Peter Robinson was one of the best mystery writers in our modern times, and I’m so sorry he is gone, but this final installment was terrific and clever as always, and again, Alan Banks is such a terrific character, as he’s so real. Marvelous read, and clever as hell.

2.5 stars. Although I enjoyed many (most) books in this series, I was pretty disappointed with this one. It seemed very disjointed and rambling throughout, almost until around 90%. Not nearly enough dialog for my tastes. This meandering was so distracting as to be boring so I jumped from 40-88% on the fourth day of reading and still skimmed ahead to confirm what I suspected happened. For these reasons I wouldn't recommend this book unless you particularly like making yourself slog through a book because you had liked other books by the same author.

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for the eARC.
This is the 28th and, unfortunately, the last in the DCI Alan Banks series. I was so sorry to read that Peter Robinson passed away suddenly and will miss the series a lot.
It's 1980 and Britain is in the midst of the search for the Yorkshire Ripper and student Nick Hartley finds out his ex-girlfriend Alice has been murdered and is questioned by the police ... they might even suspect him of being the Ripper.
We then go to 2019, where Banks and his team catch the cold case of a skeleton found by an archeologist.
Eventually the two cases intersect and the outcome was a surprise to me ... I thought I had it figured out!
As usual, I absolutely loved the book, as I did all the DCI Banks books. I miss him already!
Highly recommended.

Another well written and intriguing book in this series. Well developed characters, a complex plot, and lots of red herrings along the way. A most enjoyable read that kept my interest until the very end. Solid.

I have read several in this series and I like them very much and they move at a good pace. This is a great book and series and now anxiously awaiting the next in the series to see what happens next with DCI Banks.
I just reviewed Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson. #StandingintheShadows #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Standing in the Shadows was an interesting book. I did not realize when I started reading that there was two parts to the story, the past and the present. It takes place in the town of Eastvale. The story starts with Grace Hutchinson who works for the Northern Archaeological Associates who is there digging at the dig site. She hits something and finds a skull. The police are called in. DS Banks arrives at the scene with policewoman, Gerry Masterson. The skeleton is removed and taken to the lab. Dr. Galway and Dr. Francis Runcorn, a forensic anthropologist are examining the skeleton. He is a man between the age of 50-60 years old. The skull shows signs of being hit in the head twice. This is where the story takes off in an exciting adventure of finding out who he is to the exciting and surprising ending.

The second part of the story of the past starts with Nicholas Hartley living in a student housing at college. His ex=girlfriend is killed and he is suspected of killing her. This story takes off telling the story of why and who killed her. Again I will leave this to the reader to enjoy. Both stories unite at the end with the exciting ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for this ARC.

368 pages

5 stars

The late Peter Robinson penned another brilliant entry into the Inspector Banks series in his latest, and last, book in the series.

Imagine! Twenty-eight books about one character. All of them are well written and plotted with interesting characters. All different in their purpose and premise. Mr. Robinson very nearly matched author Archer Mayor with his thirty-three in his Joe Gunther series.

The latest case is a puzzler. It sets Banks to reminiscing about his previous cases and marriage. This is a new side of Banks and I liked it.

The book has layers upon layers. While describing two main plots, the reader is well aware that the plots must come together as one, but getting there is more than half the fun. There are surprises in this story. Many coming at the end of the novel. The involvement ranges from a lonely college student all the way to police corruption and the IRA. Good stuff!

Mr. Robinson has always been consistent with his characterizations of Banks and his team. He paints them brilliantly. The reader feels like they are old friends and gets to witness their conversations and actions. I’ve truly enjoyed getting to know them all.

I want to thank NetGalley and William Morrow for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

I’ve been reading Peter Robinson’s novels for years, all the way back to his marriage to Sandra. I have enjoyed all of the books. I was very sad to hear of his death. Rest in Peace, Peter.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read Peter Robinson's latest, and last, book. I have followed this series religiously since book one, and I will miss Banks and his supporting cast.

Standing in the Shadows is the twenty-eighth and final installment in the late Peter Robinson's long-running Inspector Banks series. Reading this novel is bittersweet, like the affectionate and protracted goodbye of a very dear friend.

The story is told in alternating chapters. The first is set in 1980 and narrated by university student Nick Hartley whose ex-girlfriend Alice Poole has been murdered. The murder is set against the background of the Yorkshire Ripper investigation. Nick describes his interactions with the police and his fellow students, some of whom consider him a suspect. Another potential suspect, Alice's current boyfriend Mark, has disappeared. From Nick's point of view, the investigation peters out and no arrest is made.

The second storyline is set 40 years later, with the discovery of a skeleton during the construction of a new shopping mall. Inspector Banks and his team struggle to identify the deceased and determine how the body ended up buried in an abandoned field.

Both stories are gripping. Nick's bewilderment, grief, and frustration are poignantly depicted. The modern-day police procedural is informative and realistic, and harkens back to the earlier books in the series.

Eventually, the two story lines converge. The solution to the mystery, while not completely unexpected, still managed to surprise me in many of its details. This is a fast-paced police procedural that held my interest to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance proof.

The gifted Peter Robinson gives the reader two mysteries, set decades apart, in Standing in the Shadows, the twenty-eighth in the Detective Alan Banks series. In 1980, at the height of the Yorkshire Ripper panic, Alice Poole is found dead in a Leeds park. Nick, her former boyfriend was the last to see her alive and, for a brief time, is suspected of being the Ripper. He is obsessed by her death, baffled by the reasons why the police have dropped the case and suspicious of her new boyfriend Mark. In 2019, a skeleton is discovered at an archeological dig near Eastvale, so DCI Alan Banks is called to investigate. They ascertain that the body was buried between 2009 and 2016 but it will take sometime to identify him. When they do, the links to the earlier case will become apparent. But in typical Robinson style, those links will be slowly teased out and will turn out to be not what you think.

Peter Robinson’s Alan Banks police procedurals are character driven with complex plots and an atmospheric location in the Yorkshire Dales. Banks is a thoughtful man, preferring an evening alone with a drink in hand, listening to his vast, beloved LP collection. He’s long divorced, with grown children and deals with loneliness and a sense of melancholy. Peter Robinson died suddenly in October 2022 but Alan Banks lives in Standing in the Shadows. Thank you, Peter Robinson. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow and Peter Robinson for this ARC.