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Inspector Banks #19
Bad Boy
Banks is on holiday, headed for Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. His daughter, Tracy, home in Leeds and angry with her father, is headed for some very deep trouble. Robinson's nineteenth Inspector Banks novel is a stunner.
Handguns are illegal in the U.K., and whenever one is reported, the police swing into high gear. But things go very wrong when the police swoop down on a home in Eastvale to seize a reported handgun. In the confusion, Patrick Doyle, a former neighbour of Banks, is shot. Doyle's daughter, Erin, is to blame for the gun being in the house, and while she's in police custody, her housemate in Leeds, Tracy Banks, decides to let Erin's boyfriend know that the police have been around their place. Bad decision. When Banks returns home from holiday, Tracy is missing. And that's not the worst of it.
Robinson's latest Inspector Banks novel is a powerful story of how the volatile emotions of love and resentment can turn deadly when fear comes creeping in.
From the Hardcover edition.
Handguns are illegal in the U.K., and whenever one is reported, the police swing into high gear. But things go very wrong when the police swoop down on a home in Eastvale to seize a reported handgun. In the confusion, Patrick Doyle, a former neighbour of Banks, is shot. Doyle's daughter, Erin, is to blame for the gun being in the house, and while she's in police custody, her housemate in Leeds, Tracy Banks, decides to let Erin's boyfriend know that the police have been around their place. Bad decision. When Banks returns home from holiday, Tracy is missing. And that's not the worst of it.
Robinson's latest Inspector Banks novel is a powerful story of how the volatile emotions of love and resentment can turn deadly when fear comes creeping in.
From the Hardcover edition.
344 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2010
411 people are currently reading
2193 people want to read
About the author
Peter Robinson
276 books2,272 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Peter Robinson was born in Yorkshire. After getting his BA Honours Degree in English Literature at the University of Leeds, he came to Canada and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University. He has taught at a number of Toronto community colleges and universities and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992-93.
Series:
* Inspector Banks
Awards:
* Winner of the 1992 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 1997 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 Anthony Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 Barry Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2001 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
Peter Robinson was born in Yorkshire. After getting his BA Honours Degree in English Literature at the University of Leeds, he came to Canada and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University. He has taught at a number of Toronto community colleges and universities and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992-93.
Series:
* Inspector Banks
Awards:
* Winner of the 1992 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 1997 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 Anthony Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2000 Barry Award for Best Novel.
* Winner of the 2001 Ellis Award for Best Novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 498 reviews
December 27, 2014
I've kept silent for a while, but now I must jump in to say something, which is only a comment. I'm not aiming this at anyone in particular, nor am I saying this occurs only in this discussion; far from it. But I can't post this everywhere, so here I am.
I wonder if some people ever learned the difference between an analysis/critique and an elementary book report. Don't give me a summary! Tell me what you saw or experienced or learned.
When I come here to find out what others feel about a certain book, I appreciate it when the contributor tells me just that. Sloshing through what I have already read and experienced is unnecessary and too "grade school".
Don't tell me what the book is about! Talk about your reaction to it.
I like Robinson and right now, I'm guessing I always will. Do I think he's the finest writer who ever lived? Not really, but who can answer that one?
He's always entertaining, the characters truly come alive in my imagination, the setting and atmosphere are well laid out for the reader, and thanks to his stellar abilities, Mr. Robinson always manages to hold my attention. Judging by the size of his audience, the popularity of his books and the awards he's won, I'd say this guy's a damn good writer.
This is neither a book report nor a critique. ;-)
Cheers, all.
I wonder if some people ever learned the difference between an analysis/critique and an elementary book report. Don't give me a summary! Tell me what you saw or experienced or learned.
When I come here to find out what others feel about a certain book, I appreciate it when the contributor tells me just that. Sloshing through what I have already read and experienced is unnecessary and too "grade school".
Don't tell me what the book is about! Talk about your reaction to it.
I like Robinson and right now, I'm guessing I always will. Do I think he's the finest writer who ever lived? Not really, but who can answer that one?
He's always entertaining, the characters truly come alive in my imagination, the setting and atmosphere are well laid out for the reader, and thanks to his stellar abilities, Mr. Robinson always manages to hold my attention. Judging by the size of his audience, the popularity of his books and the awards he's won, I'd say this guy's a damn good writer.
This is neither a book report nor a critique. ;-)
Cheers, all.
April 29, 2013
[Please note: This review contains some minor spoilers, but nothing beyond what is described in the tease on the back of the book.]
Bad Boy is a book that, had it been set in the U.S. instead of in the U.K. would have ended on page three.
A woman comes into the Eastvale police station, looking for DCI Alan Banks who was once her neighbor. The woman's daughter has come home for a visit and while cleaning the daughter's room, the woman discovers a hand gun hidden away. Being a good citizen, she races to the police station to report it, apparently hoping that Banks can safely get the gun out of the house and minimize the legal trouble her daughter will be in for having it in the first place.
In the U.S., of course, the desk sergeant would doubtless just tell the woman to go home and to stop trampling all over her daughter's Second Amendment rights. In the U.K., they take this sort of thing more seriously and, although the woman doesn't know it, her daughter could be facing five years in the slammer for possessing the gun.
Unfortunately for the woman, her old friend Banks is on holiday in America and so the woman is referred to Banks' colleague, Annie Cabbot. Following protocol, the police send a SWAT team to the house to remove the weapon, but things go badly wrong and a tragedy ensues.
Erin, the young woman who brought the gun to her mother's house, is the roomate of Banks' daughter, Tracy. Erin and Tracy are both attracted to a sexy Bad Boy named Jaff who owned the gun in the first place. As events unfold, Tracy realizes that Jaff could be in serious trouble and so goes to warn him. Knowing that her father is going to be out of town for the better part of a week yet, she then volunteers that the two of them could lay low in her father's vacant cottage for a while.
This is a seriously bad idea, but Tracy, who is obviously not the brightest woman on the planet, won't realize that until it's too late. By the time Banks returns, Jaff will be on the run, taking Tracy as his hostage. Lots of bad things are going to happen along the way and Banks will face one of the most difficult and most personal challenges of his long career.
This was a good read, and the story moves right along, but I did have a couple of problems with it. First of all, this is an Alan Banks story in which Alan Banks is basically AWOL for the first half of the book. By the time he arrives back in the UK, his daughter is on the run with a known criminal and yet his superiors still allow him to work the case. That stretches credulity a bit when he has such a personal stake in the situation.
Also, as a person of the male persuasion, I might find it harder than some other readers to really appreciate the attraction that some women have for dangerous "Bad Boys." I understand the concept, but Tracy's actions in the beginning of the story simply left me shaking my head. I had some difficulty feeling much sympathy for her later in the book when she had so stupidly gotten herself into this situation to begin with.
One minor note that jarred me and took me out of the story for a moment: While vacationing in San Francisco, Banks begins reading Dashiell Hammett's classic book, The Maltese Falcon, which takes place there. Later, he flies from San Francisco to the UK and on arriving notes that he continued to read the book on the flight," until his eyes got too tired" to continue.
Say, what? The Maltese Falcon is 229 pages long and a non-stop flight from San Francisco to Heathrow is ten and a half hours. Plus, he'd already started the book! Banks must be the slowest reader on the planet.
A final note: The moral of this story is, obviously, that once your kids are grown and have left home, change the locks and, NEVER, under any circumstances, give them a key to your house.
Bad Boy is a book that, had it been set in the U.S. instead of in the U.K. would have ended on page three.
A woman comes into the Eastvale police station, looking for DCI Alan Banks who was once her neighbor. The woman's daughter has come home for a visit and while cleaning the daughter's room, the woman discovers a hand gun hidden away. Being a good citizen, she races to the police station to report it, apparently hoping that Banks can safely get the gun out of the house and minimize the legal trouble her daughter will be in for having it in the first place.
In the U.S., of course, the desk sergeant would doubtless just tell the woman to go home and to stop trampling all over her daughter's Second Amendment rights. In the U.K., they take this sort of thing more seriously and, although the woman doesn't know it, her daughter could be facing five years in the slammer for possessing the gun.
Unfortunately for the woman, her old friend Banks is on holiday in America and so the woman is referred to Banks' colleague, Annie Cabbot. Following protocol, the police send a SWAT team to the house to remove the weapon, but things go badly wrong and a tragedy ensues.
Erin, the young woman who brought the gun to her mother's house, is the roomate of Banks' daughter, Tracy. Erin and Tracy are both attracted to a sexy Bad Boy named Jaff who owned the gun in the first place. As events unfold, Tracy realizes that Jaff could be in serious trouble and so goes to warn him. Knowing that her father is going to be out of town for the better part of a week yet, she then volunteers that the two of them could lay low in her father's vacant cottage for a while.
This is a seriously bad idea, but Tracy, who is obviously not the brightest woman on the planet, won't realize that until it's too late. By the time Banks returns, Jaff will be on the run, taking Tracy as his hostage. Lots of bad things are going to happen along the way and Banks will face one of the most difficult and most personal challenges of his long career.
This was a good read, and the story moves right along, but I did have a couple of problems with it. First of all, this is an Alan Banks story in which Alan Banks is basically AWOL for the first half of the book. By the time he arrives back in the UK, his daughter is on the run with a known criminal and yet his superiors still allow him to work the case. That stretches credulity a bit when he has such a personal stake in the situation.
Also, as a person of the male persuasion, I might find it harder than some other readers to really appreciate the attraction that some women have for dangerous "Bad Boys." I understand the concept, but Tracy's actions in the beginning of the story simply left me shaking my head. I had some difficulty feeling much sympathy for her later in the book when she had so stupidly gotten herself into this situation to begin with.
One minor note that jarred me and took me out of the story for a moment: While vacationing in San Francisco, Banks begins reading Dashiell Hammett's classic book, The Maltese Falcon, which takes place there. Later, he flies from San Francisco to the UK and on arriving notes that he continued to read the book on the flight," until his eyes got too tired" to continue.
Say, what? The Maltese Falcon is 229 pages long and a non-stop flight from San Francisco to Heathrow is ten and a half hours. Plus, he'd already started the book! Banks must be the slowest reader on the planet.
A final note: The moral of this story is, obviously, that once your kids are grown and have left home, change the locks and, NEVER, under any circumstances, give them a key to your house.
August 2, 2019
Bad Boy is one of my favourite episodes from the DCI Banks TV series, so I was pleased to find the novel equally gripping.
Although I knew the TV version well there were plenty of differences between it in the original novel, including some shocks & surprises. Alan Banks is almost absent from the earlier parts of the novel, but the plot is still one of Robinson's best. Mind you, Sherlock Holmes was absent for much of Hound of the Baskervilles & that's still a great read too.
Bad Boy is a more personal novel for DCI Banks, as his daughter features as a major character in the story. However, Robinson makes the family side of the story integral to the plot & (like AA Dhand's excellent Harry Virdee novels) it adds to the book instead of detracting from it.
Although I knew the TV version well there were plenty of differences between it in the original novel, including some shocks & surprises. Alan Banks is almost absent from the earlier parts of the novel, but the plot is still one of Robinson's best. Mind you, Sherlock Holmes was absent for much of Hound of the Baskervilles & that's still a great read too.
Bad Boy is a more personal novel for DCI Banks, as his daughter features as a major character in the story. However, Robinson makes the family side of the story integral to the plot & (like AA Dhand's excellent Harry Virdee novels) it adds to the book instead of detracting from it.
September 8, 2016
Oh, the original Bad Boy - good looking (meh), excitingly reckless (bloody lunatic), taking what he wants with no excuses (egotistical sociopath), cannot be owned by any one woman (abusive, two-timing prick). That is, depending on if you ask some poor smitten one (or me).
Oh, how I hated guys like that. And I'm confident I was nowhere near alone. Because decent guys have always had to watch some unlucky girl being totally swept off her feet by someone that you knew was going to hurt her and then did.
Luckily, I never cross paths with Bad Boys - or their victims - nowadays. Which is good because going around hating people is never good for anything, really.
Anyway, as the title suggests, in this book we are forced to learn about a Bad Boy. And he's just as infuriating as I would think. This is not the reason for the mere 3 stars, however. Let's begin at the beginning, shall we?
DCI Banks is nearing the end of a long vacation in the US, intended as recreation after some really damaging cases and events. His return is preceded, however, by the report of an old neighbor/friend of his of her daughter (Banks' own daughter Tracy's old friend and current roommate) being in possession of a handgun. Something prompting a reaction that must seem like Kafka to someone, eh, living somewhere where guns are abundant. The outcome is tragic and sets off an unfortunate chain of events.
Robinson writes engaging and suspenseful as always and there are a number of great passages in the book. "Dirty Dick" Burgess plays a minor part again, but is in brilliant shape and delivers a lot. The ending I appreciate very much, not too unrealistic but certainly not bland either. The aftermath too is a good part, not avoiding the complications and darker sides of the characters involved.
So, what's with the star withholding then? Well, really only two odd things that threw me, not in a good way, and which I had troubles overlooking. I won't say they spoiled the story for me, but they certainly brought it down a couple of notches. The first is Banks himself reasoning not only stupidly, but totally out of character at one point, the other is Tracy Banks' strange total loss of cool at one point - her reasoning for some actions (or rather lack of action) rhymes very poorly with her levelheadedness and resourcefulness both before and after. Sits wrong and feels like a means of keeping the story going.
Still a read worthy book - I have yet to come across a bad one in the series - and a recommended read. I thought I'd give the anguished inspector a rest now, but the next one is up there on the shelf and I just have to know what happens to poor Annie!
Oh, how I hated guys like that. And I'm confident I was nowhere near alone. Because decent guys have always had to watch some unlucky girl being totally swept off her feet by someone that you knew was going to hurt her and then did.
Luckily, I never cross paths with Bad Boys - or their victims - nowadays. Which is good because going around hating people is never good for anything, really.
Anyway, as the title suggests, in this book we are forced to learn about a Bad Boy. And he's just as infuriating as I would think. This is not the reason for the mere 3 stars, however. Let's begin at the beginning, shall we?
DCI Banks is nearing the end of a long vacation in the US, intended as recreation after some really damaging cases and events. His return is preceded, however, by the report of an old neighbor/friend of his of her daughter (Banks' own daughter Tracy's old friend and current roommate) being in possession of a handgun. Something prompting a reaction that must seem like Kafka to someone, eh, living somewhere where guns are abundant. The outcome is tragic and sets off an unfortunate chain of events.
Robinson writes engaging and suspenseful as always and there are a number of great passages in the book. "Dirty Dick" Burgess plays a minor part again, but is in brilliant shape and delivers a lot. The ending I appreciate very much, not too unrealistic but certainly not bland either. The aftermath too is a good part, not avoiding the complications and darker sides of the characters involved.
So, what's with the star withholding then? Well, really only two odd things that threw me, not in a good way, and which I had troubles overlooking. I won't say they spoiled the story for me, but they certainly brought it down a couple of notches. The first is Banks himself reasoning not only stupidly, but totally out of character at one point, the other is Tracy Banks' strange total loss of cool at one point - her reasoning for some actions (or rather lack of action) rhymes very poorly with her levelheadedness and resourcefulness both before and after. Sits wrong and feels like a means of keeping the story going.
Still a read worthy book - I have yet to come across a bad one in the series - and a recommended read. I thought I'd give the anguished inspector a rest now, but the next one is up there on the shelf and I just have to know what happens to poor Annie!
January 14, 2013
Yes, Peter Robinson's books are formulaic. Yes, after a passel of Inspector Banks books, some of the ticks can become tiring. But, Robinson's stories always suck me in, and I forget that I'm reading. I'm just entertained and engrossed in the story. It's easy. It's light. But, those are good qualities to have on any reading list.
It's clear to me that, even after all this time with Banks, Robinson is still passionate about the character. I do not get a sense in his writing that he is tired of him, and that's pretty remarkable after almost 20 episodes. I'm looking forward to diving into the next one.
It's clear to me that, even after all this time with Banks, Robinson is still passionate about the character. I do not get a sense in his writing that he is tired of him, and that's pretty remarkable after almost 20 episodes. I'm looking forward to diving into the next one.
September 17, 2010
First, my thanks to LibraryThing's early reviewer program and to Morrow for my copy of this book.
Don't do what I did and start this late at night -- you won't want to put it down. Although this book isn't really a whodunit, the tension begins to build very close to the beginning and doesn't let up.
The 19th installment in Robinson's Alan Banks series, Bad Boy begins with the discovery of a gun. Julia Doyle contacts the police to report that she's found a gun in her daughter Erin's room, and that she was hoping to speak to Inspector Banks (a long-time friend of the Doyle family), but he's away on vacation in the US. His partner Annie Cabbot takes the case (gun laws are very strict in the UK) but things quickly spiral out of control and lead to a major disaster. Erin had just recently moved back home -- she had been living with Banks' daughter Tracy (who's now going by "Francesca") until things started heating up between Tracy and Jaff, Erin's boyfriend. Tracy, who's going through a rough patch in her relationship with her dad and in her life in general, decides to let Jaff know that the police are trying to find out where Erin got the gun. She finds herself even more attracted to Jaff, and offers to help him out by letting him stay in her Dad's cabin -- which turns out to be a really bad decision as the two become fugitives, first from Jaff's criminal connections and then the police. When Banks returns home, there is no time to waste -- he must find Jaff and Tracy in a hurry to prevent the worst from happening.
I have to own up to only having read the first Inspector Banks novel, so I'm at kind of a disadvantage here as far as the development of the characters and of the series stories in general. So the big question for me is whether or not I think Bad Boy could work as a standalone novel, and I'd have to say yes. Personally, I prefer series books in the order they're written, but I think in this one, there's enough of a buzz-through kind of history offered by Robinson that overcomes the need for having read the previous 18. My only complaint: I figured some of the ending earlier so I wasn't too surprised, but hey, if that's the worst of it all, I can easily overlook it.
Overall, I thought Bad Boy was quite good -- a bit on the suspenseful side, with enough twists and turns along the way to keep the pages turning -- and I look forward to books 2-18 in the series.
Don't do what I did and start this late at night -- you won't want to put it down. Although this book isn't really a whodunit, the tension begins to build very close to the beginning and doesn't let up.
The 19th installment in Robinson's Alan Banks series, Bad Boy begins with the discovery of a gun. Julia Doyle contacts the police to report that she's found a gun in her daughter Erin's room, and that she was hoping to speak to Inspector Banks (a long-time friend of the Doyle family), but he's away on vacation in the US. His partner Annie Cabbot takes the case (gun laws are very strict in the UK) but things quickly spiral out of control and lead to a major disaster. Erin had just recently moved back home -- she had been living with Banks' daughter Tracy (who's now going by "Francesca") until things started heating up between Tracy and Jaff, Erin's boyfriend. Tracy, who's going through a rough patch in her relationship with her dad and in her life in general, decides to let Jaff know that the police are trying to find out where Erin got the gun. She finds herself even more attracted to Jaff, and offers to help him out by letting him stay in her Dad's cabin -- which turns out to be a really bad decision as the two become fugitives, first from Jaff's criminal connections and then the police. When Banks returns home, there is no time to waste -- he must find Jaff and Tracy in a hurry to prevent the worst from happening.
I have to own up to only having read the first Inspector Banks novel, so I'm at kind of a disadvantage here as far as the development of the characters and of the series stories in general. So the big question for me is whether or not I think Bad Boy could work as a standalone novel, and I'd have to say yes. Personally, I prefer series books in the order they're written, but I think in this one, there's enough of a buzz-through kind of history offered by Robinson that overcomes the need for having read the previous 18. My only complaint: I figured some of the ending earlier so I wasn't too surprised, but hey, if that's the worst of it all, I can easily overlook it.
Overall, I thought Bad Boy was quite good -- a bit on the suspenseful side, with enough twists and turns along the way to keep the pages turning -- and I look forward to books 2-18 in the series.
October 13, 2010
I have read Peter Robinson since his first Alan Banks procedural. As with most long series, the first several were excellent. But then the plots became predictable, the writing stale, and the recurring characters boring. I stopped reading him. When I saw “Bad Boy,” I decided that after a several-year hiatus, I would try him again. Unfortunately, that was a mistake.
Robinson’s recurring women characters in “Bad Boy” are immature, trite, and badly drawn. You have his partner and former lover Annie Cabot, who continues to carry a torch for her partner, even after nearly two decades. Annie has become childish and her career stalled. She has become less of a strong woman character than she was when the author first introduced her years ago. It is as if Robinson wants Annie to rue the day he had her choose her career over Banks. Banks’ daughter, Tracy, hasn’t grown up either. She remains thirteen years old even though she is, with this outing, in her mid-twenties. In this day and age, you’d think that a woman that age would at least think twice about going about with a man in his 30s who stashed an illegal gun in his girlfriend’s flat. Tracy seems intent on punishing her father, something most kids do in their teens. By their mid-twenties, most are ready to get on with life.
Very quickly, Tracy and Annie began to grate, there were no other characters who were sympathetic so there was really no reason to continue to read the book other than Publishers’ Weekly giving the book a starred review. I continued to read wanting to get to the parts that PW’s reviewer read that resulted in the starred review. I never found them.
There are just too many very, very good authors writing excellent British procedurals (Charles Todd, Laurie R. King, P.D. James come immediately to mind) to waste time on mediocre authors and their books.
Robinson’s recurring women characters in “Bad Boy” are immature, trite, and badly drawn. You have his partner and former lover Annie Cabot, who continues to carry a torch for her partner, even after nearly two decades. Annie has become childish and her career stalled. She has become less of a strong woman character than she was when the author first introduced her years ago. It is as if Robinson wants Annie to rue the day he had her choose her career over Banks. Banks’ daughter, Tracy, hasn’t grown up either. She remains thirteen years old even though she is, with this outing, in her mid-twenties. In this day and age, you’d think that a woman that age would at least think twice about going about with a man in his 30s who stashed an illegal gun in his girlfriend’s flat. Tracy seems intent on punishing her father, something most kids do in their teens. By their mid-twenties, most are ready to get on with life.
Very quickly, Tracy and Annie began to grate, there were no other characters who were sympathetic so there was really no reason to continue to read the book other than Publishers’ Weekly giving the book a starred review. I continued to read wanting to get to the parts that PW’s reviewer read that resulted in the starred review. I never found them.
There are just too many very, very good authors writing excellent British procedurals (Charles Todd, Laurie R. King, P.D. James come immediately to mind) to waste time on mediocre authors and their books.
July 31, 2011
The Alan Banks books are losing their way. Character motivations change to suit the plot, characters (especially of women) are becoming flatter and less believable, apparently meaningful connections between them are forged in a couple of stilted and unconvincing pages. After the genius of Aftermath and Friend Of The Devil, it is disappointing to have such a humdrum book.
January 26, 2014
"My daughter has a gun." Banks is on holiday, but that's the concern a woman brings to Annie, Banks's DI, while Banks is on vacation. Even though unlicensed handgun possession carries a very steep penalty, the police completely over-react (Banks is on vacation) and the girl's father gets hit with a tazer and dies of a heart attack. Cut to a scene with the daughter's friends and we learn things are not quite so simple.
Soon, Banks' daughter is linked to Jaff, drugs, and attempted murder. Banks' former lover and DI Annie Cabbot investigates while Superintendent Chambers tries to paper over the fustercluck created by his armed response team.
The scene shifts to Geoff and Tracy who are soon on the run from the cops and Banks arrives home from his vacation in San Francisco to find a perfect mess.
I have to say that Tracy Banks has got to be one of the dumbest daughters to come down the pike. There were numerous opportunities for her to make a bad situation better, but she seemed to lack the gumption to react positively to her dilemma. The few times when she made a feeble attempt, she mishandled it badly.
There are a couple of interesting new characters -- at least I believe they are new at this point in the series: Constable Nerys Powell, a member of the armed response team who has a crush on DI Cabott. Like Banks, she ignores regulations, in this case saving the day. I also liked DS Winsome Jackman, a statuesque, bright, and clever professional detective. The solution to the plot is intellectually unsatisfying. A decent story but not one of Robinson's better novels.
Simon Prebble's very competent narration has trouble salvaging a weak story.
Soon, Banks' daughter is linked to Jaff, drugs, and attempted murder. Banks' former lover and DI Annie Cabbot investigates while Superintendent Chambers tries to paper over the fustercluck created by his armed response team.
The scene shifts to Geoff and Tracy who are soon on the run from the cops and Banks arrives home from his vacation in San Francisco to find a perfect mess.
I have to say that Tracy Banks has got to be one of the dumbest daughters to come down the pike. There were numerous opportunities for her to make a bad situation better, but she seemed to lack the gumption to react positively to her dilemma. The few times when she made a feeble attempt, she mishandled it badly.
There are a couple of interesting new characters -- at least I believe they are new at this point in the series: Constable Nerys Powell, a member of the armed response team who has a crush on DI Cabott. Like Banks, she ignores regulations, in this case saving the day. I also liked DS Winsome Jackman, a statuesque, bright, and clever professional detective. The solution to the plot is intellectually unsatisfying. A decent story but not one of Robinson's better novels.
Simon Prebble's very competent narration has trouble salvaging a weak story.
May 25, 2015
This was a good novel for me to read over the weeks on my lunch break. A bit of a typical police action novel. I was hoping for a murder mystery but it wasn't really a mystery at all. Regardless, I enjoyed reading something a bit different for once.
This can be read as a stand-alone. I certainly haven't read the other eighteen novels that were written prior to this one.
This can be read as a stand-alone. I certainly haven't read the other eighteen novels that were written prior to this one.
May 19, 2020
DCI Alan Banks' nineteenth mystery sees him returning from a vacation in the United States, only to find that more than one of his nearest and dearest have got caught up in guns, mobsters and drugs! A gripping tale that as every minute passes, Bank's chance of success appears to dwindle. 7 out of 12
October 12, 2017
We've all met him, right? You know who I mean? The bad boy who is so cool, so handsome. He's the one who knows how to dress, who disdains working at some "dead end job." We KNOW he's dangerous. We know he'll wind up breaking our hearts. Yet, there's something about him...... In this newest in the DI Alan Banks series, it's his daughter, Tracy, who finds herself in hot water thanks to her attraction to the quintessential bad boy. Jaff is half Indian, went to a swanky "public school" in Britain and is an Oxford grad. He doesn't work for a living, but he always has money. He dresses incredibly well, has lots of "posh" friends and some who are not so great. He started out as her best friend, Erin's, boyfriend. However, the proverbial "shit hits the fan" when they kiss at a dance. Erin is furious and goes home, but it's what she brings home that causes the problem: a loaded hand gun. Peter Robinson is one of my favorite authors. He writes incredibly well and loves music as you will see if you read any of his books. Great story. One of his books has been made into a television show in Britain. With luck, PBS will get it one of these days.
May 29, 2024
So ..this took a while to get done! I'm not at all blaming Robinson nor Banks, I'll blame the arrival of sunshine and great weather! 🌞
Again the life of DCI Alan Bank is in turmoil. Tracey is in trouble then Annie too! Serious trouble!
Drugs and human traffickingamong other crimes keep lining up. Derainged thugs and "pillar of society" that are even worse!
I've come to "know" the characters so well that I keep on thinking about them when I've put the book/audiobook down! Can't wait to get another one going.
Again the life of DCI Alan Bank is in turmoil. Tracey is in trouble then Annie too! Serious trouble!
Drugs and human traffickingamong other crimes keep lining up. Derainged thugs and "pillar of society" that are even worse!
I've come to "know" the characters so well that I keep on thinking about them when I've put the book/audiobook down! Can't wait to get another one going.
December 30, 2017
Not the best book in the DCI Banks series but an easy, entertaining read. Compared to many books in the same genre the book is quite slowly paced as the plot meanders around the country lanes and alleyways of Yorkshire. This one also had its fair share of cliches. However the writing is so smooth I was quite content to take the longer route.
July 17, 2015
This came to me with a less than enthralled review from my sister, and it's true it's a bit more hard-edged and depressive than we're used to from Banks' world (though Lord knows it's never been Pollyanna). Still I enjoyed the unfolding of the story - ah me, more criminal corporate greed ruining the world for everybody - and the involvement of Banks' daughter Tracy gave it a little extra interest in my view. Robinson raises interesting questions about the reasonable limits of the use of force by police, and how that's handled in Britain; he sets up a question in the person of a subsidiary character, a female cop, with an unrequited passion for Annie, as to whether taking matters into your own hands for arguably the wrong reasons can be justified by the entirely desirable end (Banks and Tracy survive because of it). I like the fact that Robinson took his time to unwind the consequences of his characters' actions, and showed us the father-daughter heart-to-heart, and a bit of the hearings after the rather messy climax. Would that police TV would do us the same courtesy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2014
While this is a good “Alan Banks” book, it’s not the best of the bunch. I like a bit more mystery in my police procedural novels. In this one, it’s more a race to the finish to see what the outcome is. And a bit too much recapping in the last pages. Having said that, the race and the outcome are very engrossing. Robinson does a great job writing about the personal lives of many returning characters...and of course, Alan Banks. I always grab a Robinson book when I go on vacation. It’s always comforting to sink into one of these books and know that I can get lost in the pages while I relax away from work!
January 16, 2014
There are some good elements here, but Tracy takes me out of the story entirely because I find her so frustrating. She's 24, purportedly smart, and has been living as an independent adult for some years, and yet Robinson has her behaving like a 15-year-old with a concussion in the early going. Her actions seem so inconsistent with the person she's been established to be in earlier entries. This one feels like a case where the concept (exploring the 'bad boy' archetype) runs roughshod over the characters in a way that serves neither particularly well.
October 4, 2010
Peter Robinson has lost his touch. He's always been one of my favorite mystery writers, but lately he has gotten away from the "who done it" which he did well. This time, Inspector Banks' daughter has gotten involved with a "bad boy" and the only excitement is whether he will find her in time. Predictable. I started reading, skipped to the end after a few chapters, didn't miss anything much.
August 22, 2020
A Quick and interesting read. There were some good detective skills displayed. Though there was not much of suspense. Tracy Banks was the stupidest character I have ever read. Initially I felt some sympathy for her, for getting herself into a messy situation, but towards the end i was angry, when she started lying to her father and portraying herself as a victim from the beginning.
October 27, 2017
Book Description:
From New York Times bestselling author Peter Robinson comes this mesmerizing story—within-a-story—that will thrill his fans and bring him many new readers.
A distraught woman arrives at the Eastvale police station desperate to speak to Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. But Banks is abroad, and the woman’s revelation of a loaded gun hidden in her daughter Erin’s bedroom leads to a shocking fatality when a police armed-response team breaks into her house. The fallout will have dark consequences for Banks and his partner, DI Annie Cabbot. It turns out that Erin’s best friend is Banks’ own daughter, Tracy . . . who was last seen in the company of the weapon’s actual owner, a very bad boy indeed.
Now that his child is on the run with a psychopath, Banks finds himself caught in a bloody tangle of betrayal and murder. But the rogue DCI is a bit of a bad boy himself, and he’ll freely risk his life and career in the cause of love—and vengeance.
Thrilling, harrowing, and utterly compelling, Bad Boy showcases Peter Robinson’s masterful writing.
My Review:
This was a little different than the normal Inspector Banks novel. Banks is on vacation in America and his daughter, Tracey, is in big trouble. Her best friend, Erin, has taken her boyfriend's gun and her mother is seeking help from Inspector Banks but he is in America. Tracy seems to be infatuated with Erin's boyfriend and they are hiding from the police in Bank's house. Annie Cabbot, Banks' partner, tries to rescue Tracy but the boyfriend shoots Annie and this is what Banks is confronted with when he returns from his vacation. At this point, the book is hard to put down as you need to find out how Tracy will get out of this mess. This book shows us that even an Chief Inspector's daughter is open to the evils of the world and makes bad decisions. I always look forward to reading Peter Robinson's book and this one did not disappoint. Can't wait to read the next one. I would highly recommend reading this series in order as the books build upon each other.
From New York Times bestselling author Peter Robinson comes this mesmerizing story—within-a-story—that will thrill his fans and bring him many new readers.
A distraught woman arrives at the Eastvale police station desperate to speak to Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. But Banks is abroad, and the woman’s revelation of a loaded gun hidden in her daughter Erin’s bedroom leads to a shocking fatality when a police armed-response team breaks into her house. The fallout will have dark consequences for Banks and his partner, DI Annie Cabbot. It turns out that Erin’s best friend is Banks’ own daughter, Tracy . . . who was last seen in the company of the weapon’s actual owner, a very bad boy indeed.
Now that his child is on the run with a psychopath, Banks finds himself caught in a bloody tangle of betrayal and murder. But the rogue DCI is a bit of a bad boy himself, and he’ll freely risk his life and career in the cause of love—and vengeance.
Thrilling, harrowing, and utterly compelling, Bad Boy showcases Peter Robinson’s masterful writing.
My Review:
This was a little different than the normal Inspector Banks novel. Banks is on vacation in America and his daughter, Tracey, is in big trouble. Her best friend, Erin, has taken her boyfriend's gun and her mother is seeking help from Inspector Banks but he is in America. Tracy seems to be infatuated with Erin's boyfriend and they are hiding from the police in Bank's house. Annie Cabbot, Banks' partner, tries to rescue Tracy but the boyfriend shoots Annie and this is what Banks is confronted with when he returns from his vacation. At this point, the book is hard to put down as you need to find out how Tracy will get out of this mess. This book shows us that even an Chief Inspector's daughter is open to the evils of the world and makes bad decisions. I always look forward to reading Peter Robinson's book and this one did not disappoint. Can't wait to read the next one. I would highly recommend reading this series in order as the books build upon each other.
September 17, 2019
While I thought this did start off a bit slowly it did pick up a good pace towards the start of the middle. A good story line concerning drug running and Bank's daughter
There was a good range of old and newer characters coming into play and Banks getting back into his single malt, amongst other things. The story was an enjoyable read and I find settling myself more and more comfortably into series again, I will be starting off the next one in the series tonight.
There was a good range of old and newer characters coming into play and Banks getting back into his single malt, amongst other things. The story was an enjoyable read and I find settling myself more and more comfortably into series again, I will be starting off the next one in the series tonight.
January 15, 2025
No dull moment in this one
August 6, 2025
Lettlest, men null spenning til tross for at det er en krimbok. Helt idiotisk å få vite hvem bad guy er helt først i boka. Gisselaksjon gir meg heller ingenting. Gjesp!!
September 6, 2021
Cliffhanger throughout
October 22, 2018
DCI Banks and his women problems: this time, his daughter,Tracy, and DI Annie Cabbot.
February 6, 2017
This is book number 19 in the DCI Banks series. Only 4 more novels to go and I will be drumming my fingers awaiting the newest book. In spite of Peter Robinson being one of my favorite writers, I haven't breezed through his books, one after another.
DCI Banks is to be savored, in my opinion, as the character ages and grows in his life and career. When I started this series his children were young and attending school. Now they are adults and their story lines intersect on occasion. While the majority of the story is focused on police investigation and mystery, a slice of his personal life is interjected here and there. Obviously I am a fan.
This story opens up with an old friend and neighbor of Banks arriving at Eastvale Police Station to report the discovery of a firearm in her daughter Erin's bedroom. Alan Banks is on extended leave, vacationing in the American southwest so DI Annie Cabbot handles the situation. The woman isn't thrilled with Banks' absence but reluctantly gives the details to DI Cabbot.
Owning or possessing a firearm in the UK isn't a common or simple affair as it is here in the US. It's illegal to have an unregistered firearm so the consequences are quite strict. First off I thought, does this woman know she is turning in her daughter and that she will most likely be sent to prison?! I can't conceive of doing that to my child. It's mentioned that the lady most likely didn't know the consequences and just wanted the gun out of her home.
Turns out DCI Banks' daughter Tracy is a friend and roommate of Erin. They had a bit of a falling out over Erin's boyfriend and that is why Erin was home with her parents. Fast forward and Tracy is with the boyfriend, letting him know Erin may be arrested. This basically sets in motion a dumpster fire of a situation as the boyfriend is indeed, a bad boy. A very bad man in fact and Tracy realizes too late she is serious danger.
There is murder, police investigations, a man hunt for a psychopath and danger for my favored vegetarian DI Annie Cabbot. What a story - I couldn't put this one down.
To reveal more would be adding spoilers so I will stop here. Looking forward to more...only 4 books left {sob} and then I will be like an addict awaiting Mr. Robinson's latest!
DCI Banks is to be savored, in my opinion, as the character ages and grows in his life and career. When I started this series his children were young and attending school. Now they are adults and their story lines intersect on occasion. While the majority of the story is focused on police investigation and mystery, a slice of his personal life is interjected here and there. Obviously I am a fan.
This story opens up with an old friend and neighbor of Banks arriving at Eastvale Police Station to report the discovery of a firearm in her daughter Erin's bedroom. Alan Banks is on extended leave, vacationing in the American southwest so DI Annie Cabbot handles the situation. The woman isn't thrilled with Banks' absence but reluctantly gives the details to DI Cabbot.
Owning or possessing a firearm in the UK isn't a common or simple affair as it is here in the US. It's illegal to have an unregistered firearm so the consequences are quite strict. First off I thought, does this woman know she is turning in her daughter and that she will most likely be sent to prison?! I can't conceive of doing that to my child. It's mentioned that the lady most likely didn't know the consequences and just wanted the gun out of her home.
Turns out DCI Banks' daughter Tracy is a friend and roommate of Erin. They had a bit of a falling out over Erin's boyfriend and that is why Erin was home with her parents. Fast forward and Tracy is with the boyfriend, letting him know Erin may be arrested. This basically sets in motion a dumpster fire of a situation as the boyfriend is indeed, a bad boy. A very bad man in fact and Tracy realizes too late she is serious danger.
There is murder, police investigations, a man hunt for a psychopath and danger for my favored vegetarian DI Annie Cabbot. What a story - I couldn't put this one down.
To reveal more would be adding spoilers so I will stop here. Looking forward to more...only 4 books left {sob} and then I will be like an addict awaiting Mr. Robinson's latest!
August 19, 2010
You know you can't read better than Peter Robinson.
There are things that you can count on: the yumminess of any sandwich you don't make yourself, that the plows will push more snow onto your side of the road than your neighbors and that Peter Robinson will never let you down. He has what? 97-98 books out there and not a dud in the lot. Okay he has a mere 20 (!) mystery novels out there, but they are all exceptional. Who else can say that?
In the latest Robinson novel, Bad Boy, DCI Alan Banks is taking a vacation. Alas crime knows no holiday so Banks' team is still on the job and getting a lot of outstanding time on the page for the first half of the book. Soon Banks is back and trying to help the daughter of an old friend and find his own missing daughter. That's as much plot as we need to discuss. It's a mystery after all so let's keep it that way.
If you have never tried a DCI Banks mystery why should you? Well, we can go with the "because I said so" reason which while having a lovely retro quality lacks any real authority. How about because they are extremely well written gritty police procedurals with not only a flawed and interesting detective but the same goes for the supporting cast, they are awash in tension and suspense and the mystery part of the mysteries is always compelling and intriguing. If you have already experienced the pleasures of P.D. James, Reginald Hill, Ruth Rendell, Anne Cleeves and Ian Rankin you will eat Robinson up with a spoon... or a dagger.
Starting off your Alan Banks habit with Bad Boy would be fine. Super fine even. But. In the name of full disclosure honesty, the Inspector's life has changed over the years and starting with the first book in the series, Gallows View is going to make your Banks experience all the more enjoyable. If you don't want to miss a thing including tantalizing and satisfying mysteries start at the beginning. Anyway, in no time at all you will be up to and devouring Bad Boy and excitedly anticipating whatever Peter Robinson comes up with next!
There are things that you can count on: the yumminess of any sandwich you don't make yourself, that the plows will push more snow onto your side of the road than your neighbors and that Peter Robinson will never let you down. He has what? 97-98 books out there and not a dud in the lot. Okay he has a mere 20 (!) mystery novels out there, but they are all exceptional. Who else can say that?
In the latest Robinson novel, Bad Boy, DCI Alan Banks is taking a vacation. Alas crime knows no holiday so Banks' team is still on the job and getting a lot of outstanding time on the page for the first half of the book. Soon Banks is back and trying to help the daughter of an old friend and find his own missing daughter. That's as much plot as we need to discuss. It's a mystery after all so let's keep it that way.
If you have never tried a DCI Banks mystery why should you? Well, we can go with the "because I said so" reason which while having a lovely retro quality lacks any real authority. How about because they are extremely well written gritty police procedurals with not only a flawed and interesting detective but the same goes for the supporting cast, they are awash in tension and suspense and the mystery part of the mysteries is always compelling and intriguing. If you have already experienced the pleasures of P.D. James, Reginald Hill, Ruth Rendell, Anne Cleeves and Ian Rankin you will eat Robinson up with a spoon... or a dagger.
Starting off your Alan Banks habit with Bad Boy would be fine. Super fine even. But. In the name of full disclosure honesty, the Inspector's life has changed over the years and starting with the first book in the series, Gallows View is going to make your Banks experience all the more enjoyable. If you don't want to miss a thing including tantalizing and satisfying mysteries start at the beginning. Anyway, in no time at all you will be up to and devouring Bad Boy and excitedly anticipating whatever Peter Robinson comes up with next!
January 29, 2013
I can think of nothing that marks the difference between American vs. British ideas of law enforcement moreso than attitudes towards firearms. Those more familiar with Robinson's Inspector Banks series will, of course be less surprised by this than I. Bad Boy begins with the discovery of a single firearm, a semiautomatic handgun, by a mother in her daughter's room. The mother, a former neighbor of Banks, goes to the police station to request his assistance, but he is away on holiday. When she reports the presence of the gun to another investigator, the new cop mobilizes two separate firearms specialty teams to converge on the house to secure the weapon. But there's more! The gun is still loaded. This ups the ante. Now there's another team fully clad in bulletproof outfits carrying a battering ram which they use to smash down the door. The husband, in the house recovering from knee surgery, is tasered and subsequently dies of a heart attack. The weapon, wrapped in a cloth, is recovered, and the daughter is led away in handcuffs, facing a 5-year prison sentence. Just think, if U.S. law enforcement reacted in a similar way, they would be invading half the households in the country.
This novel is written quite differently than the typical U.S. police procedural thriller. For one thing, the pacing is much slower. Fully one third into the book, the only thing fired was the taser, no car chases, no shootouts. Those with a taste for more action might feel a bit let down by the lack of vehicle crashes and bloodshed, but this reader was entertained throughout. The novel is more dialogue-driven than action-driven, and, given Robinson's skill, that worked out nicely. I will definitely be reading more of his Inspector Banks series.
This novel is written quite differently than the typical U.S. police procedural thriller. For one thing, the pacing is much slower. Fully one third into the book, the only thing fired was the taser, no car chases, no shootouts. Those with a taste for more action might feel a bit let down by the lack of vehicle crashes and bloodshed, but this reader was entertained throughout. The novel is more dialogue-driven than action-driven, and, given Robinson's skill, that worked out nicely. I will definitely be reading more of his Inspector Banks series.
July 1, 2011
Even though Peter Robinson's detective novels, featuring Alan Banks and Annie Cabbott, follow the formula for other novels in this genre, Robinson has developed Banks with endearing human frailities without making him hopeless. In Bad Boy, Banks has gone to America for a vacation to sooth his nerves after a harrowing experience with home-grown terrorists. This took place in the previous installment in the Banks saga and was enough to make Banks question his career choice.
The Robinson novels are set in Yorkshire, a beautiful area in the north of England and he makes good use of the atmosphere of the place to set off the action. The plot of Bad Boy is perfectly executed, with Cabbott taking the lead on an incident that turns into a tragedy, mainly because Banks is not there to run interference. When he finally returns home, he finds himself going without sleep, unable to go to his peaceful cottage in the country, as he searches for his daughter, who may or may not be at the bottom of some of the mayhem that's taking place.
Even though Robinson has to rely on a deux ex machina plot device to bring the novel to a satisfactory conclusion, it's believable in the context of the story line.
One person who read this book wasn't happy that Banks was on his own without his trusty sidekick Cabbott. I liked that aspect of the story because their story lines were going on a parallel track. This added to the suspense of the book.
The Robinson novels are set in Yorkshire, a beautiful area in the north of England and he makes good use of the atmosphere of the place to set off the action. The plot of Bad Boy is perfectly executed, with Cabbott taking the lead on an incident that turns into a tragedy, mainly because Banks is not there to run interference. When he finally returns home, he finds himself going without sleep, unable to go to his peaceful cottage in the country, as he searches for his daughter, who may or may not be at the bottom of some of the mayhem that's taking place.
Even though Robinson has to rely on a deux ex machina plot device to bring the novel to a satisfactory conclusion, it's believable in the context of the story line.
One person who read this book wasn't happy that Banks was on his own without his trusty sidekick Cabbott. I liked that aspect of the story because their story lines were going on a parallel track. This added to the suspense of the book.
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