From Publishers Weekly
As much spy thriller as crime story, bestseller Robinson's solid 18th DCI Alan Banks novel (after Friend of the Devil) finds the Yorkshire copper trying to unravel a murder-suicide with potential ties to national security. While Banks is on holiday, Det. Insp. Annie Cabbot is called to the woods outside Eastvale, where a hanged manβsoon identified as Mark Hardcastle, the local theater's set designerβis discovered in a tree. What looks like a simple suicide takes an unexpected turn when the badly beaten body of Hardcastle's boyfriend, Laurence Silber, is found in Silber's posh home. Banks, who returns to assist in the investigation, uncovers Silber's past life as a spy in MI6, which makes Banks doubt the prevailing theory that Hardcastle murdered Silber and then hanged himself. Robinson deftly integrates the requisite espionage elements with his regular cast. The unexpected cliffhanger will assure readers that this chapter in Banks's life is far from over. 11-city author tour. (Feb.)
Copyright Β© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From
Peter Robinson rarely strikes a false note in his fiction, and All the Colors of Darkness , which draws on elements of espionage and Cold War treachery, is another solid installment in the Inspector Alan Banks series. Banks has become one of the most recognizable figures in a growing stable of gritty British crime solvers (Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus comes to mind). Critics are divided as to whether Robinson's latest effort is his best, but they are unanimous in praising the author's continued strong plotting and his main character's growth. An added bonus: Robinson's eclectic passion for music has become legendary among his faithful readers, who can find the cuts mentioned in the Banks novels on the author's Web site.Copyright 2009 Bookmarks Publishing LLC