编辑推荐Amazon.com Review
Without a doubt, the family and friends of fictional sleuths are two of the most endangered species on the planet. Crime novelists seem to have no qualms about sacrificing the people nearest and dearest to their protagonists, if doing so will advance plot development or bestow emotional depth upon their series stars. Peter Robinson continues this ruthless tradition in Strange Affair, his tension-packed 15th novel featuring headstrong British Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. Still on the mend after the blazing finale of 2004's Playing with Fire, temporarily sworn off whiskey but back to smoking, Banks is interrupted in the midst of brooding over his life and failed relationships by a message from his estranged younger brother, Roy, who says he needs the DCI's help in "a matter of life and death." Concerned, especially since Roy boasts a history of dubious business dealings, Banks leaves Yorkshire for his sibling's home in London, only to find that residence unlocked, Roy's computer missing, and his cell phone left behind. After learning that Roy was last seen stepping into a car with an unidentified man, and receiving on Roy's mobile what appears to be a photo of his only brother slumped over in a chair, the cop fears that a kidnapping has occurred. Meanwhile, back in Eastvale, Banks's colleague and ex-lover, Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot, probes the shooting death of Jennifer Clewes, a 27-year-old family planning center administrator from London who's been found in her car, with the address of Banks's once-ruined (and recently broken into) cottage tucked into her jeans pocket. As Annie seeks to identify Clewes's attacker and determine whether this crime fits a pattern of roadway assaults, she's anxious also to discover what connection Banks may have to the case. But the DCI is frustratingly nowhere to be found. Like 2003's Close to Home, Strange Affair adds some welcome bricks to Banks's back story, this time forcing him to reappraise a brother whom he had long resented and distrusted. Simultaneously, Robinson's latest police procedural delivers artfully contrived, intersecting story lines charged with rumors of international arms dealing, hints of misdeeds at a women's clinic, secondary players so shady they might be invisible after sundown, and insights into just how far Banks's career has distanced him from folks less steeped in the ugly side of mankind. An immensely satisfying mystery, filled with professional risks and personal regrets, this is truly an Affair to remember. --J. Kingston Pierce--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In his last outing (Playing With Fire), Insp. Alan Banks nearly died when a serial killer set fire to his cottage in the Yorkshire village of Eastvale, and the melancholic detective remains understandably depressed as this superlative 15th novel in the series gets underway. Living in a rented flat, Banks is struggling to put his life back together when an urgent phone message from his younger brother, Roy—a successful, slightly shady London businessman—requests his help: "It could be a matter of life and death.... Maybe even mine." When he can't reach Roy by phone, Banks travels to London to see what's wrong and finds his brother's house unlocked and no hint about where he might have gone or why. On the night of Roy's phone call, a young woman is shot to death in her car just outside of Eastvale, and she has Banks's name and address in her pocket. Annie Cabbot, Banks's colleague on the force (and a former lover), is in charge of that case, and her investigation quickly intersects with Banks's unofficial sleuthing into his brother's inexplicable disappearance. The gripping story, which revolves around that most heinous of crimes, human trafficking, shows Robinson getting more adept at juggling complex plot lines while retaining his excellent skills at characterization. The result is deeply absorbing, and the nuances of Banks's character are increasingly compelling. Agent, Dominick Abel. (Feb. 15) Forecast: Robinson's reputation in the States (he is English and lives in Canada) continues to build. With the help of a big marketing campaign and an eight-city author tour, this could be a breakout novel for him.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Bookmarks Magazine
Banks will ferret out the truth, no matter what rules he breaks. In this British police procedural, Robinson offers up a gritty plot with some introspective ruminations on self-identity and personal relationships. As Banks (“not your everyday quaffing plonk”) evaluates his relationship with his high-living, shady brother, he examines his own vulnerabilities-heightened, of course, by his nasty divorce and near-death experience in the aforementioned fire. Robinson fleshes out compelling characters, but also comments on important social issues, from international arms dealings to women’s rights. It’s a good read, especially for its unpredictable depravities. “Alan has long known that there is no shortage of monsters in this world,” writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “but Strange Affair reinforces that.” Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Robinson is one of those multiawarded authors (the Edgar, the Anthony, the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere), who is absolutely reliable. This novel marks the fifteenth in the Inspector Alan Banks series, set in Yorkshire. Depressed over the loss of his cottage in a fire, Banks is galvanized into action by a pleading message from his estranged brother in London. When Banks travels to his wealthy brother's home, he finds it totally empty yet filled with disturbing clues as to the source of his brother's money. Banks' estranged lover and sidekick, Detective Annie Cabbot, is left to cope by herself with the investigation of the murder of a young woman on the motorway. When Cabbot finds a letter addressed to Banks on the victim, the reader knows that Robinson will tie the two investigations together in fiendishly clever ways. Another Robinson winner. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"Psychologically acute fiction." -- The Strand
Review
"Remarkable." (Globe and Mail (Toronto) )
"Robinson shows he's a master ... mixes a gritty plot with intense character studies....Consistently compelling." (Florida Sun-Sentinel )
"Robinson is on a winning streak." (Tampa Tribune )
"The equal of legends in the genre such as P.D. James and Ruth Rendell." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch )
"A happy discovery." (Lady Antonia Fraser in the London Sunday Times )
"An engaging pleasure . . . like red wine, [Banks] gets better and more interesting with age." (Publishers Weekly )
"Complex and intelligent." (Sunday Times (London) )
Peter Robinson is:"A gifted creator of fully fleshed and vividly present characters." (Boston Globe )
"Different and intriguing." (Sunday Telegraph )
"Absorbing.Robinson continues to stretch the boundaries of the standard procedural." (Orlando Sentinel )
"Robinson actually seems to grow in front of our eyes, delivering books of greater complexity each time." (Otto Penzler )
"Robinson has won just about every mystery award there is..His latest shows why." (Booklist (starred review) )
"A fast-moving story [with] some knockout scenery and an assemblage of delicately drawn characters." (Raleigh News & Observer )
"Fascinating....Robinson, with his usual deft touch and unblinking eye, brings the story to an unexpectedly gut-wrenching conclusion." (Richmond Times-Dispatch )
"The best Banks book in years." (Winnipeg Sun )
"Psychologically acute fiction." (The Strand )
"Superlative...Deeply absorbing...Gripping." (Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) )
"A damn fine crime novel...like a master class in crime fiction." (Baltimore Sun )
"Smart and shapely ... immaculately constructed." (Marilyn Stasio, New York Times Book Review )
"If you haven't read Robinson .... what on Earth is stopping you? .... A clever and entertaining thriller." (Miami Herald )
"Splendid." (San Diego Union-Tribune )
"The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are, simply put, the best series now on the market." (Stephen King )
"Stunningly complex and intricately plotted....Peter Robinson fools and entertains me with every twist." (Nevada Barr )
"First-rate . an addictive crime series . bet you can't read just one." (Janet Maslin, New York Times )
"A skillful writer." (Houston Chronicle )
"Flawless plotting and superbly drawn characters..[Robinson] is a master craftsman." (Tampa Tribune )
"Cunning.authentic and atmospheric." (The Independent (London) )
"Deeply nuanced works of art." (Dennis Lehane )
"Exquisitely complex and atmospheric." (Los Angeles Times Book Review )
"Taut, carefully thought out.with plots that are refreshingly clich-free." (Time Out London )
|
内容加载中，请稍后...
商品评论（0条）