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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspector Banks has a tough week., Jan 6 2001
This is a great yarn that I completed in one sitting.Our protagonist is not only a great detective but, a likable man. He is an attractive character for all the usual reasons, (i.e...intellegence,charm,loyalty,persistance,..et al.), yet it is his human flaws that allowed me to care about him and understand him.They include smoking too much, drinking to escape feelings at times, and a wandering eye for the ladies.(DON'T BASH HIM TOO HARD FOR THE LAST ONE BECAUSE IT IS ONLY HIS EYE THAT WANDERS.) So much so in fact the author must have studied psychology at length. The author's knowledge of police procedures including, forensics, stake-outs, and questioning of witnesses and suspects, is absolutely dead-on perfect. This one really kept me guessing. Kudos to Mr. Robinson for making the series of crimes and the solving thereof so realistic.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Robinson's First and Fabulous, Nov 8 2008
Banks has recently moved from the city to the town of Eastvale and he's found that town life is no less work for the police. Eastvale is having a rash of burglaries which are increasingly becoming more destructive. When an elderly woman is found murdered the police wonder whether the burglars have moved up to the next level. At the same time, Eastvale women are being plagued by a peeping tom and the police call in a psychologist to help them with a profile hoping the tom won't escalate into violence. This was a wonderful read. I really enjoyed it. There were so many levels and side stories fabulous intermingled here and not only the crimes but relationships with the characters as well. Robinson definitely ranks up there with best such as Dexter and Rendell.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
First in a Superb Series, Feb 4 2003
Gallows View, the first Inspector Banks novel, provides a great introduction to Robinson's now well-established series. Having already read some of the later books, it is easy to see how Robinson painstakingly lays the groundwork for the subsequent novels. The characters are well thought out, given distinct and memorable personalities, and relationships are carefully established.DCI Alan Banks, a recent transfer to the Eastvale CID, finds himself embroiled in a series of mysteries for his first major case. A number of Peeping Tom incidents leaves the women of Eastvale rather vary. To make matters worse, two teenagers appear to be carrying out a series of break-ins and vandalisms. The situation turns nasty when an elderly woman is found dead in her vandalized home. The affable Banks finds himself personally enmeshed in the situation when the investigation hits a little too close to home. The tension grows when Banks tries to remain faithful to this wife, amid the growing attraction he feels towards another woman... The novel has a perfect (if not slightly contrived) ending - all the different threads are neatly tied together, and the intricate details carefully explained. The readers are even left feeling somewhat sympathetic towards the criminals in this novel. Furthermore, unlike some of the other police procedurals I've read, there appears to be far less internal tension and strife within the Eastvale CID - the police officers tend to work as a team and get along fairly well. I found this a welcome change from some of the other series where the main character appears to be constantly rubbing shoulders with his superior or junior officers. All said, Gallows View is an excellent beginning to this superb long-lasting series, and well worth the read.
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