In a Dry Season

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.

In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson Viking 1999I 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.

Peter Robinson's "In a Dry Season" is a splendid novel. Although this book is a mystery, Robinson does much more than write an entertaining whodunit. He does what the top-notch British mystery writers do. He develops his characters, settings and time periods precisely, and he shows an understanding of what makes people act in a certain way. "In a Dry Season" features Alan Banks, a Detective Chief Inspector restricted to desk duty after a falling out with his superior. Banks is separated from his wife of twenty years, and he is having difficulty with his rebellious son. Suddenly, a new case is thrown into his lap. Banks is asked to solve the mystery of a long-buried skeleton that is unearthed by accident in a dried-up reservoir. Who was this person whose bones lay buried for more than fifty years? Why was he/she killed? Banks discovers that this case stirs his interest and curiosity and he is back in the hunt, eager to flex his mind and his excellent instincts. Like so many other sleuths in British detective novels, Banks is a flawed individual but a superb detective. As the novel unfolds, partly in flashback, the reader is drawn into the life of the murder victim as well as into the life of Banks, for whom this new case is a chance to vindicate himself. As a detective story, "In a Dry Season" is riveting, and I recommend it highly. It is in the tradition of the best novels of Ruth Rendell, P. D. James and Elizabeth George.

This book is just a small departure from the normal Detective Banks format, but Peter Robinson is a gem when it comes to British murder mysteries. His books just keep getting better, and this book is so beautifully crafted that you are drawn into the story and wonderful characters. Each Inspector Banks book moves us further into his life and ties us closer to his very believable characters.This book takes a short detour into the past with a wonderfully creditable portrayal of wartime England, while moving the reader subltly along in Bank's life. Incredibly good read, stayed up all night to finish it. Peter Robinson sets new standards for British police proceedurals. Can hardly wait until the next one! I strongly recommend that you read absolutely every Inspector Banks mystery you can lay your hands on!!

He already thought that he had sunk to the bottom after his marriage ended and he was relegated to desk duty due to one insubordination too many. So when his superior assigns him to investigate human remains found in the remote Thornfield Reservoir, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks jumps on the case. Even before he travels to the reservoir, Alan knows that the extra dry season led to the bones being discovered as the water no longer covered them. The forensic crowd determine that the victim is Gloria Shackleton, a Land Girl who worked in the village of Hobb's End during World War II. Just after the war, a reservoir was built on the site of the village. Though someone murdered Gloria five decades ago, Alan investigates the crime as if it happened yesterday. IN A DRY SEASON, the tenth Inspector Banks police procedural, may be the best tale in the highly regarded series. The story line is filled with details from the past and the present that cleverly intertwine into a wonderful investigation. Alan's marital and job problems provide much insight into his character. The support cast, especially the deceased's sister-in-law, augments the plot with much depth from two eras. There may be a drought in Yorkshire, but there is no literary one as long as Peter Robinson continues to provide readers with novels that the audience can bank on as being superb.Harriet Klausner