Children of the revolution : an Inspector Banks novel / Peter Robinson.

By:

Robinson, Peter, 1950-

Material type: Text

TextSeries: Robinson, Peter, Inspector Banks novel ; bk. 22Publication details: New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2014]Edition: First editionDescription: 336 pages ; 24 cmISBN:

9780062240507 (hardback)
0062240501 (hardback)

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

823/.914 23

Summary: "A disgraced college lecturer is found murdered on a disused railway line near his home. He has 5,000 euros in his pocket, yet in the four years since his dismissal has been living a poverty-stricken and hermit-like existence. There are many suspects, mostly at the college where he used to teach, but Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, much to the chagrin of his boss, soon becomes fixated on Lady Veronica Chalmers, who appears to have links with the victim going back to the early 1970s at the University of Essex, then a hotbed of political activism. Banks suspects that Lady Chalmers is not telling the whole truth, and after he pushes his inquiries a bit too far, he is called on the carpet and warned to lay off. He must continue to conduct his investigation surreptitiously. When the breakthroughs come, they are not the ones that Banks and his team expected, and everything turns in a different direction and moves into very high gear"-- Provided by publisher.Summary: Inspector Banks investigates the death of a disgraced college professor.

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Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Adult Book	Phillipsburg Free Public Library	Adult Fiction	Adult Fiction	FIC ROB	Available		36748002176321

Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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.

"A disgraced college lecturer is found murdered on a disused railway line near his home. He has 5,000 euros in his pocket, yet in the four years since his dismissal has been living a poverty-stricken and hermit-like existence. There are many suspects, mostly at the college where he used to teach, but Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, much to the chagrin of his boss, soon becomes fixated on Lady Veronica Chalmers, who appears to have links with the victim going back to the early 1970s at the University of Essex, then a hotbed of political activism. Banks suspects that Lady Chalmers is not telling the whole truth, and after he pushes his inquiries a bit too far, he is called on the carpet and warned to lay off. He must continue to conduct his investigation surreptitiously. When the breakthroughs come, they are not the ones that Banks and his team expected, and everything turns in a different direction and moves into very high gear"-- Provided by publisher.

Inspector Banks investigates the death of a disgraced college professor.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

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 (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

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.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Robinson's long-running and best-selling Inspector Banks series, now spanning more than 20 novels, has won a clutch of awards, including France's Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere and Sweden's Martin Beck awards, along with nominations for Edgar and Agatha awards. Detective Chief Inspector Banks, the artsy and melancholic Yorkshire detective, and his snarky sidekick, Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot, are consistently fun to watch, whether you just drop in on this series or have seen the shifts in their relationship from the beginning. Robinson writes police procedurals in which the latest forensic science enhances, while still taking a back seat to, the basic arts of detection; Banks is clearly on the side of old-fashioned discovery of motive and opportunity, and his questioning of suspects is wonderful to witness. This time the body of a former university lecturer is found on the tracks of an abandoned railroad track in North Yorkshire. The man has been living hand to mouth since his dismissal on charges of sexual misconduct several years before. The scene reads as a suicide, except to Banks, who suspects that the 5,000 pounds left in the man's pocket and his recent reaching out to militant college contacts from the 1970s may point to a more complicated story. As usual with a Banks novel, the chief inspector's frictions with higher-ups are nearly as gripping as the unraveling of the case itself. First-rate procedural and character study. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: An A-list staple, Robinson's Inspector Banks series has a devoted following, especially in libraries, and this is one of the series' highlights.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2014 Booklist