Gallows View

By: Peter Robinson

Narrated by: Mark Honan

Former London policeman Alan Banks relocated to Yorkshire seeking some small measure of peace. But depravity and violence are unfortunately not unique to large cities. His new venue, the quaint little village of Eastvale, seems to have more than its fair share of malefactors---among them a brazen Peeping Tom who hides in night's shadows spying on attractive, unsuspecting ladies as they prepare for bed.

When an elderly woman is found brutally slain in her home, Chief Inspector Banks wonders if the voyeur has increased the awful intensity of his criminal activities. But whether related or not, perverse local acts and murderous ones are combining to profoundly touch Banks's suddenly vulnerable personal life, forcing a dedicated law officer to make hard choices he'd dearly hoped would never be necessary.

©2009 Peter Robinson (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An extremely well-fashioned police procedural." ( The New York Times Book Review)

Good intro to what I hope is a fine series

There is promise in this book but it feels a touch old-fashioned in its sensibility, with all the discussions of smoking in buildings, men debating women’s lib, etc. That said, it could grow. I will give it another chance!

Good First book

I liked the characters and the story and will read the next in the series

Easy and relaxing

I so enjoyed this- lots of mild humor; good relationships- great style- no gore. My cup of tea

Great Police Procedural

Good plot and character development. If you’re a fan of police procedurals you’ll like this one.Highly recommend!

Great Police Procedural, First in Series

Peter Robinson really got my attention after picking and reading a very Suspenseful Mystery Novel, called "After the Poison," I wanted more and found that he had a Crime/Detective Series around Detective Alan Banks. I read this quite a good while back.

I liked getting to meet this personality and his interesting co-workers and relationships. There's just enough depth and complexity in them with promise of more. Great sense of detail without being wordy. Multiple cases and sub-stories unfold rapidly. Robinson began here in 2008. This got me started looking forward to and as much interested in following the aging and life of DCI Alan Banks & Co. Also love learning about the geography, people/culture of Yorkshire Dales. Not the depth of "Before the Poison," but a breezy read that is still filling.

Not as good as some of the later novels

I've read a couple of the later Inspector Banks books already, so this one was a bit of a disappointment because it was not quite as polished, but still a good and worthwhile read. I'll be carrying on with the series. I found the female characters in this story to be rather stereotypical and weak, and somewhat superficial. I don't find that to be the case with later novels, so I am glad I read some of those first.

So-So . . .

This book was ok as far as police procedurals go. I’m not quite sure if I’m sold on Alan just yet. I didn’t particularly care for Jenny, and I hope she’s not a recurring character. I’ll probably read the next one and see if my thoughts change. Other reviewers say the series gets better. I’m willing to give it another try.

Good ending

The story itself was good. There was too much sexual assault for my taste. At least it ended well.

Love the book, but the not the performance

DCI Banks is a great character. I am always disturbed by the fact that his physical description does not at all fit the actor who portrayed him in the BBC versions, but nonetheless, he is an engaging character whose personal and inner life provide a good counterpoint to the stories of crime and detection. I found the narrator's super deep voice not the best choice for Banks, and he does not do well on reading many of the other characters, especially the female ones. I found these issues detracted from the overall impression, but still I enjoyed listening to the book.

Twists and turns

Good twists. Trigger warning: violent sex crimes described.
The story kept me engaged for the whole duration.
It’s a “Who Dun It”. But slightly more gruesomeness (along the lines of procedural crime drama)
Performance was exceptional.