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Book Reviews of Watching the Dark (Inspector Banks, Bk 20)

Watching the Dark (Inspector Banks, Bk 20)
Watching the Dark - Inspector Banks, Bk 20
Author: Peter Robinson
ISBN-13: 9780062004802
ISBN-10: 0062004808
Publication Date: 1/8/2013
Pages: 352
Rating:
  • Currently 4.5/5 Stars.
 13

4.5 stars, based on 13 ratings
Publisher: William Morrow
Book Type: Hardcover
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

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eadieburke avatar reviewed Watching the Dark (Inspector Banks, Bk 20) on + 1639 more book reviews
Book Description:
A decorated detective inspector is murdered on the tranquil grounds of the St. Peter's Police Treatment Centre, shot through the heart with a crossbow arrow, and compromising photographs are discovered in his room. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks is well aware that he must handle the highly sensitiveâand dangerously explosiveâinvestigation with the utmost discretion.

Because the case may involve police corruption, an officer from Professional Standards, Inspector Joanna Passero, has arrived to work with Banks and his team. Though he tries to keep an open mind and offer his full cooperation, the dedicated Banks and his practical investigative style clash with Passero's cool demeanor and by-the- book professionalism. All too soon, the seasoned detective finds himself under uncomfortable scrutiny, his methods second-guessed.

As Banks digs deeper into the life and career of the victim, a decorated cop and recent widower named Bill Quinn, he comes to believe that Quinn's murder may be linked to an unsolved missing persons case. Six years earlier, a pretty nineteen-year-old English girl named Rachel Hewitt made national headlines when she disappeared without a trace in Tallinn, Estonia. Convinced that finding the truth about Rachel will lead to Quinn's killer, Banks follows a twisting trail of clues that lead from England to the dark, cobbled alleys of Tallinn's Old Town. But the closer he seems to solving the complicated cold case, the more it becomes clear that someone doesn't want the past stirred up.

While Banks prowls the streets of Tallinn, DI Annie Cabbot, recovered from her near-fatal shooting and back at the station in Eastvale, is investigating a migrant labor scam involving corrupt bureaucrats and a loan shark who feeds on the poor. As evidence in each investigation mounts, Banks realizes the two are linkedâand that solving them may put even more lives, including his own, in jeopardy.

My Review:
This book is another winner from Peter Robinson in the DCI Banks series. It's about the murder of a local policeman, Bill Quinn, who may have been a dirty cop and the human trafficking of Rachel Hewitt in Estonia. Robinson did a great job merging the two storylines and his research of Estonia was very well done even down to the music of Estonia. I love that he always includes his love of music into his books. His characters are always well-drawn and his plots always keep the pages turning. Robinson is by far the best writer of British police procedurals and you can never go wrong reading one of his books. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and I highly recommend this series to those who love mystery thrillers.