Gallows View

October 26, 2009
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. Honan's stage presence and pitch-perfect dialect compose a stirring atmosphere filled with all sorts of odd occurrences and evil events. A truly compelling listen. An Avon paperback.

For any narrator with a gift for English accents, Robinson's first Detective Alan Banks novel provides a richly stocked candy store. And Mark Honan has a very sweet tooth. He does any number of northern English dialects, switching from one to another in the blink of an eye and throwing in one or two tough London brogues for good measure. His relish in the performance is not the least of the pleasures in this story, which has the transplanted big-city inspector investigating exactly the kind of depraved and vicious crimes he expected to leave behind. Honan's zealous performance will make it a bit more difficult for listeners to sleep peacefully in the countryside. M.O. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine