Customer Reviews

In A Dry Season

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mystery set in wartime Yorkshire. Setting and characterization very realistic. Bought it for American friend. No hesitation in recommending it. Brought back memories of my childhood in Britain more than anything else I've read. This one is a keeper.

A village that has been flooded to create a reservoir is uncovered during a particularly dry summer. While exploring, a boy discovers a human skeleton that, in all likelihood had been put there over 50 years ago. Was the person murdered or was it an accident? Will it be possible to solve such an old case?

The man chosen for the job is DI Alan Banks. He's been out of favour with his superiors, prompting his selection for what sees to be a hopeless, dead-end job. But, through determination, perseverance and help from local sergeant, Annie Cabbot, he makes slow progress.

Peter Robinson alternates between the present and the past in an effective narration of the story. By doing this, we are treated to both the lead up and the aftermath of a time surround by turmoil. As Inspector Banks uncovers clues and chases up leads, we are taken back to when it all took place and get to witness every detail first hand. It really is a technique that works extraordinarily well.

As far as police procedurals go, this ranks very highly with pieces of the puzzle revealing a more and more tragic story, leading right up to the consequences played out in the climactic present-day scenes. This is definitely a book to put on your must-read list, particularly if you are a fan of well-constructed mysteries.

I did not think the story would live up to the billing on the back page or, indeed, my own hopes once I had read the editorial on amazon. I am so pleased that it did. Robinson cooks up a feast of nostalgia, mystery and pshycology in a very unusual detective story.

Perhaps most impressive are the diary extracts that tell of life in a tiny Yorkshire village during the War. The voice of the narrator we know is the echo of a million other British voices during those days. Rationing, blackout, land armies and American servicemen all take their place in the reminiscing pages to paint a detailed picture of the life and times of the victim, Gloria.

Interspersed there is the police investigation and the trials and tribulations of Robinson's very readable hero, Banks. Difficulties with the boss, ex-wife, son and colleague are juggled admirably by the author who moulds all the rich ingredients into one fast-paced, enjoyable read. Refreshingly, he decides against falling into the ever present trap of saying too much or adding one twist too many, choosing instead to deliver a cameo of shocks in the epilogue. Just when I thought I had finished, there was another couple of pages that caused the eyebrows to raise and the grey matter to think again at what I had just read.

I would like to read more of Banks books, but I am wary that the actual subject matter in this novel will far surpass any that appears in the other ten or so volumes. One day I am sure I will have done the set, so to speak, but for now I am going to be content with having had the pleasure of reading this as a brilliant one-off.

I enjoyed the first half of this book and thought that perhaps it was in a different category from the others in the series, as the reviews suggested. But I grew tired of the constant rapid cuts between past and present--Robinson would have done better to give fewer and more extended sections. And the war-time characters and period detail wore thin. I was skimming by the end.

Having just read (and thoroughly enjoyed) "Wednesday's Child", I moved on to this book with keen anticipation. Overall, I was most impressed. The story is really an interesting combination of events during the second world war and its aftermath with the present day. It worked extremely well, as the author has the almost unique skill of being able to write in two completely different styles within the same storyline. The first is the everyday police procedural style; the second is the more "prosy" style of a middle aged woman looking retrospectively at events of more than 20 years ago. It works.

My only disappointment was the fact that, like others who have reviewed the book, I guessed very early on "who had done it". The enjoyment for me, therefore, was not in the denouement itself, but rather than in the construction of a very complex storyline built upon the foundations of a known character, Alan Banks.

I would recommend this book most strongly to people who enjoy Ruth Rendell and P D James. Any suggestion that Elizabeth George is in the same league as either of these two authors or Peter Robinson is a complete mystery to me as I found "In Puruit of the Proper Sinner" wooden with extremely convoluted dialogue. But then again, that is only my opinion.

I am just grateful that I have many Peter Robinson novels still to read as they will give me many happy hours in the days ahead.

The descripton on the back of this book led me to believe that it was going to be a very exciting and captavating book. I found the book to be slow moving and at times hard to follow. It took me well into the 100 page mark before I got caught up in the story. I had to force myself to keep reading to that mark and after that I was caught up in the story.

The main thing about this book is that there is three main stories with about 4 to 5 subplots. I was given too much information about people who are minor characters. I enjoyed reading about all the characters, than Robinson would begin to tell you about someone that is only mentioned once. I didn't mind the first time, but after the 5th or 6th time, it got to me a little. I have to give kudos for the main character Alan Banks. I thought that he was an odd person, but it fit in well with sitution, as only he would keep interested with this crime. I really did enjoy the mystery. I enjoyed the twists (think usual suspects) and the way they weave together. At times, I thought that Robinson had a hard time keeping all the stories twined together and fought to keep it interesting. I think that it was ruined for me, as I figured out who-dun-it half way into the book. (Which I usually never can do)

I recommend this book to people that don't give up on books. I enjoyed the book in the end, but first you have to get over all the muck in the first half of the story.

In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson Viking 1999

I have been a fan of Peter Robinson and his protagonist Alan Banks from the beginning and this book is one of the best I have read so far. When a dry season empties a reservoir and exposes the remains of a 50 year-old village, a young boy discovers a skeleton, an apparent a murder victim from the wartime. Banks and local detective Sargent, Annie Cabbot, begin to untangle the relationships of old and in a beautiful recreation of that time of blackout lights and Glenn Miller in the diary of a contemporary of the murder victim, the secret lives and lusts of the old village and its inhabitants. The two stories, the diary and the present investigation, flow contiguously and powerfully, drawing the reader along at a furious pace. The clues a subtle and the ending somewhat of a surprise.

Bank's marriage has fallen apart and as he struggles with the changes in his life and those of his children, Robinson presents a very credible sub plot. The falling into bed with Annie and the resulting shift in their perceptions of each other is brilliantly written and quite believable. The last book I read nearly this good was also by Peter Robinson. Highly recommended to all mystery fans.

This book had been recommended to me, and this was the first time that I had read anything by this particular author. It never ceases to amaze me the difference between American and British mystery authors. I have to wonder if part of it isn't that the British get better literature training in school? The ability to write well, develop plausible plots and interesting characters, and to continue to write that well over a long period of time seems to be the domain of British authors.

I loved this story. The thought of a town being flooded and coming into view again after a period of years due to drought is certainly unique. But it is not impossible as anyone who has been all over the United States, and seen the building of dams or witnessed a dam breaking. The entwined stories from World War II and the modern day discovery of a murder from that time period is so intriguing and different.

Robinson pays great attention to detail, not only in his characterizations but throughout the book. He does an extraordinary job of involving all the senses in the written word to give a three dimensional feel to the story. Too often little time is spent developing this trait...and it is this ability which makes movies from good books so hard to do well (they often are a disappointment because our minds have already pictured the book in a certain way). Because of how well this book is written, I will definitely go look for other books written by this author. His protagonist is very fallible, but very likeable. Terrific! Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

Excellent story. Interesting characters. I really enjoyed this book.

This book was terrific. I never read an Inspector Banks book before this, and I was concerned about picking up a series in the middle without any knowledge of the cast of regulars. I shouldn't have worried. There's just enough of the history of Banks, his family, and his co-workers, to jump right in and enjoy this wonderfully written and suspenseful mystery.

What takes this book beyond your run-of-the-mill mystery series is the fact that Banks is asked to solve a murder that took place at the end of World War II. The historical setting of rural England and London during wartime is fascinating -- London after the Blitz, wartime rationing, blackouts -- it's all described very carefully to provide a wonderful setting and atmosphere for the crime to unfold.

On top of that, Banks is a truly interesting lead character -- introspective and imperfect, I was happy to follow him through the course of the investigation, and as he tries to keep ahold of his crumbling career and his personal life. I look forward to going back to learn more about him in prior books, and then onward to his latest mystery, "Cold Is The Grave." The excerpt that appears at the end of the paperback version of "In a Dry Season" suggests that it won't disappoint!

In short, an excellent read, and a very well-written novel of characters you quickly care about. Highly recommended!