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Booktopia Comments
This book is also sold under the title Close to Home
Book Description
Whilst holidaying in sunny Greece, Inspector Alan Banks reads in the papers of the discovery of a boy's bones in Cambridgeshire. As he reads on, he learns the deceased's identity, and his curiosity turns to shock. The boy was Graham Marshall, Banks's boyhood friend, who went missing during his newspaper round over thirty years ago.
Back in Yorkshire, he learns that another boy has disappeared. As Banks embarks on the investigation, he casts his mind back to that summer of 1965, determined to find out exactly what happened to Graham all those years ago, and to try to quell the guilt that Banks himself may have been able to prevent Graham's death.
About the Author
Peter Robinson's award-winning novels have been named a Best Book of the Year by Publishers Weekly, a Notable Book by the New York Times, and a Page-Turner of the Week by People magazine. Robinson was born and brought up in Yorkshire, England, and now divides his time between North America and Richmond, Yorkshire.
Sometimes it seems that a new Colin Dexter or Ian Rankin is being hailed in the press on an almost weekly basis. Detective novelists are many, but writers of Peter Robinson's calibre, who produce intelligent, complex yet ultimately humane crime fiction, are few and far between. Robinson first introduced his readers to Alan Banks back in 1987 in Gallows View. This is his 13th Inspector Banks novel and Robinson just keeps going from strength to strength. An expert at police procedure, he produces a plot of immense complexity while never losing sight of the moral and emotional implications of his story. Banks is a deeply human policeman, weighed down by his own personal crises, yet Robinson is a past master at balancing these personal dramas with the demands of a fast-paced crime novel. The skeleton of a young boy is discovered near Peterborough, and forensic examination proves it belongs to Graham Marshall, a 15-year-old boy who disappeared during a paper round in 1965. Inspector Banks has a special interest in this case; he spent his childhood in the area and was one of Graham's closest friends. He also has information that may help the police find the killer. But before long, Banks finds his motives under suspicion, and he is rapidly running out of allies. Then another young boy vanishes, this time on Banks's own patch up in Yorkshire - studious and solitary, Luke Armitage seemed to spend all his spare time reading and listening to music. But as Banks's old flame Annie Cabbot begins to delve into Luke's background, it seems that there was more to Luke than first appeared. The story is played out against a background of '60s memorabilia and nostalgia, as Banks digs further into his own memories of the era to try and work out exactly what happened to Graham. As the investigation proceeds, he is forced to acknowledge not only that the enforcers of the law are not necessarily beyond reproach, but also that his own memories of those halcyon days could well be flawed. Gripping and compulsive, with a winning combination of fast action, sharp dialogue and a genuinely satisfying plot, this thriller will have readers hooked to the end. (Kirkus UK)
ISBN: 9780330489355
ISBN-10: 0330489356
Series: Inspector Banks Mystery Ser.
Audience:
General
Format:
Paperback
Language:
English
Number Of Pages: 512
Published: August 2003
Dimensions (cm): 17.8 x 11.1
x 3.0
Weight (kg): 0.255
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