Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful advance praise and reviews
Review: "IN A DRY SEASON is a wonderful novel. From Peter Robinson's deft hand comes a multi-layered mystery woven around the carefully detailed portraits of characters all held tightly in the grip of the past. At its heart is Inspector Banks. A man for all seasons, he knows that often the clues to the answers he seeks can be found hidden in his own soul." --Michael Connelly, author of BLOOD WORK "Anyone who loves a good mystery should curl up gratefully with a cuppa to enjoy this rich 10th installment of the acclaimed British police procedural series...Robinson's work stands out for its psychological and moral complexity, its startling evocation of pastoral England and its gritty, compassionate portrayal of modern sleuthing." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Rating: 
Summary: Compelling
Review: "In A Dry Season" is a finely crafted novel, a very compelling tale which weaves a stunning plot much in the style of recent gems like "The Triumph and the Glory" or "Black Notice", or even books of a more techno-thriller bent like "The Devil's Teardrop." Four stars from me, the only weakness was a lack of effort at effective characterization.
Rating: 
Summary: Robinson does it again!
Review: A complex mystery that takes the reader to wartime England in order to solve the mystery of a skeleton found in a dried up reservoir today. Not an easy task to alternate between the past and the present but Mr. Robinson does it with style.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Mystery
Review: A village that has been flooded to create a reservoir is uncovered during a particularly dry summer. While exploring, a boy discovers a human skeleton that, in all likelihood had been put there over 50 years ago. Was the person murdered or was it an accident? Will it be possible to solve such an old case?The man chosen for the job is DI Alan Banks. He's been out of favour with his superiors, prompting his selection for what sees to be a hopeless, dead-end job. But, through determination, perseverance and help from local sergeant, Annie Cabbot, he makes slow progress. Peter Robinson alternates between the present and the past in an effective narration of the story. By doing this, we are treated to both the lead up and the aftermath of a time surround by turmoil. As Inspector Banks uncovers clues and chases up leads, we are taken back to when it all took place and get to witness every detail first hand. It really is a technique that works extraordinarily well. As far as police procedurals go, this ranks very highly with pieces of the puzzle revealing a more and more tragic story, leading right up to the consequences played out in the climactic present-day scenes. This is definitely a book to put on your must-read list, particularly if you are a fan of well-constructed mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: A smashing return
Review: After a couple of not-so-great entries in the series, Peter Robinson scores big with In a Dry Season. The characters, the plot, the shifting perspectives, all give great animation and interest to the book. Looking forward to the next book in the series as well.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent story.
Review: Excellent story. Interesting characters. I really enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: Could easily have been a 5!!!!
Review: Having just read (and thoroughly enjoyed) "Wednesday's Child", I moved on to this book with keen anticipation. Overall, I was most impressed. The story is really an interesting combination of events during the second world war and its aftermath with the present day. It worked extremely well, as the author has the almost unique skill of being able to write in two completely different styles within the same storyline. The first is the everyday police procedural style; the second is the more "prosy" style of a middle aged woman looking retrospectively at events of more than 20 years ago. It works. My only disappointment was the fact that, like others who have reviewed the book, I guessed very early on "who had done it". The enjoyment for me, therefore, was not in the denouement itself, but rather than in the construction of a very complex storyline built upon the foundations of a known character, Alan Banks. I would recommend this book most strongly to people who enjoy Ruth Rendell and P D James. Any suggestion that Elizabeth George is in the same league as either of these two authors or Peter Robinson is a complete mystery to me as I found "In Puruit of the Proper Sinner" wooden with extremely convoluted dialogue. But then again, that is only my opinion. I am just grateful that I have many Peter Robinson novels still to read as they will give me many happy hours in the days ahead.
Rating:
Summary: Could easily have been a 5!!!!
Review: Having just read (and thoroughly enjoyed) "Wednesday's Child", I moved on to this book with keen anticipation. Overall, I was most impressed. The story is really an interesting combination of events during the second world war and its aftermath with the present day. It worked extremely well, as the author has the almost unique skill of being able to write in two completely different styles within the same storyline. The first is the everyday police procedural style; the second is the more "prosy" style of a middle aged woman looking retrospectively at events of more than 20 years ago. It works. My only disappointment was the fact that, like others who have reviewed the book, I guessed very early on "who had done it". The enjoyment for me, therefore, was not in the denouement itself, but rather than in the construction of a very complex storyline built upon the foundations of a known character, Alan Banks. I would recommend this book most strongly to people who enjoy Ruth Rendell and P D James. Any suggestion that Elizabeth George is in the same league as either of these two authors or Peter Robinson is a complete mystery to me as I found "In Puruit of the Proper Sinner" wooden with extremely convoluted dialogue. But then again, that is only my opinion. I am just grateful that I have many Peter Robinson novels still to read as they will give me many happy hours in the days ahead.
Rating:
Summary: Robinson at his best
Review: Having read all of Peter Robinson's novels at this point, I can say without hesitation that this is his finest. One of the compelling factors in reading Robinson is his well-crafted character development. I feel that I actually know these people and if I traveled to England, I might actually meet them. This is coupled with a wonderfully intricate plot, set in the past and present, that kept me guessing and turning the pages. I anxiously await the next offering to see how Alan Banks is faring with the challenges he is facing. I like his character immensely...he is a REAL person, one with whom we all can identify.
Rating:
Summary: A wondeful read
Review: He already thought that he had sunk to the bottom after his marriage ended and he was relegated to desk duty due to one insubordination too many. So when his superior assigns him to investigate human remains found in the remote Thornfield Reservoir, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks jumps on the case. Even before he travels to the reservoir, Alan knows that the extra dry season led to the bones being discovered as the water no longer covered them. The forensic crowd determine that the victim is Gloria Shackleton, a Land Girl who worked in the village of Hobb's End during World War II. Just after the war, a reservoir was built on the site of the village. Though someone murdered Gloria five decades ago, Alan investigates the crime as if it happened yesterday. IN A DRY SEASON, the tenth Inspector Banks police procedural, may be the best tale in the highly regarded series. The story line is filled with details from the past and the present that cleverly intertwine into a wonderful investigation. Alan's marital and job problems provide much insight into his character. The support cast, especially the deceased's sister-in-law, augments the plot with much depth from two eras. There may be a drought in Yorkshire, but there is no literary one as long as Peter Robinson continues to provide readers with novels that the audience can bank on as being superb. Harriet Klausner
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