Children of the Revolution

The latest edition of the Inspector Banks books find Alan Banks back in his role as the maverick and curmudgeon of the Yorkshire police. I have been following this series faithfully for many years now, and it is as if I am communing with an old friend every time a new book comes out. Banks is being pressed by his bosses, people who like him because he gets the job done when no one else can, but also hate him for being a non-conformist a process ignorer, to retire.

This case involves a man a few years younger than Banks but of the same generation having been tossed off a remote bridge. The man's life and possessions showed an unremarkable life, except maybe for a life that was obsessed with things that are right up Banks alley, music, show more film , and the arts. The ensuing investigation, well plotted and reflective of the melancholia evident in the later books of the series. Banks is beginning to realize that his days on the force is numbered and he is also beginning to face the fact that he is not a young man anymore, hell he isn't even a middle aged man anymore.

In this particular story his team has been augmented by Annie Cabot, Winsome Jackson and Gerry Masterson. Only Gerry is somewhat new to the story. Peter Robinsons has been slowly but surely adding new characters into the mix over the last few series of books and Banks has been evolving from and lone wolf to a team leader, having to deal with the politics of managing people, a somewhat humorous and distinct change. In a away the story has been spread amongst all the different coppers as they pursued various lines of inquiry. As it is, Annie took a lesser role than usual,as did Banks, while Winsome and Gerry got more coverage, but the overall effect is one of dilution. We are no longer inside two heads, we are inside four and that is a pity because I liked being inside Banks and Annie's head, I don't dislike getting inside Winsome or Gerry's head but the stretching of the plt does not give us a good look into their characters while also denying us the full blown Banks effect. In the end though, I was glad to have had time with the characters, spending time with some old friends.

The plot is still well laid out, the procedural is still fascinating, even after all these years, and the description of Yorkshire is nostalgic, even though I'd only spent a few weeks in Leeds many years ago, the description of the places and people brings back warm memories.

It was a nice romp through familiar territory, almost too familair in some ways, but I suspect there will be massive changes in the next Inspector Banks mysteries. The ebb and flow of the last few books had given me some inkling that there will be massive changes in the Eastvale police department. At this point, I think it is a welcome change.

BTW, there is a very nice development at the end of the book, and I am very much looking forward to see what Peter Robinson does with it. I hope he doesn't screw this up.

I gave it four stars because it was as I expected, and I was kind of looking for a bit more action, but I am happy. show less

Gavin Miller is found dead under the railroad trestle with 5,000 British pounds in his pocket. Sixty-ish, Miller had a checkered past. Several years earlier, he was relieved of his teaching position because of alleged sexual misconduct. Living an isolated existence, the interesting thing was that one of the last phone calls he made was to Lady Chalmers, someone clearly outside of his social circle.

DCI Banks is called on the case, bringing along his crew, Annie Cabbott and Winsome Jackman, along with a newbie, Gerry Masterson.

As with many a Peter Robinson mystery, there is a past and a present. The investigators spend time researching Miller’s whereabouts in the early 1970s, what they call the missing years, as well as the sexual show more misconduct charges and the present. How Robinson/Banks brings it all together can’t be beat.

What I like about Peter Robinson’s Alan Banks is that he’s a person. We know what music he likes to listen to, what he likes to drink, where he takes his meals. As the books progress, we also learn more about Cabbott and Jackman. You can’t always say that about detectives. Being around the same age as Banks, I like his music references to the Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, King Crimson. Brings back lots of memories for me.

What I like about Robinson’s books is that they’re more cerebral. Don’t get me wrong, a surprise ending may pop up in one of his books as well as other mystery writers, but he’s got you thinking all along the way. I certainly didn’t see this ending until it was revealed.

I’ve even taken to watching DCI Banks on public television and while the actor isn’t how I pictured Banks originally, now that’s the way I see him in the books as well.

Suffice it to say, DCI Banks has become one of my favorite mysteries. Children of the Revolution will not disappoint readers and may even score as one of your favorite series. show less

I decided to read this book on the basis of a blog recommendation, forgetting I had read and disliked the only other instalment in this series I have read. The plot of this one was intriguing and well done, but I gave up reading in disgust at the end of chapter 10 and skipped to the end just to find out whodunnit.

The portrayal of the female characters was extremely problematic: Banks' immediate team seems to be entirely made up of women, two of whom fight over him in a bizarre and emotionally unconvincing scene which comes out of nowhere; Banks reflects that they are 'bitches' before romancing a woman 30 years his junior, who finds men her own age 'far too shallow'.

No more Peter Robinson for me.

I don't even bother looking at the flyleaf on Peter Robinson's books. I just know I'm in for a good read with whatever case he's cooked up for Inspector Alan Banks. Children of the Revolution is the latest (21st) entry in this favourite series.

Was it an accident? When the body of a recluse, once a professor at local Eastvale College, is found at the bottom of a ravine in an area difficult to access, it looks like it may be. Perhaps a sucicide.It is only when they the local constable finds an envelope containing a significant amount of cash on the body, that Banks and his team are called in. Maybe it was murder. But why wasn't the cash taken? Where did this destitute man come up with such a sum?

As Banks and his team dig into his show more background, surprising revelations are revealed. Professor Miller was accused of sexual misconduct at the school, summarily dismissed and that began his descent to the marginalized life he was leading. Further investigation leads them to a connection with Lady Veronica Chalmers. The higher ups warn Banks away from this line of investigation, but of course he can't leave it be.

The victim in this case is close to Banks' age. Robinson has moved his character steadily forward, both chronologically and in his personal life. This man's death has Alan taking a second look at his own life. This is one of the things that have made this series one of my favourites - the personal lives of the characters. I often feel like one of the locals in the pub, catching up on the latest. Banks' music selections are a big part of the books as well - I've often followed up on these and have discovered many new artists.

Recurring characters such as Winsome and Annie are also back. Winsome and her calm ways are a perennial favourite. Annie is a character I used to enjoy, but her personality has changed since her accident a year ago. She is more difficult now, with rougher edges and less patience. She too, is aware of the changes in herself. Robinson adds another female character to his team in this latest book. Gerry Masterson is young and green, but brilliant at research. Will she fit in with the team? I quite liked her and hope she continues to be a part of the series going forward.

Robinson's mysteries are always intelligent, well thought out and a pleasure to read. In Children of the Revolution, we are taken back forty years to the early 1970's, Communism, Marxism, political activism and more. Specific references had me off to the computer to follow up. (Yes, Robinson's book is based on facts) Robinson presents many options, alternatives and paths to explore alongside of Banks and his team. Attention to detail will lead careful readers to the whodunit before the final pages, but this won't lessen anyone's enjoyment of this latest entry in an excellent series. Robinson still managed to surprise me with the ending. show less

This is the 21st book in a crime series set in Eastvale, North Yorkshire, England, featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks.

Banks is called to a crime scene in an isolated area where 59-year-old Gavin Miller has been found dead under suspicious circumstances and with 5,000 pounds in his pocket.

Miller was a former college professor who was obsessed with the Seventies and the music, drugs, and politics associated with that time. Banks, being around the same age, finds, disconcertedly, that he has much in common with the victim in some ways.

But Miller was more than just a fan of artsy movies, the Grateful Dead, and soulful poetry. He had been dismissed from his job as a college lecturer after an accusation by two female students of show more having made inappropriate sexual advances. He was low on cash, malnourished, and without much hope for his future. Now, suddenly, he had a fortune in his pocket, and was reportedly much more upbeat. Could he have been involved with blackmail or drugs?

As Banks and his team try to sort it all out, they get stymied by an order to abandon one particular line of inquiry. A week before his death, Miller had a seven-minute phone call with a very wealthy woman who was the same age as Miller, and was known as a fiery revolutionary in her past. But this woman has friends in high places, and Banks is forbidden to “harass” her. Needless to say, Banks is not deterred, and gets help in pursuing that angle from some unexpected places.

Discussion: This is a book that started off a bit slow, but got better as it went along. There are some nice culture clashes which older readers should appreciate as the younger detectives are totally at sea when subjects from the early Seventies come up. A few side plots allow Robinson to explore the problems women have reporting rape; the mistreatment and under-appreciation of workers by society; the persistence of class conflict; the cognitive dissonance experienced by those who migrate between classes; and the relative merits of “truth” versus “justice.”

Evaluation: Robinson provides lots to think about in this book, which takes a more philosophical look at crime, rather than employing the usual thriller-type ending. show less

I believe that when Dr Johnson coined the phrase, "a triumph of hope over experience", he was referring to the decision of a recently-widowed man to make a second marriage. I feel that I have recently shown similar optimism flying in the face of irksome precedent in deciding to read yet another book by Peter Robinson, though the disappointment of reality soon reasserted itself.

To be fair, I have in the past derived immense enjoyment from some of Robinson's previous novels, and would still rate some of the early episodes in what has now become the overly-protracted series featuring Chief Inspector Alan Banks as being among the best "police procedurals" that I have read. Banks himself was a well-drawn character: slightly flawed but show more broadly sympathetic, and utterly believable, as was his principal colleague, Detective Sergeant (latterly Inspector) Annie Cabott. The early plots were well constructed, and the books showed a welcome economy of expression.

Unfortunately, the commercial success that ensued from these well-crafted books has led to a desperate diminution of their quality - the plots stretch any vestige of credibility beyond breaking point, and the characters seem to have fallen into a mawkish self-parody. Intriguingly, the DCI Banks series seems to have described the opposite course to that pursued by Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus and Reginald's Hill's pairing of Dalziel and Pascoe, all of whom suffered a mindless mauling at the hands of television adaptation. The reverse is true of Banks, with the television version struggling to retain some dignity for the series.

So what of this particular novel? Well, someone dies, the police investigate and a murderer is identified. There - if he had tried a bit harder, Robinson could have pared it down to eleven words and saved us all a lot of time! show less

In terms of the twists and turns of a good detective story, this is up there with the best. I did not work out the perpetrator before Mr Robinson explained it so, why award only four stars?

It is difficult to answer that question without revealing the criminal (which I would not like to do because this might be read by someone who hasn't completed the book or, even worse, myself before re-reading it!) I will give the analogy of some Sherlock Holmes novels, in which, Lord So-and-so is allowed to retire to the drawing room and put a bullet through his brain, rather than have his family face the disgrace of having a murderer in their midst. The fact that this cover up leaves the murdered housemaid still with the reputation of a common show more prostitute, who was killed by a client, is ignored.

I am not naïve enough to believe that, in real life, such miscarriages of justice do not occur and, I would not expect Mr Robinson to pretend they do not, either. I was hoping that my hero, DCI Banks, would collude a little less readily and that the author would not assume that the solution was an acceptable one.

Banks ends the novel with a new girlfriend who is connected with the whitewashed family and I, for one, will feel no sadness if I read that he has been dumped in the next tale in the series. show less