::READERS REVIEWS::

You can always count on an Alan Banks story to be a superior police procedural - It's definitely important to bring out that this is a police procedural which is a different sub genre from "cozies", and thrillers. Author Peter Robnson generally succeeds in surprising us when the perp is revealed after leading us through a detailed investigation. The characters are thoroughly human and we do know a bit of their domestic lives. In this case, we're given the first hints that the marriage between Alan and Sandra Banks may not survive. My only reservation in this book is the abbreviated closure. True, Robinson had deliberate reason in letting us fill in the blanks, but I would have liked seeing reactions from the various characters after the final sentence.

Another good read from this author... - I'm working my way through this series very happily. Almost all of them have been top shelf in my estimation. Oddly enough some of the more recent ones are the hardest to find new, even on Amazon. I still haven't Kindled partially because of this series. For older paperback books there really should be some type of discount. I can get the same book in paper brand new or I can pay the same and just get the Kindle version. I do a lot of "author discovery" reading, I'd rather have to be to give away if it comes down to it... Anyway, this series is probably one of my favorite finds of the last couple of years. If you haven't read him, start from the beginning.

An excellent police procedural - I am becoming a big fan of Inspector Banks mysteries. He is such an ordinary "copper", and I love watching his thought processes as he tries to solve a case. In this case, a seven year old girl goes missing. All the stops are pulled out to try to find her, but before they can they find a murdered man in an abandoned quarry? It doesn't look like the two cases are related but as Banks investigates he finds out all kinds of things, and he finds a link between the two cases. I love the characters in these books, and I love the mysteries. For anyone who likes British police procedurals, this is not a series to be missed.

"Why couldn't they have been real social workers like they said they were?" - Robinson has done it again, delivering a chilling page-turner that I found impossible to put down. Mimicking his last outstanding novel, Past Reason Hated, the author chose to include two cases, that seem separate, but whose relationship soon surfaces, as the backbone of this book. All the usual characters are present in this installment, and we get to see the return of Jenny Fuller, a character that I have liked all through the series, and who with her psychological insights make these novels much more enjoyable.

When a seven-year-old girl is taken from her house by a couple posing as social workers and not returned when promised, the mother contacts the police. Inspector Banks and Superintendent Gristhorpe are thus immersed in a tough case, which proves not only complex and brutal, but also presents little promise for recovering the victim alive. When the body of a young ex-con surfaces a couple of days later, Banks suspects a connection, and decides to pursue this case, leaving the first one to Gristhorpe. The two teams are thrown in a race against time, to beat the odds and recover the victim before it is too late.

I liked the idea Robinson had when he decided to have Gristhorpe handling one of the cases. Up until now, the involvement of this character has been fairly limited, and in my opinion, this change made the series better. The author also goes a little deeper into Banks' personal life, which I greatly appreciate, since when reading a series I always look forward to knowing more about the main characters and understanding what aspects of everyday life and their pasts affect their actions. The Inspector is going through the beginning of a mid-life crisis, with one son gone to college, and a teenage daughter that is growing fast, even if his father wants to ignore the fact. This also forces Banks and his wife Sandra to reinvent their relationship outside of their parenthood.

As is usual the case with Robinson's books, we get a mystery that has an interesting and coherent plot, with mesmerizing characters, especially the mother of the girl and her partner, and with dialogues that are among the best I have come across in mystery novels. The only thing that was a little taxing was that the case involved a little girl. Since having my daughter, who is now two years old, I have noticed that I am affected more by books or movies that touch upon the topic of child abuse. In this case, it was tough at times, but I have to accept that the author handled the topic well and did not twist the knife in the wound. I can understand though that some people with less tolerance may have a hard time reading this novel. Apart from that caveat, I think this is one of the best mysteries I have read in a long time.

Another Robinson Winner - "Wednesday's Child" is another outstanding offering from the talented Peter Robinson. Each of his books are carefully constructed police procedurals and Robinson consistently exhibits an ability to build sensitivity, tension and character into each of his novels. This one features Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, the star of most of his novels, but it also gives added dimension to another favorite Robinson character, Detective Superintendent Gristhorpe. The two of them, with their loyal, able Yorkshire police comrades, methodically track down the kidnapper of a little girl. As in all the other Robinson novels, the bad guy is usually not who you think it is. And by the ending, you know that you have read a book written by a literary craftsman. I look forward to reading many more Peter Robinson books.