Standing in the Shadows
- 368 stránok
- 13 hodin čítania
The brilliant last novel in the number one bestselling Alan Banks crime series - by the master of the police procedural.[Bokinfo].






The brilliant last novel in the number one bestselling Alan Banks crime series - by the master of the police procedural.[Bokinfo].
***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*** Murder is only the beginning for Banks and his team . . . The gruesome double murder at an Eastvale property developer's luxury home should be an open and shut case for Superintendent Banks and his team of detectives. There's a clear link to the notoriously vicious Albanian mafia, men who left the country suspiciously soon after the death. Then they find a cache of spy-cam videos hidden in the house - and Annie and Gerry's investigation pivots to the rape of a young girl that could cast the murders in an entirely different light. Banks's friend Zelda, increasingly uncertain of her future in Britain's hostile environment, thinks she will be safer in Moldova hunting the men who abducted, raped and enslaved her than she is Yorkshire or London. Her search takes her back to the orphanage where it all began - but by stirring up the murky waters of the past, Zelda is putting herself in greater danger than any she's seen before. And as the threat escalates, so does the danger for Banks and those who love Zelda . . . 'The master of the police procedural' Mail on Sunday 'The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I'm wrong' Stephen King
Larry Moffat, an American expatriate in the Philippines, reflects on his transformation from an adventurous spirit to a settled family man at thirty-nine. Once immersed in excitement and danger through his work with Richardson, Schellinberger, and Haas Inc., he now faces the mundane realities of managing the company's Southeast Asian office. As responsibilities mount, his opportunities for adventure dwindle, leaving him to navigate the complexities of a conventional life while reminiscing about his more thrilling past.
A young Middle Eastern boy is dead - his body stuffed in a wheelie bin on the East Side Estate. Detective Superintendent Banks and his team are called to investigate this case whose profile increases even further when they realise he was stabbed elsewhere and dumped. Who is the boy, and where did he come from? Then a heroin addict is found dead of an overdose in an area of town scheduled for redevelopment as a shopping centre, and, while trying not to be distracted by his concern for his friend Zelda's increasingly dangerous situation, Banks discovers a connection with a shady property developer. Finding a solution to the case may come at a terrible cost...
A young local student has apparently committed suicide. Her body is found in an abandoned car on a lonely country road. She didn't own a car. Didn't even drive. How did she get there? Where did she die? Who moved her, and why? Meanwhile a man in his sixties is found dead in a gully up on the wild moorland. He is wearing an expensive suit and carrying no identification. Post-mortem findings indicate he died from injuries sustained during the fall. But what was he doing up there? And why are there no signs of a car in the vicinity? As the inconsistencies multiply and the mysteries proliferate, Annie's father's new partner, Zelda, comes up with a shocking piece of information that alerts Banks and Annie to the return of an old enemy in a new guise. This is someone who will stop at nothing, not even murder, to get what he wants - and suddenly the stakes are raised and the hunt is on.
A terrible crime. No obvious motive. Banks is on the case. 'Top-notch police procedure' - Jeffery Deaver A shocking mass murder occurs at a wedding in a small Dales church and a huge manhunt follows. Eventually, the shooter is run to ground and things take their inevitable course. But Banks is plagued with doubts as to exactly what happened outside the church that day, and why. Struggling with the death of his first serious girlfriend and the return of profiler Jenny Fuller into his life, Banks feels the need to dig deeper into the murders, and as he does so, he uncovers forensic and psychological puzzles that lead him to the past secrets that might just provide the answers he is looking for. When the surprising truth becomes clear, it is almost too late.
THE SUNDAY TIMES NUMBER ONE BESTSELLERTwo young girls. Two unspeakable crimes. Fifty years separate them - their pain connects them. When the body of a 15-year-old is found in a remote countryside lane, beaten and broken, DI Annie Cabbot is brought in to investigate how the child could possibly have fallen victim to such brutality. Newly promoted Detective Superintendent Alan Banks is faced with a case that is as cold as they come. Now in her 60s, Linda Palmer was attacked aged 14 by celebrity entertainer Danny Caxton, yet the crime has never been investigated - until now. As each steps closer to uncovering the truth, they'll unearth secrets much darker than they ever could have guessed ...
Banks is called to investigate his most grisly case yet in the twenty-second DCI Banks novel, by Number One bestselling author Peter Robinson.
Two missing boys. A stolen bolt gun. One fatal shot. Three ingredients for murder. When DCI Banks and his team are called to investigate the theft of a tractor from a North Yorkshire village, they're far from enthusiastic about what seems to be a simple case of rural crime. But when a blood stain is found in an abandoned hangar, and two main suspects vanish without a trace, events take a darkly sinister turn. As each lead does little to unravel the mystery, Banks feels as if the case is coming to a dead end. Until a road accident reveals some alarming evidence, thought to be disposed, which throws the investigation to a frightening new level. Someone is trying to cover their tracks - someone with very deadly intent ...
Ex-college lecturer Gavin Miller is found dead; his distorted body strewn across a disused railway track near his home. There's no sign of a struggle, and no concrete evidence except for one distinguishing package: £5,000 of cash, tucked inside the man's pocket. But when DCI Banks delves into Miller's past, he uncovers a troubled existence tarnished by accusations of abuse and misconduct which throws up an array of puzzling questions. What really occurred at the college where the victim used to teach? How was he embroiled in political activism at Essex University, over forty years ago? And what links him to an upstanding pillar of the community, who also harbours a dark secret from her past? One thing is clear: someone will stop at nothing - even murder - to prevent Banks from discovering the truth . . .
An integrated media and text solution which clearly demonstrates the relevance of operations to everyday business activities, through extensive use of text and running video case studies from companies such as Ikea, Domino's, EasyJet, and Ticketmaster. A truly engaging package for those with little knowledge or experience in operations management.
Banks is back - and this time he's investigating the murder of one of his own. Detective Inspector Bill Reid is killed by a crossbow in the tranquil grounds of a police rehabilitation centre, and compromising photos are found in his room. DCI Banks, brought in to investigate, is assailed on all sides. By Joanna Passero, the Professional Standards inspector who insists on shadowing the investigation in case of police corruption. By his own conviction that a policeman shouldn't be deemed guilty without evidence. By Annie Cabbot, back at work after six months' recuperation, and beset by her own doubts and demons. And by an English girl who disappeared in Estonia six years ago, who seems to hold the secret at the heart of this case ...
Acclaimed for the terseness and simplicity of her language, her poems show an acute power of observation and deep psychological introspection, revealing a mind akin to Emily Dickinson's and Sylvia Plath's, but also a unique and unmistakeably original voice.
Through the years of success in Hollywood composing music for the world's most lauded films, Chris always promised his wife they would return to the Yorkshire Dales one day. Now, after his wife's death, Chris feels he must not forget his promise.Back in the Dales, he rents an isolated house that will allow him the space to come to terms with his grief and the quiet to allow him to compose his piano sonata. But when he finds that the house was the scene of a murder in the 1950s, and that the convicted murderer was one of the last women hanged in England, he finds himself increasingly distracted by the events of sixty years before . . .
When Juliet Doyle finds a gun in her daughter's bedroom, she turns to old friend DCI Alan Banks for advice. But Banks is on a much-needed holiday, and it's left to DI Annie Cabbot to deal with the removal of the firearm. No one can foresee the operation's disastrous consequences, or that the Doyles will not be the only family affected. Banks's daughter Tracy has fallen for the wrong boy. Her flatmate's boyfriend is attractive, ambitious, and surrounded by an intoxicating air of mystery. He's also very dangerous. When Tracy warns him the police might be on his tail, he persuades her to go on the run with him, and flattered by his attention, she agrees. Before she knows it, a deadly chase across the country is set in motion. And on his return, unsuspecting of Tracy's precarious situation, Banks is plunged into his most terrifying, personal case yet.
When DCI Alan Banks arrived in Eastvale his life was every bit as much of a mess as it is now. But he is holding an envelope that could change everything he understood about the events that sent him north twenty years ago. Walking again the narrow alleys and back streets of his mind, he remembers the seedy Soho nights of his last case - dubious businessmen in dodgy clubs, young girls on the game. And a killer on the loose. In addition to the brand new novella that fills in the gaps in Banks's life before Yorkshire, Peter Robinson gives us ten more brilliant and eclectic stories that have never before been published in the UK. The Eastvale Ladies' Poker Circle finds that murder may be just another game of risk. Is a suitcase of cash worth a man's head on a plate? And tragedy leads a young boy to learn the price of love . . .
Wanneer inspecteur Banks op zoek gaat naar zijn broer, wordt vlakbij een vrouw vermoord met zijn adres in haar handen.
International bestselling author Peter Robinson turns his razor-sharp instinct for crime writing to this unique anthology featuring the cream of crime fiction. With a selection of 15 stories featuring established bestsellers and new voices, The Penguin Book of Crime Stories is a compelling page-turner—the all-in-one read mystery lovers have been waiting for. This not-to-be-missed collection includes riveting stories by Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, Sara Paretsky, John Harvey, George Pelecanos, Eric Wright, Robert Sawyer, José Latour, Robert Barnard, and Mark Billingham. The talent found in these pages will not only keep you guessing, but will also keep you up at night.
A beautiful June day in the Yorkshire Dales, and a group of children are spending the last of their half-term freedom swimming in the river near Hipswell Woods. But the idyll is shattered by their discovery of a man's body, hanging from a tree.
Als een gehucht in Yorkshire, dat destijds door de vorming van een waterreservoir onder water is verdwenen, na vijftig jaar weer tevoorschijn komt, rijst er tevens een skelet op.
Inspector Banks hat alle Hände voll zu tun: Ein junger Mann behauptet, in seinem früheren Leben ermordet worden zu sein, während eine Frau an Lebensmittelvergiftung stirbt. Auch während der Goldenen Hochzeit seiner Eltern bleibt das Verbrechen nicht aus. Enthalten sind vier Banks-Geschichten und sechs weitere Krimis von Peter Robinson.
Inspecteur Banks krijgt de opdracht op een discrete manier de weggelopen dochter van zijn directe chef op te sporen.
1st Pan Omnibus 2005 edition paperback, fine In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
Chief Inspector Banks returns in number one bestselling Peter Robinson's new crime novel.
'1966 Uncovered' contains a collection of archive photography from the 1966 World Cup, commemorating English football's finest hour & capturing the curious charm of the tournament both on & off the pitch. It is the story of an event, a sport, a nation, a people, & an era.
Dieses Buch wurde durch die dritte Cambridge Workshop Series zu Universellem Zugang und Hilfstechnologie angeregt, die im April 2006 stattfand. Die Beiträge stammen von führenden Forschern in den Bereichen Inklusives Design, Rehabilitationsrobotik, Universeller Zugang und Hilfstechnologie. Die Beiträge konzentrieren sich auf Designfragen für eine inklusivere Welt; die Ermöglichung des Computerzugangs und die Entwicklung neuer Technologien; Hilfstechnologie und Rehabilitationsrobotik; sowie das Verständnis der Nutzer und deren Einbeziehung in den Designprozess.
The stunning new Inspector Banks novel, backed by a major advertising drive to take Peter Robinson to Number One.
Práce s kameny a vodou je umělecký proces, který vyžaduje čas a pečlivost. Umělec si uvědomuje, jak důležité je ustálit počáteční představu a vyhnout se zkratkám. Klíčovými pravidly úspěšného návrhu jsou jednoduchost a smělost. Je důležité se seznámit s přírodními materiály a vybírat, dokud si nejste jisti svým návrhem. Může to zahrnovat vyšší výdaje na vybavení pro manipulaci s většími kameny. Velké kameny lze nalézt na nepřístupných místech a jejich správné umístění může mít na zahradě ohromný efekt, i když je prostor malý. Při výběru kamenů je důležité zohlednit jejich sousedství, orientaci a hloubku ponoření. Pokud se těmto aspektům nevěnuje pozornost, může výsledek vypadat nekoordinovaně. Někdy je lepší zaměřit se na vodní prvek, který lze snadno osadit. Odměny za vytvoření harmonické zahrady s vodou a kameny však převyšují případné potíže. Při vytváření krajinných prvků je nezbytné správně posoudit přirozenou krajinu a mít pomoc při manipulaci s těžkými kameny. Každý přírodní prvek má svou jedinečnou krásu a měl by odrážet vaši osobnost. Jakmile jsou kameny a voda na svém místě, může být obtížné provádět úpravy. Tato příručka nabízí rady pro plánování a výsadbu a seznamuje s různými prvky zahrady, jako jsou kameny, fontány a jezírka.
From her assault, Kirsten will carry the scars for life: disfigured, horrifically mutilated, she is forever condemned to nightmare. Like Kirsten, Martha has survived. But now, she has begun to take revenge. Nothing can stop her. Those who sow violence reap death... From The Silence of the Lambs to Billy, psycho-killers have invaded our nights and lead us through the rhythms of their bloody rituals in the labyrinth of their madness. Peter Robinson, whose novels have won the Ellis Award for Best Crime Novel in Canada, goes further by blurring the lines of the game of death: madness can be contagious and transform the most innocent victim into a formidable killing machine. Prepare for an unbearable suspense at the gates of anguish.
A bullet to the brain abruptly halted a terrified young woman's desperate flight. In her pocket is the name of a policeman whose own life was brutally invaded, mercilessly shaken, and very nearly erased -- a policeman who has since gone missing. The dead woman in the car had been running from something -- but she didn't run far or fast enough. Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot would like to question the man the victim was apparently racing to meet: Annie's superior -- and former lover -- Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. But Banks has vanished into the anonymous chaos of the city, drawn into a mad whirl of greed, inhumanity, and death, by a frantic phone call from the brother he no longer knows. Banks is unaware that the threads connecting a sinister kidnapping with a savage slaying are as thick as rope . . . and long enough for a haunted and broken rogue cop to hang himself.
Peter Robinson is one of the crime world's finest stylists. This is a collection that will explore our hidden paranoia, challenge all that we take for granted, lure us to new, exotic places, and keep us up all night just waiting for the safety of the dawn. Originally published: London: Macmillan, 2004.
Kniha přináší překlady čtyř úspěšných románů se záhadnou nebo kriminální zápletkou od anglických a amerických autorů. / Příslib lži - Howard Roughan / P.S. Miluji tě - Cecelia Ahernová / Kodex - Douglas Preston / Léto, které nikdy nebylo - Peter Robinson
Nadat de lichamen van twee ontvoerde meisjes zijn gevonden, duikt een hoofdinspecteur in de wereld van kindermishandeling, incest en pedofilie.
In 1980s Hollywood, the beautiful star of a hit TV cop show is being sent strange letters. At first, Sarah Broughton dismisses the letters as the ramblings of a lonely fan. But when the letters take on a disturbing tone and Sarah discovers a body in the sand outside her Malibu beach house, the experts are brought in. Working as a detective in the LAPD Threat Management Unit, Arvo Hughes has seen it all before: stalkers, love obsessionals, erotomaniacs - willing to kill themselves and their supposed love objects over their devotion. He knows the language they use and the patterns they follow. But there is no pattern to follow here. Dealing with a highly unpredictable but extremely violent killer, Arvo feels certain Sarah's stalker must have met her before. But with the squeaky-clean star doing all she can to keep memories of a shady history locked away, Arvo must delve into her past himself.
Investigating a dual arson case that has claimed three lives on an English canal, Detective Inspector Banks teams up with fellow investigator Annie Cabot and discovers that the victims are linked to an art forgery operation.
Previously published as Rock & Water Gardening. A step by step guide from planning and construction to plants and planting.
Chief Inspector Alan Banks is determined to get justice for his boyhood friend Graham who went missing aged 14. A skeleton is unearthed, but Banks soon realizes that in this case the boundaries between victim and perpetrator, between law-guardian and law-breaker, are becoming more blurred.
The worst that can possibly happen . . . has. A beautiful child is dead—defiled and murdered in a lonely graveyard on a fog-shrouded evening. It is the sort of horrific crime Chief Inspector Alan Banks fled the city to escape. But the slaying of a bright and lovely teenager from a wealthy, respected family is not the end of a nightmare. Lies, dark secrets, unholy accusations, and hints of sexual depravity swirl around this abomination like leaves in an autumn wind, leading to a shattering travesty of justice that will brutally divide a devastated community with suspicion and hatred. But Banks must remain vigilant in his hunt—because when the devil is left free to pursue his terrible calling, more blood will surely flow.
Two masked men walk mild mannered accountant, Keith Rothwell, out of his farmhouse and clinically blow him away with a shotgun. Clearly a professional hit - but no one could believe that a man like Keith could be murdered. Chief Inspector Alan Banks discovers Rothwell's secret life.
Die weisse Hölle/Der Klosterwald/In einem heissen Sommer/Wenn Engel schweigen - bk853; Verlag "Das Beste"; Matt Dickinson/Petra Oelker/Peter Robinson/Kristin Hannah; Paperback; 2002
Ob Sie nun eine kleine Wasserstelle planen, einen Wasserlauf oder gar einen Natur-Schwimmteich. Hier haben Sie den ultimativen Ratgeber für alle Fragen. Angehängt sind ein ausführliches Pflanz-Lexikon sowie ein Kapitel über Haltung und Pflege von Fischen und was sich sonst so im und am Wasser bewegt.
Skvělý praktický rádce pro každého zahrádkáře: Suchomilné rostliny. Stručná ilustrovaná zahradnická příručka. Praktické informace o suchomilných rostlinách - nejvhodnější doba a místo pro jejich pěstování - výběr suchomilných rostlin - úsporné hospodaření s vodou v zahradě - návrhy na výsadbu - a mnohé další.
Die „DK Gartentipps“ bieten fundiertes gärtnerisches Fachwissen in einer handlichen und preiswerten Ratgeberreihe. Hier finden sich die wichtigsten Gartenthemen in komprimierter Form - von der Planung über die schrittweise Umsetzung des Vorhabens bis zur Pflege der jeweils verwendeten Pflanzensorten. Expertenrat für Einsteiger mit äußerst praxisnahen, sofort anwendbaren Tipps.
One phone call from a concerned neighbor has inadvertently led police to Terence Payne, the elusive serial killer known only as "Chameleon." Now the fiend is in custody, perhaps dying, and a long nightmare appears to be over at last. But is it? In Acting Detective Superintendent Alan Banks's mind too many questions remain unanswered at the chamber of horrors the press will dub the "House of Payne." Because the darkness has not yet lifted, the casualties are still mounting...and there are still monsters loose in the world.
The eleventh novel in the Banks series, following the critically acclaimed IN A DRY SEASON.
During a blistering summer, drought has depleted Thornfield Reservoir, uncovering the remains of a small village called Hobb's End - hidden from view for over 40 years. For a curious young boy this resurfaced hamlet has become a magical playground... until he unearths a human skeleton. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks is given the impossible task of identifying the victim - a woman who lived in a place that no longer exists, whose former residents are scattered to the winds. Anyone else might throw in the towel but Banks sets out to uncover the murky past buried beneath a flood of time...
A picturesque Yorkshire village is dressed in its finest for the upcoming Noel. But one of its residents will not be celebrating this holiday. Chief Inspector Alan Banks knows that secrecy can sometimes prove fatal'and secrets were the driving force behind Caroline Hartley's life…and death. She was a beautiful enigma, brutally stabbed in her own home three days prior to Christmas. Leaving her past behind for a forbidden love affair, she mystified more than a few. And now she is dead, clothed only in her unshared mysteries and her blood. In this season of giving and forgiving, Banks is eager to absolve the innocent of their sins. But that must wait until the many facets of a perplexing puzzle are exposed and the dark circle of his investigation finally closes…and when a killer makes the next move.
Design • Construction • Planting • Maintenance
In addition to information on designing, building, planting, stocking and maintaining water gardens, this guide contains many design ideas and an illustrated plant catalogue of 150 aquatic and moisture-loving plants. Photographs and artworks illustrate the horticultural and building techniques needed to create pools, streams, canals and fountains in every style, from a richly planted wildlife pond to the traditional Japanese tsukubai. Recent information on new construction materials, pumps and filters is included.
Gives hands-on advice on designing and creating formal and informal water gardens with still or moving water, stones, bridges, lighting, decking, or fish. Includes a catalog of over 150 plants suitable for water gardens and over 700 photographs and illustrations.
New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Peter Robinson brings us a tantalizing tale of suspense in this classic Inspector Banks thriller.In the long shadows of an alley a young man is murdered by an unknown assailant. The shattering echoes of his death will be felt throughout a small provincial community on the edge—because the victim was far from innocent, a youth whose sordid secret life was a tangle of bewildering contradictions. Now a dedicated policeman beset by his own tormenting demons must follow the leads into the darkest corners of the human mind in order to catch a killer.Delving into the complicated human psyche, Blood at the Root showcases Peter Robinson’s singular talent in an exceptional novel of suspense that will linger in readers’ minds long past the final page.
Provides information on designing, building, planting, and maintaining water gardens
Two social workers, investigating reports of child abuse, take seven year-old Gemma Scupham away for tests. When they fail to return her, Gemma's mother calls in the police. Inspector Banks and Superintendent Gristhorpe suspect the case, and others, may be linked to satanic ritual abuse
Wild bewachsene, natürlich anmutende Teiche, die Vögel und Schmetterlinge locken, mondäne Springbrunnen oder fernöstliche Anlagen mit zierlichen Holzbrücken: In diesem Ratgeber erfahren Hobbygärtner alles, was sie über Anlage, Bau, Bepflanzung und Pflege von Wassergärten wissen wollen. Von Designvorschlägen für Teichbecken oder Kieselbrunnen über Beleuchtung, Pumpsysteme und Routinearbeiten bis zur richtigen Fisch- und Pflanzenwahl. Illustrierte Schritt-für-Schritt-Anleitungen erleichtern die Umsetzung in die Praxis. Das übersichtliche und äußerst benutzerfreundliche Layout macht das Anlegen von Wassergärten für jeden Hobbygärtner zum Kinderspiel.
Peter Robinson’s Snapshots from Hell is a hilarious and enlightening insider’s answer to the paramount question every prospective student asks: what is business school really like? During his frenetic first year at Stanford Business School, Peter Robinson began keeping a journal of his day-to-day impressions which evolved into this book. From his harrowing days at ‘maths camp’ through the dizzying phalanx of core course, the frenzy of the exam week, the pitfalls and triumphs of the interview process (including a surreal interview with Robert Maxwell!) to being wined and dined by some of the most prestigious companies in the world, Robinson’s story is witty, candid and people with a remarkable cast of characters. Snapshots from Hell is a fast-paced, first-hand account of the nightmare world of getting a top business school MBA, one of the glittering prizes of the ‘90s.
A well-liked, respected historian/archaeologist is bludgeoned to death and left half-buried in a field. Now it falls to Chief Inspector Banks to solve a seemingly motiveless murder--and stop a killer who's bound to kill again.
In the tradition of Ian Rankin and Elizabeth George, this masterful novel of suspense—from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Peter Robinson—spins a story of professional jealousy that could result in more than one murder. A peaceful demonstration in the normally quiet town of Eastvale ends with fifty arrests—and the brutal stabbing death of a young constable. But Chief Inspector Alan Banks fears there is worse violence in the offing. For CID Superintendent Richard Burgess has arrived from London to take charge of the investigation, fueled by professional outrage and volatile, long-simmering hatreds. Almost immediately, Burgess descends with vengeful fury upon the members of a sixties-style commune—while Banks sifts through the rich Yorkshire soil around him, turning over the earthy, unsettling secrets of seemingly placid local lives. Crossing Burgess could cost the Chief Inspector his career. But the killing of a flawed Eastvale policeman is not the only murder that needs to be solved here. And if Banks doesn't unmask the true assassin, his superior's misguided obsession might well result in further bloodshed. Peter Robinson once again explores the human psyche in a novel that demonstrates how our weaknesses can lead to deadly consequences.
On a balmy June night, Kirsten, a young university student, strolls home through a silent moonlit park. Suddenly her tranquil mood is shattered as she is viciously attacked. When she awakes in hospital, she has no recollection of that brutal night. But then, slowly and painfully, details reveal themselves - dreams of two figures, one white and one black, hovering over her; wisps of a strange and haunting song; the unfamiliar texture of a rough and deadly hand . . . In another part of England, Martha Browne arrives in Whitby, posing as an author doing research for a book. But her research is of a particularly macabre variety. Who is she hunting with such deadly determination? And why?
No one dreamed something so hideous could grow in so beautiful a place . . . Many who visit the valley are overwhelmed by its majesty. Some wish they never had to leave. One didn't, a hiker whose decomposing corpse is discovered by an unsuspecting tourist. But this strange, incomprehensible murder is only the edge of the darkness that hovers over a small rural village and its tight-lipped residents who guard shattering secrets of sordid pasts and private shames. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks knows that both the grim truth and a cold-blooded killer are hiding here, far from the city, the noise, and safety. And he's determined to walk into the valley of death to expose them both.
Welcome to the first of an exciting police procedural series.A Peeping Tom is frightening the women of Eastvale; two glue-sniffing young thugs are breaking into homes and robbing people, and an old woman may or may not have been murdered.Investigating these cases is Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, a perceptive, curious and compassionate policeman who recently moved to the Yorkshire Dales from London to escape the stress of city life.In addition to all this, Banks has to deal with local feminists plus his attraction to a young psychologist, Jenny Fuller. As the tension mounts, both Jenny and Banks’s wife, Sandra, are drawn deeper into the events. The cases weave together as the story reaches a tense and surprising climax.
The reigns of the kings and queens in this book cover nearly five hundred years, from the accession of the Tudor King Henry VII to the present day. It would require a large history book to tell in detail all the things which have happened in Britain during their five hundred years: wars, revolutions, struggles between king and parliament, treaties, alliances, and the growth of population and industry have changed the lives of the people. More than once Britain has been in danger of invasion: British armies have fought and conquered all over the world; the British navy has policed the seven seas. New lands have been discovered; a great Empire founded and peacefully surrendered. Of the little towns of two or three thousand inhabitants in 1485, some remain much as they were; others have grown into great cities. In place of the village craftsmen who supplied the simple needs of the people, there are now factories and workshops employing thousands of skilled hands. Science, technology, and medical research have changed everything. Today people live longer, travel faster, and communicate with one another more quickly, in a world more dangerous - yet with more possibilities for good - than ever before.