Cold is the Grave by Peter Robinson

Series: #11 in the Inspector Alan Banks series
Genre: Mystery
Publication Date: 2000
Pages: 369
Challenges: Support Your Local Library Challenge #17, TBR 2009 Challenge Alternate #4

I’ve been reading this series for several years now and it’s one of my favorites. Alan Banks is an Detective in Yorkshire, England. His career and personal life have taken many turns and ups as well as downs over the series. Peter Robinson does a great job of writing interesting and well done mysteries, while at the same time developing the character of Alan Banks into a likeable person despite making the occasional mistake in his personal or professional life.

In this book, Banks is asked by Chief Constable Jimmy Riddle to help find Riddle’s runaway teenage daughter. Even though Riddle and Banks have had their differences through the earlier books in the series, Riddle wants Banks to take on this unofficial job for the very reasons he’s stalling Banks career. It’s that habit of using unorthodox methods that Riddle dislikes in an employee, but wants in the person to find his daughter.

The search leads Banks to London where he finds Emily Riddle involved with a suspected gangster. Although Emily is returned to her family, and Riddle seems to keep his promise of less interference with Banks at work, the story is far from over. Soon Banks is investigating another murder with the help of Sergeant Annie Cabbot who he became involved with during a previous case. More information will give away too much of the plot, so I’ll stop there.

As in the previous books, Robinson keeps the twists and turns coming and the reader guessing. I recommend this series for those who like an interesting combination of procedural mystery and character development over the life of a series.