Wednesday's Child

Robinson has done it again, delivering a chilling page-turner that I found impossible to put down. Mimicking his last outstanding novel, Past Reason Hated, the author chose to include two cases, that seem separate, but whose relationship soon surfaces, as the backbone of this book. All the usual characters are present in this installment, and we get to see the return of Jenny Fuller, a character that I have liked all through the series, and who with her psychological insights make these novels much more enjoyable. 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. I liked the idea Robinson had when he decided to have Gristhorpe handling one of the cases. 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, which I greatly appreciate, since when reading a series I always look forward to knowing more about the main characters and understanding what aspects of everyday life and their pasts affect their actions. The Inspector 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 also forces Banks and his wife Sandra to reinvent their relationship outside of their parenthood. As is usual the case with Robinson's books, we get a mystery that has an interesting and coherent plot, with mesmerizing characters, especially the mother of the girl and her partner, and with dialogues that are among the best I have come across in mystery novels. The only thing that was a little taxing was that the case involved a little girl. Since having my daughter, who is now two years old, I have noticed that I am affected more by books or movies that touch upon the topic of child abuse. In this case, it was tough at times, but I have to accept that the author handled the topic well and did not twist the knife in the wound. I can understand though that some people with less tolerance may have a hard time reading this novel. Apart from that caveat, I think this is one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time.

Peter Robinson grew up in Yorkshire, and is the author of a number of previous novels featuring Inspector Banks. He is the winner of numerous awards in the United States, Britain and Canada, and in 2002 he won the CWA Dagger in the Library. As I also come from Leeds the background to his stories is something that I have experienced first hand and because of this I have a special affection for his books. However they would be first class crime fiction wherever they were based. Having said that I can understand to a degree why some readers may not like the books. Banks is a character that has grown over several books and the author is very comfortable not only with the character of Banks, but all the other character too. To me this makes the stories flow because the author instinctively knows how his characters are going to react in certain situations. The books are produced as a series and it is nice if you can read them all in the order they were written, but this is by no means compulsory as each book stands alone. They are what I would call `light' reading. By that I mean that they flow and not that they are third rate in any sense, in fact quite the opposite. This book centres around the abduction of a young girl from her mother by two people posing as social workers. It is the mother's fear of authority that to leads her to comply with their request to take the young girl away for tests. It is only when they fail to return the seven-year-old that the mother realises that she has made an awful mistake. For all those involved in the case it brings back dreadful memories of the Moors Murders. DCI Banks is also investigating a particularly gruesome murder at an abandoned mine and gradually the clues in the two cases begin to converge . . .

Chief Inspector Banks is called in to investigate the disappearance of a little girl named Gemma. Her bewildered mother has let her go with people who claimed to be from a child welfare agency, but instead they kidnapped her. Banks is haunted by the picture of the child, as she resembles the inspector's own daughter. Following this, there is a grisly murder of a man who may have been connected to the missing girl. It is up to Banks and Detective Superintendant Gristhorpe to put together the pieces of the two puzzles into a coherant whole. All of this time these grizzled policemen keep a mental picture of Gemma in mind as motivation to solving the crimes. This is another well-written Detective Banks Mystery by Peter Robinson.

Peter Robinson's "Wednesday's Child" is about the abduction of a young girl named Gemma by a man and woman posing as child care workers. They take Gemma from her negligent and abusive mother who is too ignorant to realize that this couple are a pair of impostors . In addition, a low-class hoodlum is found viciously murdered near an abandoned smelting mill. Are these two events related? Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his colleagues, Superintendent Gristhorpe, Susan Gay and Phil Richmond, combine forces to uncover a cunning plan by a pair of malevolent criminals, one of whom is extremely dangerous and unpredictable. Robinson, as usual, captures the Yorkshire ambiance perfectly. His ear for dialogue is uncanny and he has a remarkable talent for setting a scene perfectly and creating memorable characters. The mystery and its solution are thoroughly satisfying. "Wednesday's Child" is a wonderful and engrossing thriller by a master of the genre.

For those who enjoy a police procedural, not to be confused with a thriller/suspense novel/mystery, this will not disappoint. Inspector Banks makes another appearance when a well-dressed couple pose as social workers and take away Gemma Scupham on the pretense of abuse allegations. The mother, Brenda, accepts them at their word and lets them take her away. A far from exemplary parent, the child is described as "woeful" if not abused physically, then abused by maternal neglect. Banks is on the case leading him down to various possibilities. Is it a pornographic/prostitution ring? Is it connected to a recent electronics warehouse heist? Is this related at all to another murder of a two-bit small time crook? What makes this one an exceptionally interesting read to fans of the Inspector Banks series, is Superintendant Gristhorpe, usually a behind the scenes player, takes the forefront in the investigation. We learn a bit more of his character and what his detective abilities are. He is taking this case personally after being haunted for over thirty years by a similar case. The story is far from contrived and the ending is truly surprising. Robinson does it again.