously, it would be better to read the others first to get a background on the characters, but I did not feel reading this one first detracted from Playing With Fire at all. The reader gets a sense of the characters, especially Inspector Banks and detective Annie Cabot. Both are dedicated to their jobs and work diligently to find the perpetrator of the crimes before the killer harms others. There is an undercurrent of tension from a failed relationship between the two which makes their conversations intriguing. I have long been a fan of British police procedurals, and Mr. Robinson compares very favorably to my favorite author Elizabeth George. The characters have long standing relationships, developed from novel to novel, and readers can form their own connection with the characters. The plot moves at a meandering pace, slowly doling out clues at the right intervals so that the reader can discover the identity of the culprit at the same time as the police. It is a definite page-turner, and the reader will be surprised at who the murderer turns out to be. Mystery lovers will be delighted in this newest offering from Peter Robinson. Playing With Fire has all of the intense and suspenseful elements necessary for a grand scale thriller. -Melissa Parcel
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a relief!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Playing With Fire (Hardcover)
I have read every single one of Robinsons books and love all of them EXCEPT "The summer that never was", which I found trite and unconvincing, almost as though Robinson really did not want to write the book and was merely following orders.Playing with fire has Peter Robinson once again giving his hero Inspector Banks a interesting case which he works on with his usual determination mixed with a bit of humour. Set in wonderful Yorkshire in the depths of winter it is good to see the old Banks and Robinson back again.
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