Watching the Dark (Inspector Banks, #20) (2024)

I had to give this latest Banks mystery a two; not because it's not a good story, it's very good, but because it is told so ponderously. It's a mystery, not Thomas Hardy. I felt like I was walking every little step with all of the characters. Some of the elements that were so charming in his earlier stories were beaten half to death to make sure we notice them. I get that Banks likes music. I don't need to know every tune that crosses his aural path. I think Robinson needs to take a few steps back and let the story shine.

I can hardly believe that this is the 20th DCI Banks book I've read. Peter Robinson has written some outstanding novels & although this isn't one of them it is still a very good book.
It opens with an unusual murder & Banks visiting some very bleak English locations, as well as some more pleasant foreign ones. The plot is good and, as always, the characters are wonderfully written whether they are major players or just ones that make a fleeting appearance.
As Simon & Garfunkel almost sang....."Here's to you, Mr Robinson. I love your books more than you could know. Whoa, whoa, whoa. God bless you please, Mr Robinson. Heaven hold a place for those you write. Keep those plot lines tight."
Apologies to Paul & Art for insulting their legacy. Lyrics were never my string point.

Peter Robinson is always so reliable in delivering a good story. Thoroughly enjoyable read.

Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and his protégé, D.I. Annie Cabbot return for the twentieth time in this excellent British crime series. The case opens when a police detective who is convalescing at a center for the treatment of injured police officers, is murdered, shot to death by someone armed with a crossbow. The victim is a recent widower named Bill Quinn who six years earlier had been involved in a high-profile case involving a young British woman, Rachel Hewitt, who went missing in Estonia and was never seen again.

As Banks begins the investigation, he discovers that Quinn had secreted several photos showing him in an apparent compromising position with a young woman. This brings the Professional Standards division into the picture, in the person of an icy blonde named Joanna Passero. She is assigned to shadow Banks's investigation in an effort to determine if Quinn was a corrupt cop. Banks is not at all happy about this, but he has no recourse.

In the process of the investigation, the team traces the victim's recent phone calls and this leads them to the body of a man who had been water boarded and then drowned. The second victim appears to have been involved in some way with a group smuggling impoverished eastern Europeans into the UK and then exploiting them there. The trail leads back to Estonia where, six years earlier, Bill Quinn had investigated the disappearance of Rachel Hewitt.

If it all sounds a bit complex, it is; fortunately, we have Alan Banks to sort it all out for us. While Annie Cabbot heads up the investigation in the UK, Banks and Passero head off to Estonia where things get increasingly curious--and dangerous.

It's an entertaining mystery with several twists and turns. It's fun to watch Banks in action again and to watch the relationship between him and Joanna Passero as well. The investigation is an intriguing one, and all in all, this is a nice addition to the series.

I have read quite a few Inspector Banks novels by Peter Robinson and though I’ve read them out of order (Which is fine to do) I’ve grown very fond of the ethical, gruff and clever DCI Banks and have read enough to be both rewarded and frustrated by where he’s at professionally and personally now – as I’m sure Robinson intends.
Watching the Dark is the twentieth book in the Banks series and in this novel we find the intrepid inspector investigating the murder of a convalescing peer, DI Bill Quinn, a man recently widowed and who, for some reason, never quite recovered from not being able to solve a case from six years ago about a young English woman who went missing in Estonia. When Quinn is found dead with a crossbow in his chest, and compromising photos are found in his room, Professional Standards in the form of the lovely Joanna Passero arrives to partner an irascible Banks on the case.
Not long after Passero is assigned, another man, who appears to be an illegal European immigrant, is also found murdered. Connections between Quinn and this man and the cold case of the young woman start to emerge. It’s at that point that Banks understands he has to travel to Estonia and perhaps solve an old case in order to bring the current one to a close and find the killer. Given permission to travel overseas, he is furious and frustrated to discover that Passero is to accompany him. Able to get under his skin, it’s not sparks that fly so much as hair and teeth when Passero and Banks are forced to work closely together.
Added to this is the fact that Banks’ old partner, Annie, who has also just come out of extended convalescence, has returned to work. Determined to find form and fast, Annie refuses the favours offered by Banks and their boss, except where it means being treated as a fully-functioning member of the team. Throwing herself back into her job, she’s forced to confront her fears and memories and finds, once she becomes heavily involved in the case that the professional can be and is personal as well.
Nothing and no-one is as they seem in this case and the further Banks and Annie delve, the darker and deeper they’re drawn into the shady world of prostitution, illegal immigrants and drugs and the cruelty that other humans can and do inflict upon each other…
I find the more I read these books and love them, the more uneven they can be as well. Robinson has a fabulous way of bringing the characters to life on the page but sometimes, just sometimes, their actions don’t always ring quite true and seem to solve a particular narrative purpose rather than be part of their motivation. For me, one example here, was the relationship between Passaro and Banks. While initially we understood that Banks was annoyed and felt hobbled by the presence of someone from Professional Standards, when he and Passaro have it out and, in his own mind he acknowledges that his beloved Annie also worked for that section and she’s not tainted, past novels tell us that Banks would have moved on and work at building the professional relationship with Passero. In this novel, it doesn’t happen and Banks’ attitude to Passero, particularly when they’re in Estonia and he reverts back to resentment, galled a bit. Banks is not a misogynist though, typical of his generation, he struggles sometimes with women and what they want, but he has always been respectful and appreciative of what they bring to their professional roles and the workplace – this is proven with Annie. With Passero, he becomes, as Winsome accuses him at one stage, childish. But then again, I also put this behaviour down to a growing sexual attraction that he might feel for Passero and the emotional toing and froing that can cause. Likewise, after Passero unloads to Banks about her personal life, the door is open down the track for romance, so perhaps my comments are unfair and this is what Robinson was setting up; but there were times in their relationship at least that the Banks we’ve grown to know and I guess rely on to be stable was not and that was disconcerting. Love might explain a great deal, however ☺
Robinson also explores the seamy and seedy side of the underworld with ease, introducing characters you hope you never meet on a dark night. While at the same time, he also manages to bring the beauty of Estonia to life, the novel sometimes reading like a travel book, but as seen through Alan Banks’ eyes – not a bad way to view another country and culture.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book as I have the other Banks in the series and will look forward to trawling back and discovering more of his life and cases and fleshing out the holes that currently exist in my knowledge of DCI Banks.

Lorraine Jensen, a patient at the St. Peter's Police Treatment Center, is in the habit of getting up around dawn when her pain is keeping her awake to sit outside before the other members of the Center are up. As the light grew stronger, Lorraine thought she could see something like a bundle of clothes at the far side of the lake. Since Barry, the head groundsman and estate manager was in the habit of keeping the artificial lake and natural woodlands tidy, it was unusual to see anything that looked out of place. Although the grass was still wet with dew, Lorraine walked to where she had spotted the bundle of clothes. She did not get all the way to the spot when she realized that it was a dead body she was looking at and not a bundle of clothes.

DCI Alan Banks was immediately dispatched to St. Peter's as soon as the authorities had been notified. Banks had visited Annie Cabbot there during her recent convalescence. Now Annie was due back to work on Monday and Banks was looking forward to working with her again. When Banks and the Dr. in attendance turned over the body, they found that the victim had been shot with a crossbow bolt. Lorraine recognized the corpse as DI Bill Quinn. Banks stated that he knew Quinn too but only in passing.

When Quinn's room is searched, some photographs were found that placed Quinn in a compromising position. Quinn's wife was deceased but the photographs looked as though they had been taken some time ago. Inspector Joanna Passero, of the Police Standards Division, is assigned to work with Banks to determine if Quinn has somehow done something that would reflect badly on himself as well as the department.

Banks feels hindered by Inspector Passero but has no choice in the matter. As he digs deeper into the case he keeps going back to a six-year-old missing person case that Quinn investigated and Banks is beginning to feel that there are crooked police officers involved in the old case as well as the current case of Quinn's murder.

This is a fast moving story that keeps the reader guessing.

i am a great Peter Robinson fan and was really looking forward to curling up with this book. Maybe I'm getting jaded in my reading, but I found this book a disappointment. The story was so-so, involving the murder of a local DI while he was convalescing at police retreat, which turns out to be related to the murder of an Estonian journalist undercover in a group of illegal migrant workers near to Eastvale. Add to the mix the six-year unsolved murder of an English girl on holiday in Estonia and the addition to Banks's team of a beautiful officer from Professional Standards and it seems like a good story is afoot. But no.

My disappointment stems partly from the numerous co-incidences that allow the crime to be solved - and to be too easily predicted by the reader - and a writing style that was clunky and unpolished. Crime novels always rely on a certain number of lucky breaks but this was too neatly matched to be credible. I've never before noticed the ponderous style of writing, where Robinson insists on showing me what the person is doing and then telling me how to interpret those actions. The background details of where Banks is walking or what he's doing in his house stopped being about building mood and character and became plodding catalogues of irrelevant detail. An obvious example of this is Banks's music listening. Instead of a passing reference which might allow us to surmise his mood we are repeatedly given the title, composer and enough information to be able to track it down in a music store.

Had this been the first Alan Banks novel I'd ever read, I'd not be in a hurry to read a second. Since I've had real pleasure from many of his adventures, I'll give him one more chance.

It has been a long while since I read any DCI Banks novels. I had forgotten how good they could be.

This one deals with a murdered police officer, who may just be bent, a girl missing in Estonia for 6 years, and the European migrant slave trade.

So well written and absorbing that I was a quarter of the way through the book before I realised it.

Excellent police procedural, with enough back story that even if you haven't read any DCI Banks novels before, you won't feel like you're out of the loop.

Highly recommended to all lovers of British police procedurals and British crime novels in general.

This the the twentieth DCI Banks, recently published. I couldn't wait! In the gap between Bad Bay and this, I read Before The Poison - loved it, so was really expecting good things with this. What a disappointment! The twists were obvious, it really was DCI Banks by numbers, the Professional Standards Officer was introduced, Banks behaved like an idiot towards her at the beginning, but mellowed out, and the final chapter seemed as if Peter Robinson simply couldn't wait to finish the book. Between Banks, I have got stuck into DI Lynley (Elizabeth George), but lived Banks. Going back after reading several Lynley murders made it seem as is Peter Robonson has lost his love for this character somewhat. Complete anti-climax. I would wait for the paperback to come out.

A new Peter Robinson book is always a big event in my reading calendar so as soon as “Watching the dark” was published all of my other “in progress” books were pushed aside.
I am afraid that I found this book disappointing.
Too much descriptive writing about the surroundings and not enough “meat on the bones” for the story.
The first half of the book ticks along nicely but then a series of “oh so fortunate” events lead us to the conclusion.
A major character just happens to get murdered.
A career criminal just decides to go straight and tell all…
All a little too contrived and lazily written for this reader I am afraid.
There are just too many convenient things that just happen to come together as the story draws to a close for this to be at all believable.
I enjoyed reading the book but felt short changed by the conclusion.

Banks has been one of the most durable and reliable series for my money. Some of the series are weaker than others and this, for me, is one of the weakest. Perhaps it's simply that I don't like it when the central character travels outside his home environment. The weakest by far in the series is the one set in Canada. Robinson pulls out all the stops in this one; a complex plot with tasks for a number of characters. However, it reads too much like a travelogue in places and I am a little fed up of Banks's music choices just now. A well put together book, that just did not work for me.

What is it about these guys? You know they've given their detectives a good run, you know they've received accolades for their work, won prizes, made plenty of money, and yet they keep going even when they're obviously running out of steam (Rankin, James Lee Burke, Hillerman), and it seems their publishers won't even spring for a good editor to strengthen lame characterization, tighten up flabby sentences and fix typos. The plot is fine, but, god, the writing! It's just one step past what Anne Lamott calls the sh*tty first draft.

A well done addition to this English Police Procedural series. I have always liked Inspector Banks and have followed these books through his many changes. The plot was pretty interesting and having part of the action take place in Estonia helped keep things fresh.

Another well-written Inspector Banks mystery.

Book Description:
A decorated detective inspector is murdered on the tranquil grounds of the St. Peter's Police Treatment Centre, shot through the heart with a crossbow arrow, and compromising photographs are discovered in his room. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks is well aware that he must handle the highly sensitive—and dangerously explosive—investigation with the utmost discretion.

Because the case may involve police corruption, an officer from Professional Standards, Inspector Joanna Passero, has arrived to work with Banks and his team. Though he tries to keep an open mind and offer his full cooperation, the dedicated Banks and his practical investigative style clash with Passero's cool demeanor and by-the- book professionalism. All too soon, the seasoned detective finds himself under uncomfortable scrutiny, his methods second-guessed.

As Banks digs deeper into the life and career of the victim, a decorated cop and recent widower named Bill Quinn, he comes to believe that Quinn's murder may be linked to an unsolved missing persons case. Six years earlier, a pretty nineteen-year-old English girl named Rachel Hewitt made national headlines when she disappeared without a trace in Tallinn, Estonia. Convinced that finding the truth about Rachel will lead to Quinn's killer, Banks follows a twisting trail of clues that lead from England to the dark, cobbled alleys of Tallinn's Old Town. But the closer he seems to solving the complicated cold case, the more it becomes clear that someone doesn't want the past stirred up.

While Banks prowls the streets of Tallinn, DI Annie Cabbot, recovered from her near-fatal shooting and back at the station in Eastvale, is investigating a migrant labor scam involving corrupt bureaucrats and a loan shark who feeds on the poor. As evidence in each investigation mounts, Banks realizes the two are linked—and that solving them may put even more lives, including his own, in jeopardy.

My Review:
This book is another winner from Peter Robinson in the DCI Banks series. It's about the murder of a local policeman, Bill Quinn, who may have been a dirty cop and the human trafficking of Rachel Hewitt in Estonia. Robinson did a great job merging the two storylines and his research of Estonia was very well done even down to the music of Estonia. I love that he always includes his love of music into his books. His characters are always well-drawn and his plots always keep the pages turning. Robinson is by far the best writer of British police procedurals and you can never go wrong reading one of his books. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and I highly recommend this series to those who love mystery thrillers.

Inspector Banks #20

I dung out an old book hiding deep into my library “Watching the Dark” was first published in 2012, it was far time to give it a go. This book is my introduction to this author and now I know why people say he is a grandmaster of mystery fiction. Everything is smoothly said and the story immediately pulls you in. This installment was an excellent place to begin.

It kicks off with the murder of a policeman DI Bill Quinn convalescing at a treatment center and found dead on the grounds, pierced through the heart with an arrow. Bank is brought in to investigate and soon discovers compromising photos of Quinn with an underage woman....Working the case not only with his partner DI Annie Chabot but also imposed to him is the enigmatic Joanna Passero from the Professional Standards...her presence is anything but welcome....One search brings another and DI Bank ends up in Estonia to unravel not only this mystery but also one that crossed his path decade ago and has haunted him ever since.

I zipped through this story in no time; it is very active and moves along without needless violence and meaningless sex scenes. The mystery develops bit by bit and teases us along while offering several clichés of people in high places. Well a bit of humour well placed is refreshing. The author has written a very believable scenario of human trafficking and immigrant slave labour into an intriguing police procedural and has set his drama both in the UK and in Estonia. As a Canadian some expressions was a challenge at first but I overcame this and soon was immersed into this excellent story and enjoyed every moment.

In brief: An excellent story, great characterization and well described settings.

Another good entry in the Inspector Alan Banks long running series. The author knows how to weave a complex story into one that holds your attention and doesn't have you turning back a few chapters to see where a certain character came from or why s/he is important. This book involves a little bit of everything.......murder, illegal immigration, loan sharking, and a trip for Banks to Estonia. I don't like to give away plots when reviewing a book so just let me say that if you like Peter Robinson's work, you will like this book which, BTW, is a little longer than most in the series. If you have never read this series, you might want to pick up this book or any of the others, as they do not need to be read sequentially.

In this, the 20th adventure of DCI Alan Banks, our hero investigates the mysterious murder of a fellow officer; welcomes back his old partner - on the mend after the previous Banks' tale; "grooms" a new partner from Professional Standards - aka Internal Affairs on this side of the pond; and while untangling a web of organized crime connections, takes a trip to Estonia. All of which is an interesting plot outline, but unfortunately - for this reader - never gelled in the story-telling.

Banks seems a mere shadow of himself here - particularly in the sardonic humor department - As is Annie, who vacillates between feigned hubris and uncontrollable tears as she attempts to regain her equilibrium and conquer her fears back on the job. And Banks' new partner from Professional Standards, besides never effectively fitting into the story-line, is also underdeveloped and predictably unpredictable. (Her late-night/late in the book "confession" telegraphed virtually from the moment she's introduced.) The case itself is rote and by the numbers without much mystery. And even the "past" that our hero is attempting to bring closure to seems hollow.

I am a big fan of this author and this series - so if I come across as unduly negative it's because this author has set a high standard - and Watching the Dark never reaches it.

I had thought this author had seemed familiar to me but the series necessarily didn't. It turns out that I had read the author before for my book club just not this series. I found that I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the author's standalone book "Before the Poison." Despite this book being later in the series, I found that I picked up on everything and was able to get a good feel for all the main characters. I enjoyed both the Alan and Annie characters and their relationship. I wouldn't mind going back and reading earlier books to see the development of this friendship however I think a new reader to the series can enjoy this book as a standalone. I also enjoyed the introduction of Joanna and wouldn't mind reading another book with her in it. Alan and Joanna have an interesting working relationship in this book, and with her wanting to change specialties I wouldn't mind seeing more with these two as partners. The book's mystery is well done full of many twists and turns. I also enjoyed how Robinson ties everything together. Overall this book was an enjoyable read, and I will definitely be checking out another book in this series.

Nothing I dislike more than a long-awaited book by one of my favorite writers that disappoints and can't be raved about.

This is a mediocre Detective Banks book; very slow going, not much inter-character tension, no dangerous situations, no mystery that you can't clue into very early. Add that to the now irritating frequent references to what CD Banks is listening to, I have to say: if this introduces you to the Banks series, you should not judge them by this effort. Try an earlier version.

I so hope Robinson finds his way again, he's not only got great characters and usually interesting plots, but is a very good writer. Sadly, not in the top of his form here.

I like Peter Robinson but am less a fan of police procedurals that involve organized crime or criminal enterprises as this one does. I didn't find the story or characters very compelling although the story was well wrought. I also found myself annoyed at Banks for dating a woman half his age, while his former partner, Annie Cabot, is described as single, and unlikely to attract a romantic partner because of her sharp edges. Ouch!

I have never read a bad Peter Robinson book (knock on wood)...and this one was certainly no exception. This author has a way of setting the scene that raises the reader's anticipation page after page. The only thing that I found slightly "off putting" about this one was the times that Inspector Banks showed an unusual and unexpected childish side with very foolish actions that were unusual and unexpected from a man of his character and reputation. Otherwise a really great read.

As a rule, this is an author and a series I enjoy, but this installment was tedious and boring. Too much emphasis on what pubs they went to, what they ate, blah, blah, blah; his music choices; too much police procedural with repetitious reports and job assignments. Simply not a good read. I will continue with the series, but if the next one is anything like this, I’m done.

Watching the Dark is number 20 of the Inspector Banks mysteries written by Peter Robinson. Starting a series midstream is always difficult since there are allusions to people and events that the reader is unfamiliar with. Despite this, it is a good British mystery with engaging characters. The story involves the murder of a policeman that quickly pulls Banks into a past crime involving the disappearance of a young woman. This leads him to Estonia and the Russian mob that is involved in much of the crime in Estonia. Everything is tied up nicely in the end.

Took too long to get through number 20 of the Inspector Banks series. Robinson one fine writer of a suspense novel but dang it was drawn out and at times I thought of tossing it. Six years ago a young women while on holiday went missing. Banks decided to ask the question. Why? enjoy.

Agree with the term “ponderous” on this book. I often feel I am battling the author in his books. While I enjoy the plot, Banks, setting , Annie, it is so much work to get through each chapter. Need a break!

I really liked this one. Solved by brains, not by shooting

I do enjoy a good British mystery!

Good read, I like Banks and his crew and enjoyed the new characters, and new locations.

The characters in this series have been becoming more & more like family to me. I've enjoyed seeing them develop, their relationships growing & changing, some folks leaving, others coming in. Have to admit, I never expected to see Estonia as a field trip.