Wednesday's Child (An Inspector Banks Mystery) (original 1992; edition 2002)

“Wednesday’s Child” is the sixth book in the Inspector Adam Banks detective series by Peter Robinson.

Seven-year-old Gemma is kidnapped from her home, willingly given away by her confused mother to a well-dressed and well-spoken couple who claimed to be social workers. A couple of days later, the body of a young man is found in the ruins of an old lead mine. Two seemingly unrelated cases which (surprise!) converge into one intricate case for our dear Inspector Banks.

Except Banks plays somewhat of a secondary role in this book. Robinson has chosen to make Banks’ boss and sometimes mentor, Superintendent Gristhope, the main lead of the kidnapping investigation. A similar case many years back haunts the veteran detective’s memories as he frantically tries to get to the abducted girl before she is murdered. Finding Gemma’s bloodied clothes in a field does not raise hopes that he can win this race against time.

The plot of this book is less surprising that in previous Alan Banks books. The abductor/murderer character is revealed well in advance of the ending. It seems Robinson took somewhat of a pause in “Wednesday’s Child” to develop some of the characters that surround Banks, most notably Gristhope but also others. In a way I found this book to be a more relaxing read, despite the gruesome crime committed in the very first chapter. ( )

This one just didn’t grab me, the entire time reading felt more chore like. Partly I think as I didn’t believe all was lost when the victim was announced, but maybe more so in that it seemed Robinson was not going to be prone to detail with any of the characters. After finishing I think I see why that was, but still, the story could have been so much more, instead it really left you unexcited as to what the central characters might get up to from here. ( )

Part of the Inspector Banks-series. Entertaining as always. ( )

Robinson pulls off the old trick of starting out with two apparently separate cases and having them converge at the book's conclusion.
When a seven-year-old girl is taken from her house by a couple posing as social workers and not returned when promised, the mother contacts the police. Inspector Banks and Superintendent Gristhorpe are thus immersed in a tough case, which proves not only complex and brutal, but also presents little promise for recovering the victim alive. When the body of a young ex-con surfaces a couple of days later, Banks suspects a connection, and decides to pursue this case, leaving the first one to Gristhorpe. The two teams are thrown in a race against time, to beat the odds and recover the victim before it is too late.

Having Gristhorpe handling one of the cases was a great move. Up until now, the involvement of this character has been fairly limited, and in my opinion, this change made the series better. The author also goes a little deeper into Banks' personal life. He is going through the beginning of a mid-life crisis, with one son gone to college, and a teenage daughter that is growing fast, even if his father wants to ignore the fact. This forces Banks and his wife Sandra to reinvent their relationship outside of their parenthood.

The characterisation is as convincing as ever, and although the subject matter is somewhat disturbing it is sensitively handled. It isn't perfect: there are a few clunky plot devices and it lacks a truly satisfying 'whodunnit' element.

Nonetheless, it is a good addition to the Banks series. ( )

Bits and pieces of this book I liked. Occult, pedophilia, and serial killer/psychopath themes. As usual, humane. ( )