Peter Robinson
Aug 2016 | $32.99pb ** BiP Price $27.95
Peter Robinson is back in top form with his twenty-third Alan Banks novel. The naked body of a young girl is found by a cyclist in a remote lane in north Yorkshire. It appears that she has been thrown from a moving vehicle. DI Annie Cabbot is heading the investigation, first to discover the victim’s identity and then to track down the perpetrator. Her colleague, DC Gerry Masterson, puts her own life in danger trying to get the evidence they need. Newly-promoted to Detective Superintendent, Alan Banks is not only swamped with the paperwork which goes with the job, but has also been given another very difficult and sensitive case to investigate. A well-known entertainer, Danny Caxton, now a wealthy elderly man, has been accused several times of social abuse of young girls during his career. Linda Palmer, a poet, has come forward after fifty years, to ask for help to put her case against Caxton. She and her mother reported the offence to the police at the time but no action was taken. Although sceptical of her account at first, DS Banks believes her story and begins a search for solid evidence to back it up. Meanwhile Annie has uncovered the identity of the young victim and is working hard to establish the reasons for the death. When the Music’s Over is a tale of two very different cases of abuse of young girls; one of the cases has been covered up for many years. The deeper both detectives delve into their investigations the more disturbing each one becomes. As in all the Banks novels music and whisky are constant threads: Peter Robinson combines topical subjects with strong characters with an edgy sense of moral obligation. Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot are like old friends who will, hopefully, continue to grace us with their presence for many more books to come. BiP staff review by Leonie
