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)

Easy and relaxing

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

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

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.

Don't let narration scare you off

There's a lot of negative comments on the narration. Don't let that distract you from the story.

If you've come to DCI Banks after seeing the adaption on BBC, you likely have a predisposition to what the character of Banks should be. But, the TV image doesn't necessarily sync with the author's physical description. However, Banks' intuition, character qualities, and investigative excellence come through.

The background settings are well described, and character development is well done. The story moves along well.

Very enjoyable. I look forward to the rest of the series.

Great

I’m a retired detective so I love reading/listening to stories such as this from different countries. This one really gave the feel of a realistic detective solving a crime without being superhuman.

Excellent reading except for one little thing.

Good and reading story but the constant sniffing was offputting. I kept anticipating the sniffs

Good enough by the end

A decent series but not keen on the narrator. I may try one more to see if the characters become more interesting. At this point, Banks seems the only one with any depth and I am not particularly drawn to him.

Gallows view

At first I wasn’t sure I liked it. Kind of hooked me after that. I’m glad I listened to it. I may have put it down If it wasn’t an audible.