MADreads

Piece of my heart

July 11th, 2006 Mary K. - Central

Could a crime from 1969 have something in common with a recent murder?  This is the dilemma faced by Alan Banks, a Detective Chief Inspector in England.  Peter Robinson, who has written fifteen mystery novels featuring Banks, very cleverly juxtaposes two cases in Piece of My Heart.

In 1969 Detective Inspector Stanley Chadwick is faced with a murder at a rock festival.  A young woman was found stabbed to death and stuffed into a sleeping bag.  In the present day, Banks is trying to solve the murder of a young freelance reporter who was writing an article on a rock band that appeared at that festival.  As is appropriate for mystery novels, there is a solution for both murders by the end of the book.  In the meantime, we learn a lot about the rock music scene in England in the late 60’s and we learrn more about the series’ regular characters.

Robinson’s novels are always great reads, mostly set in London.  Over the course of the series we have seen Alan Banks change from a married family man to a divorced parent of grown children.  We also see a lot of the people who work with him to solve cases, especially Detective Inspector Annie Cabot.  I would suggest that new readers start with one or more of the earlier titles, but this book can also be enjoyed without that.  These books are great for atmosphere, character development and suspense.

Entry Filed under: Mystery