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Former London policeman Alan Banks relocated to Yorkshire seeking some small measure of peace. But depravity and violence are unfortunately not unique to large cities. His new venue, the quaint little village of Eastvale, seems to have more than its fair share of malefactors---among them a brazen Peeping Tom who hides in night's shadows spying on attractive, unsuspecting ladies as they prepare for bed.When an elderly woman is found brutally slain in her home, Chief Inspector Banks wonders show more if the voyeur has increased the awful intensity of his criminal activities. But whether related or not, perverse local acts and murderous ones are combining to profoundly touch Banks's suddenly vulnerable personal life, forcing a dedicated law officer to make hard choices he'd dearly hoped would never be necessary.
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This is the first book in the Inspector Banks series, and fortunately not the first one I read. Otherwise, I would not have continued with the series. The first page features an unnecessarily steamy description of a woman undressing, who then realizes that her privacy has been violated by a peeping tom who is roaming Eastvale. There is further unnecessary titillation in the form of a sex scene involving a different couple. Sex scenes are awkward to read, and this one is no exception. And when the police are trying to solve the peeping tom case, they bring in a female psychologist because they think it will play well with the local feminist group, which is represented by a stereotypical "man-hating" feminist. And of COURSE the show more psychologist is attractive and Banks fancies her, despite being married. Eye-roll-inducing. Finally, Banks doesn't have much pep as a protagonist and I lack motivation to find out who the perp is or how the other plot threads will be resolved. Later installments in this series are better. show less
This is the first in the Inspector Banks series. For a first, it has compelling plot and action, and the characters are pretty well drawn. I particularly liked the relationship between Banks and his wife, Sandra -- it was mature and complex enough to be interesting. Banks' attraction to a psychologist his police department has pulled in adds some depth here too, as he acknowledges the attraction but still behaves like a grownup. The resolution of this potential 'triangle' is handled in a way that makes the ending of this book really satisfying -- complex, unexpected, and showing a depth of understanding of how people really behave. The wife and the psychologist end up bonding over issues and commonalities that transcend any show more love-conflict (the latter remaining pretty minor since it was not acted on) -- they find they can talk to each other about attacks each has separately been victim of, and share with a depth they couldn't share with a male. BFF! So their friendship ends up making Banks feel a bit like an outsider at the end, but it is delicately handled and very authentic. For first in a series, this is a very good read.
A minor criticism, which I believe the author (Peter Robinson) will outgrow quickly, is that dialogues in the book are more like lectures gone on at length, and not very much like people actually talk. show less
A minor criticism, which I believe the author (Peter Robinson) will outgrow quickly, is that dialogues in the book are more like lectures gone on at length, and not very much like people actually talk. show less
Inspector Alan Banks moved from London to the quiet Yorkshire dales city of Eastvale to escape the stress of his job. The plan seemed solid - nothing happens in small sleepy English towns, right? Well, that may be semi-true in real life but in the imagination of the British crime writers, they are worse than the big city.
A few months into the job he catches a few cases that appear to be unrelated - a peeping Tom terrorizes the women of the town, someone keeps burglarizing homes and one day an old woman is killed, seemingly while she surprised someone trying to steal what little she owned.
The police is struggling a bit with a very vocal feminist about the police not carrying about the Peeping Tom because he does not threaten men so the show more chief decides to bring in a psychologist, Jenny Fuller, to assist. The fact that she is a beautiful woman and has a connection to the already mentioned feminist makes her even better in the eyes of most people. The fact that she knows it and shares it makes for a funny moment.
And off we are, chasing after all the perpetrators. Except that the tracks keep crossing and you never know when pieces from one of the cases will show up in another. And in the middle of that Alan is being very British and is resisting his attraction to his colleague (being married and all) and all that tension is almost palpable through the novel. And just when the things get completely jumbled, the cases start breaking open one after another and Alan needs to decide who he needs to protect - Jenny or his wife. And the decision has nothing to do with love - he needs to think as a policeman - and that is not exactly easy at that point.
The novel will probably sound a bit dated if one does not check when it was written - police and society had evolved since these days (or so one hopes). But even with those pieces in, it works. Alan Banks is a likeable character, not perfect and human enough, to make one want to read more of this series. It is a very good start of a series that is still going - #27 is expected in March 2021. show less
A few months into the job he catches a few cases that appear to be unrelated - a peeping Tom terrorizes the women of the town, someone keeps burglarizing homes and one day an old woman is killed, seemingly while she surprised someone trying to steal what little she owned.
The police is struggling a bit with a very vocal feminist about the police not carrying about the Peeping Tom because he does not threaten men so the show more chief decides to bring in a psychologist, Jenny Fuller, to assist. The fact that she is a beautiful woman and has a connection to the already mentioned feminist makes her even better in the eyes of most people. The fact that she knows it and shares it makes for a funny moment.
And off we are, chasing after all the perpetrators. Except that the tracks keep crossing and you never know when pieces from one of the cases will show up in another. And in the middle of that Alan is being very British and is resisting his attraction to his colleague (being married and all) and all that tension is almost palpable through the novel. And just when the things get completely jumbled, the cases start breaking open one after another and Alan needs to decide who he needs to protect - Jenny or his wife. And the decision has nothing to do with love - he needs to think as a policeman - and that is not exactly easy at that point.
The novel will probably sound a bit dated if one does not check when it was written - police and society had evolved since these days (or so one hopes). But even with those pieces in, it works. Alan Banks is a likeable character, not perfect and human enough, to make one want to read more of this series. It is a very good start of a series that is still going - #27 is expected in March 2021. show less
I have seen Peter Robinson's work recommended highly on LT and when looking at his list of novels was never that intrigued. But as I realized I had inadvertently picked up some of his later works at sales I decided that I should pick up the first Inspector Banks and at least give it a try.
I fell in love on page five as Banks declares to his wife Sandra 'For someone who appreciates artistic representations of the naked human form, you're a proper philistine when it comes to music, you know.'. I was hooked:)
This moves along nicely with several crimes of varying degrees intertwined among the characters. Robinson doesn't give too much of Banks away in this first installment, but enough to show what a fascinating character he must be.
I fell in love on page five as Banks declares to his wife Sandra 'For someone who appreciates artistic representations of the naked human form, you're a proper philistine when it comes to music, you know.'. I was hooked:)
This moves along nicely with several crimes of varying degrees intertwined among the characters. Robinson doesn't give too much of Banks away in this first installment, but enough to show what a fascinating character he must be.
For a book that was written before my birth, I found Gallows View entertaining and enthralling from start to finish. Inspector Banks is an incredibly likeable character, and the traditional focus on police procedure rather than complex forensic practice makes this novel reminiscent of classic British mysteries. Simple, engaging, timeless... a novel for anyone with a longing for crime novels of the past, with a modern concept and a creepy list of crimes.
For all its positive attributes, the novel itself is slightly confusing. Well, confusing for some. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace, and the variety of crimes that Gallows View presents us with. Inspector Banks has recently moved to a small English town with his wife, Sandra, and two show more children. He expects the pace to be somewhat slower in his new position, but within weeks he finds himself dealing with a peeping tom, a string of non-violent burglaries, and the murder of an old woman in her home. With no clues and no leads to follow, and under incredible pressure from local womens activist Dorothy Wycombe, Banks' department enlists the help of Dr Jenny Fuller, a local psychologist. Dr Fully, an intelligent and attractive young woman, provides the department with a deeper insight into the motives behind peepers, but she also provides a distraction for Banks as he finds himself more attracted to her.
This complicated web of events plays out in spectacular fashion and it's not long before some of the culprits start to escalate their activities. A personal attack on Banks' family makes him question the thin line between his work and private life, and the investigations heat up when an unfortunate incident brings about a lucky break in the case. Robinson sets up his characters masterfully, with a great amount of detail. It's hard to say if he knew when writing Gallows View that he would still be writing Inspector Banks novels some 24 years later, and I look forward to watching his characters grow and change over the years.
The climax to the novel, where all the loose ends tie up, is brilliant! While we follow a couple of culprits throughout the novel, the killer responsible for murdering the old woman does not reveal themselves to the final pages, and what a revelation it is! A fantastic novel. It's effortless charm and intriguing characters have persuaded me to carry on with the series, and I will await the arrival of book #2 eagerly! show less
For all its positive attributes, the novel itself is slightly confusing. Well, confusing for some. I thoroughly enjoyed the pace, and the variety of crimes that Gallows View presents us with. Inspector Banks has recently moved to a small English town with his wife, Sandra, and two show more children. He expects the pace to be somewhat slower in his new position, but within weeks he finds himself dealing with a peeping tom, a string of non-violent burglaries, and the murder of an old woman in her home. With no clues and no leads to follow, and under incredible pressure from local womens activist Dorothy Wycombe, Banks' department enlists the help of Dr Jenny Fuller, a local psychologist. Dr Fully, an intelligent and attractive young woman, provides the department with a deeper insight into the motives behind peepers, but she also provides a distraction for Banks as he finds himself more attracted to her.
This complicated web of events plays out in spectacular fashion and it's not long before some of the culprits start to escalate their activities. A personal attack on Banks' family makes him question the thin line between his work and private life, and the investigations heat up when an unfortunate incident brings about a lucky break in the case. Robinson sets up his characters masterfully, with a great amount of detail. It's hard to say if he knew when writing Gallows View that he would still be writing Inspector Banks novels some 24 years later, and I look forward to watching his characters grow and change over the years.
The climax to the novel, where all the loose ends tie up, is brilliant! While we follow a couple of culprits throughout the novel, the killer responsible for murdering the old woman does not reveal themselves to the final pages, and what a revelation it is! A fantastic novel. It's effortless charm and intriguing characters have persuaded me to carry on with the series, and I will await the arrival of book #2 eagerly! show less
I really disliked this book from page one to the final paragraph. The Inspector is dull and boring - outside of his utterly adulterous behavior. Every character is constantly drinking. Every scene or action of the novel deals with sex in some twisted way (peeping Tom, rape, adultery, porn). The behaviors of the characters are toxic and stupid. The writing is inconsistent. And I think one of the worst characters ever to be written is in this one (Dr. Fuller is a farcical, toxic, inconsistent, tool. Not a solid, valid character.)
Recommended for the fireplace, eh?
Recommended for the fireplace, eh?
Women are being terrorized in the small English town of Eastvale by a peeping tom who likes to stare at women while they undress. There has also been a series of robberies affecting this small town but the police start taking notice when they find the body of Alice Matlock. The police cannot help themselves to wander if this was the work of outsiders or if the peeping tom passion has gotten to be deadly. Inspector Banks is in charge of the case and is working together with Dr. Jennifer Fuller to try to help him understand the mind of the voyeur and to see if there is possibility that he could be dangerous.
This book is a police procedural that does not carry a lot of surprises or revelations. What makes this book great is how the author show more takes what could be considered an ordinary day in the life of a police officer and make it interesting. Inspector Banks has some personal problems and he is attracted to the doctor. He wants to yield towards temptation and he knows it would not be right. The author does a good job also in showing life in a small town by showing the townspeople and involving them in the story. He adds everything from a camera club meeting all the way towards two teens heading into a life of trouble.
As a first novel, it is a very good book and will help in the understanding of Inspector Banks. There are quite a few of the author's work that follow this novel and it will be a pleasure to continue reading them in the future. show less
This book is a police procedural that does not carry a lot of surprises or revelations. What makes this book great is how the author show more takes what could be considered an ordinary day in the life of a police officer and make it interesting. Inspector Banks has some personal problems and he is attracted to the doctor. He wants to yield towards temptation and he knows it would not be right. The author does a good job also in showing life in a small town by showing the townspeople and involving them in the story. He adds everything from a camera club meeting all the way towards two teens heading into a life of trouble.
As a first novel, it is a very good book and will help in the understanding of Inspector Banks. There are quite a few of the author's work that follow this novel and it will be a pleasure to continue reading them in the future. show less
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In Edgar Award–nominated Robinson's 1991 book, the first in a series featuring British inspector Alan Banks, readers meet Banks as he moves to Yorkshire seeking peace of mind. His retirement is short-lived as a contemporary Jack the Ripper begins prowling the countryside. Mark Honan delivers a powerful and affecting performance that will make Banks a favorite for years to come.
added by VivienneR
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Author Information
82+ Works 30,052 Members
Peter Robinson was born in Castleford, Yorkshire, in 1950. He received a B.A. Honours Degree in English literature from the University of Leeds, moved to Canada, and went on to earn a M.A. in English and creative writing from the University of Windsor and a Ph.D. in English from York University. His first novel, Gallows View, was published in 1987 show more and became the first book in the Inspector Banks Mystery series. His other works include Caedmon's Song, No Cure for Love, Not Safe after Dark and Other Stories, Before the Poison, and When the Music's Over. He has received several awards including the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel in 1992 for Past Reason Hated and the Author's Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters in 1994 for Final Account. He has also published many short stories in anthologies and in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, including Innocence, which won the CWC Best Short Story Award, and The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage, which won a Macavity Award. He has taught at a number of Toronto colleges and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, Ontario, 1992-93. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Gallows View
- Original title
- Gallows View
- Original publication date
- 1987-06-15
- People/Characters
- Alan Banks (Inspector); Sandra Banks; Dr. Jenny Fuller; Superindendent Gristhorpe; Sergeant Hatchley
- Important places
- Eastvale, Yorkshire, England, UK; York, North Yorkshire, England, UK
- Epigraph
- Now winter nights enlarge
The number of thie houres,
And clouds their stomes discharge
Upon the ayrie towres;
Let know the chimneys blaze
And cups o'erflow with wine,
Let well-t... (show all)un'd words amaze
With harmonie divine.
Now yellow waxen lights
Shall waite on hunny Love,
While youthfull Revels, Masks,
and Courtly sights,
Sleepes leaden spels remove.
Thomas Campion
The Third Booke of Ayres - Dedication
- For my father, Clifford Robinson,
and to the memory of my mother,
Miriam Robinson, 1922-1985 - First words
- The woman stepped into the circle of light and began to undress.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)When the jaunty 'Drinking Song' began, Banks started to sing along quietly, and his step lightened almost to a dance.
- Blurbers
- Lehane, Dennis; Rankin, Ian
- Original language*
- Engels
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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