Children of the Revolution (Inspector Alan Banks Series #21)

by Peter Robinson

Overview

Multiple award-winning, New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Peter Robinson returns with Children of the Revolution, a superb tale of mystery and murder that takes acclaimed British Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks back to the early 1970s—a turbulent time of politics, change, and radical student activism.

The body of a disgraced college lecturer is found on an abandoned railway line. In the four years since his dismissal for sexual misconduct, he’d been living like a hermit. So where did he get the 5,000 pounds found in his pocket?

Leading the investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks begins to suspect that the victim's past may be connected to his death. Forty years ago the dead man attended a university that was a hotbed of militant protest and divisive, bitter politics. And as the seasoned detective well knows, some grudges are never forgotten—or forgiven.

Just as he’s about to break the case open, his superior warns him to back off. Yet Banks isn’t about to stop, even if it means risking his career. He's certain there’s more to the mystery than meets the eye . . . and more skeletons to uncover before the case can finally be closed.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780594569497
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	03/25/2014
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

One of the world’s most popular and acclaimed writers, Peter Robinson is the bestselling, award-winning author of the Inspector Banks series; he has also written two short-story collections and three standalone novels, which combined have sold more than ten million copies around the world. Among his many honors and prizes are the Edgar Award, the CWA (UK) Dagger in the Library Award, and Sweden’s Martin Beck Award. He divides his time between Toronto and England.

Editorial Reviews

02/10/2014
In Edgar-finalist Robinson’s absorbing 21st novel featuring Det. Chief Insp. Alan Banks (after 2013’s Watching the Dark), Gavin Miller lives in poverty-stricken isolation after allegations of sexual misconduct cost him his job as a college lecturer. Yet when his battered body is found near a disused Yorkshire railway track, he has £5,000 in his pocket. Believing the money came from drug sales or blackmail, Banks and his team investigate both the recent misconduct charges and Miller’s college days decades earlier. Banks quickly uncovers a link between the victim and Lady Veronica Chalmers, once a Marxist rebel and now a successful romance novelist and aunt to the probable next home secretary. Robinson excels at connecting his detectives’ personal stories to the investigation, endowing familiar characters with fresh nuance and depth. Impeccable pacing fleshes out Miller’s tragic life and unravels the killer’s motive. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Superb mystery series...outstanding.

Wall Street Journal

Praise for Peter Robinson and the Detective Banks series: “Robinson rolls out a police procedural with exquisite precision.

USA Today

Ambitious…Robinson shows a keen awareness of the global reach of crime.

New York Times Book Review

It’s easy to relate to and root for Banks.

New York Post

Banks is a fully rounded character - smart, dogged and not above defying his superiors. The supporting cast is equally strong, including the wonderfully named Detective Sergeant Winsome Jackman and Lady Veronica Chalmers, an aristocrat whose radical activities during her university years link her to the dead man.

Seattle Times on CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION

Consistently fun...[A] first-rate procedural and character study..

Booklist on CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION

Meticulously detailed...This is a fine, twisty, surprising tale.

Providence Journal on CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION

Robinson again succeeds in creating a satifyingly confounding mystery and increasing the already formidable depth of his superb ensemble cast.

Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine on CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION

Consistently fun...[A] first-rate procedural and character study..

Booklist (starred review) on CHILDREN OF THE REVOLUTION

03/15/2014
Robinson's latest Inspector Banks mystery (after Watching the Dark) features the ever-intriguing detective investigating the death of a former college instructor. The body is discovered on railway tracks underneath a bridge, and the victim has a large amount of money still in his pocket. The circumstances suggest blackmail to Banks, who proceeds to dig into the dead man's past for clues. Robinson's sympathetic portrayal of the victim, Gavin Miller, depicts a man without family and with few friends, whose welfare is treated with casual disregard even by those closest to him. Banks instinctively senses that more information about Miller's life and character will lead the police to the killer. Intertwined with the story are more decisions and personal issues for the popular DI; he is considering a promotion that, if accepted, will make changes to his future plans. Unfortunately, his falling once again for a much younger woman will irritate some readers, as Banks's repeated affairs with various young women erode his appeal. VERDICT Fans of mystery and suspense will enjoy this excellent story from an award-winning author. [See Prepub Alert, 10/20/13.]—Linda Oliver, MLIS, Colorado Springs

Library Journal

★ 2014-03-06
Robinson's latest Inspector Banks novel is an English murder mystery sure to please lovers of the genre. The body of Gavin Miller shows up on a lonely pathway beneath a railroad bridge in the Yorkshire countryside. Was it an accident? Or suicide? Or murder? The dead man has £5,000 in his pocket, so robbery seems an unlikely motive. DCI Alan Banks heads the investigation, which leads him and his team to ask unwelcome questions of some rich and powerful people. Banks digs deeply, learning about radical political pasts dating back to the 1960s and '70s, when people read Karl Marx, talked of revolution and did plenty of dope. Today they think that's all in the past, and the past won't return to haunt them. In any event, Miller had seemed like a shabby loser and a drunk—so what was he doing with all that money? Responding to outside pressure, Banks' boss tells him to back off the investigation, which of course a good fictional detective doesn't do. He and fellow detectives Cabbot and Winsome are smart and determined, with just the right amount of attitude to make them likable. Readers who grew up in the age of bands like The Doors and Led Zeppelin will appreciate the frequent references to the rock music of that era. Robinson's descriptions are rich and beautifully done, although now and then the detailed scene-setting slows the pace too much. This is a mystery that depends less on action than on DCI Banks' thought process. It's well-plotted and satisfying right to the end. Robinson has won many awards for his Detective Banks novels (Watching the Dark, 2013, etc.), and with this latest, he demonstrates his mastery of the craft.

Kirkus Reviews