[.ca] Cold Is the Grave CD Audio Book (ISBN 1405090901)

Amazon.ca:
The deep-rooted animosity between Yorkshire detective Alan Banks and his boss, Chief Constable Jeremiah Riddle, provides a psychologically complex subtext that runs throughout Peter Robinson's prize-winning police procedural series. The tormented professional relationship comes to a head in Cold Is the Grave when Riddle asks Banks for a personal favour: to bring home discreetly and unofficially his runaway daughter. Banks accepts the assignment reluctantly. He will have no official status or support while conducting the investigation in London. Nevertheless, his concern for the teenage girl, whose nude image is showing up on Internet porn sites, sends Banks south to ask questions on his own time. He quickly finds her--and learns that the Riddles have some serious skeletons in their family closet. As the investigation deepens, Banks is partnered with Annie Cabbot, who has her own problems with interdepartmental politics--she fears that reporting her attempted rape by a colleague will kill her career. As these internal dramas play out, Robinson's complex network of plot twists unwinds to a satisfying but deeply disturbing conclusion. --Deirdre Hanna

That reminds of Milton's quote about....:
Can't help thinking that this Peter Robinson book is a hangover from the gentility mysteries written by Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. It's full of references to class discrimination: the petty crooks are working class and stupid; the smart crooks are working class and vicious; the upper class are tremendous people, instilled with the wonderful values that only a privileged upbringing can provide. The dialogue between all characters, law abiding and criminal, is mostly polite and deferential to the point of twee, and Inspector Banks floats around in a surreal world of his own, continually congratulating himself on the success of his unorthodox detecting techniques. Perhaps an alternative title to the Banks series could be: It Shoudn't Happen to a Copper. By comparison, Ian Rankin, James Lee Burke and Michael Connelly have created characters with lives and conversations that resonate with gritty reality. Rebus, Robicheaux and Bosch are on a journey through life; Banks is commuting. And Robinson has the most irritating habit of parading his learning out of context. Inspector Banks is often reminded of what Milton said or Proust thought - sure, give me a break! In one chapter, Inspector Banks is having a beer while he talks to a London copper about a villain he wants to obtain more information on. During the conversation, Banks modestly makes a mental note that the other copper is a racist, alcoholic while he, Banks, is still a compassionate, caring human being, branded a 'pinko' by his drinking colleague because of his socialist sensibilities. At that point I put the book down and picked up the latest Ian Rankin.

Long:
This book was just to long to support the shallow ending. The characters were well thought out and in sync. but I began to lose interest after awhile. The sub-plots were of little value and not required to support the main plot. As for a mystery,I don't think so the ending is easily figured out after all the characters are introduced. Still,in all fairness to the author I did finish it and it's not bad reading overall. I will await Peter Robinson's next work, perhaps it's time to retire Alan Banks.

Barley Entertaining:
If you want to be entertained but not into deep thought then Cold is the Grave suits your purposes. It is not challenging by any stretch but it keeps the interest enough to motivate the reader to keep reading even when the outcome is clear. The writing is straight forward by the foreshadowing is heavy handed and hammy. Mr. Robinson has fallen into that familiar trap of continuing a character that was fresh and new to the point of staleness.

A well-written British police mystery:
This book is one of a series whose central character is Alan Banks, a British police detective. In this case, the complexities Robinson introduces into his mysteries generally work well. Banks' search for the missing daughter of his boss leads into a series of unanticipated complications, including murder. His investigation points to different suspects at different times. The boss man's reaction to Banks' lunch with the missing girl (who turns up dead that night) seems strangely muted. Banks' on and off girl friend, another police detective, is treated sympathetically but is not essential to the story. The epilogue seems tacked on. Other than that, the book is a good -- and long -- read.

A Page Turner:
Cold is the Grave Peter Robinson 2000 Viking 454 pages ISBN 0-670-83901-3 A teenager from the Yorkshire Dales runs away to London and falls into bad company - not much new in that. But when Peter Robinson uses it as an introduction to one of his chilling mysteries you have a plot has surprising but logical twists and turns and the tale becomes more intriguing by the page. The writer manages to create strong, realistic characters that stay in your mind long after you've finished the book. When you pick up another book in the series you meet them again like old friends. The characters carry the plot, complex as it is, and all the sub-plots as the reader is shown the truth behind the veneer of the successful Chief Constable and his lovely family. This was a book I hated to put down. It is well-paced and carefully structured and both male and female characters are so true that you'd swear you met them just last week. It's rare that a male writer can make female characters seem true to life, especially in their internal monologues (and vice versa - female writers often don't present the male interior monologue well) but this writer is spot on. This book is a real treat from an accomplished mystery writer. Long may the series last.