MADreads

All the colors of darkness

June 23rd, 2009 Liz C. - Alicia Ashman

In Peter Robinson’s latest All the Colors of Darkness, a group of schoolboys find the body of a man hanging from an oak tree in a forest glade.  Shortly thereafter police discover that his partner was murdered.  For Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot and her partner Detective Sergeant Winsome Jackson it looks like a case with an easy solution, murder/suicide due to jealousy.  The seeming slam dunk means they can return to a knifing case with ties to gangs and drugs in a local housing area.  The problem with this plan is that the murder victim was found in a expensive suburb area.  And the superintendent wants Chief Inspector Allan Banks called back from his vacation in London to make sure all the angles are covered. 

Once on the case Banks tends to agree with the investigating officers, but there is something bothering him and he continues to ask questions, widening the pool of people involved.  Suddenly the Superintendent tells him to drop it, that the case is closed and he can return to his aborted vacation.  Banks cannot let it lie and continues to investigate, only to find himself mired in an unfamiliar world of espionage and terrorism, not knowing who he can trust and endangering not only himself but anyone close to him.

Robinson’s Banks continues to be an interesting character to read about, not perfect by any means, and struggling with some of the same issues that face everyone: love and loss, grief, aging, second guessing one’s career choice, and just what to do next in a quickly changing world.  Combine that with a compelling mystery and you have another winner to read.

Entry Filed under: Mystery, Thriller