Playing With Fire

Ron Keith's Inspector Banks is an appealing character, a trustworthy guide through the investigation of arson and art forgery that develops after two canal barges occupied by squatters are swept by fire. Two of the occupants die--one a ne'er-do-well artist, the other a hard-luck stoner left alone by her boyfriend after a fight. Banks has to unravel which was the intended victim and what the motive was. At the same time, Banks's assistant (and former girlfriend) takes up with an art expert boyfriend Banks doesn't like the look of. In a superb performance, Keith deftly builds character and drama without ever going over the top as the clues and bodies pile up. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Starred review from December 15, 2003
Edgar winner Robinson's 14th police procedural to feature Yorkshire DCI Alan Banks isn't quite up to the level of last year's superlative Close to Home
, but it's nonetheless an engaging pleasure. Three victims have died in two suspicious fires: Tom McMahon, an eccentric, mostly unsuccessful local artist; Tina Aspern, a young heroin addict estranged from an abusive stepfather; and Roland Gardiner, another down-and-out chap but one who just happens to have a fireproof safe containing a substantial amount of cash and what appears to be a Turner watercolor. To solve the crimes, Banks and his team—DI Annie Cabbot and the refreshingly direct DC Winsome Jackman—pursue good old-fashioned police work, interviewing witnesses, neighbors, relatives and lovers and sifting through the evidence gathered by their specialist colleagues. They also make ample use of contemporary forensic technology. In keeping with the moody and introspective Alan Banks, the narrative style is tempered and deliberate, perhaps too much so for those who prefer, say, the riveting urgency of a Michael Connelly thriller. Characterization is Robinson's real strength. Virtually every character is etched with care, precision and emotional insight. With each book, the quietly competent Alan Banks gets more and more human; like red wine, he gets better and more interesting with age. (Jan. 20)

Forecast:
A nine-city author tour and a rave from Stephen King, who rarely blurbs these days, can only help solidify the Toronto-based Robinson's niche in the U.S. market.