Blood at the Root

Rating:
Summary: Note change of title from UK edition
Review: For those hunting for all Peter Robinson books, you should note that "Blood at the Root" was originally published in the UK as "Dead Right". Don't go ordering both....

Rating:
Summary: Note change of title from UK edition
Review: For those hunting for all Peter Robinson books, you should note that "Blood at the Root" was originally published in the UK as "Dead Right". Don't go ordering both....

Rating:
Summary: Not one of Robinson's best.
Review: Having loved Robinson's splendid novel, "In a Dry Season," I have become a big fan of this talented author. Even though "Blood at the Root" is not a top notch mystery, it still features the charismatic Inspector Alan Banks. Banks is a music-loving detective with marital problems and a penchant for drinking when he gets depressed. He is also having problems with his supervisor, who absolutely loathes him. In short, Banks is a flawed individual, but when he gets on the scent of the suspect, he is persistent in tracking down any criminal unlucky enough to be in his sights. Unfortunately, this time around, Banks is mired in a dull mystery. The plot revolves around neo-Nazi types who are trying to foster racial hatred in their community. One of their members is found brutally murdered, and the main suspects are Pakistani youths who had an argument with the victim before he was killed. The victim, as well as the other people who figure in this mystery, are not particularly compelling. However, I am still impressed with Robinson's sharp dialogue and his ability to delineate characters, and I will continue to read his work.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of Robinson's best.
Review: Having loved Robinson's splendid novel, "In a Dry Season," I have become a big fan of this talented author. Even though "Blood at the Root" is not a top notch mystery, it still features the charismatic Inspector Alan Banks. Banks is a music-loving detective with marital problems and a penchant for drinking when he gets depressed. He is also having problems with his supervisor, who absolutely loathes him. In short, Banks is a flawed individual, but when he gets on the scent of the suspect, he is persistent in tracking down any criminal unlucky enough to be in his sights. Unfortunately, this time around, Banks is mired in a dull mystery. The plot revolves around neo-Nazi types who are trying to foster racial hatred in their community. One of their members is found brutally murdered, and the main suspects are Pakistani youths who had an argument with the victim before he was killed. The victim, as well as the other people who figure in this mystery, are not particularly compelling. However, I am still impressed with Robinson's sharp dialogue and his ability to delineate characters, and I will continue to read his work.

Rating:
Summary: Fast paced and intelligent
Review: I had never read any of Peter Robinson's previous books and didn't really know what to expect. Well there were really 'No worries'. The book moves crisply filling in the gaps of the story in a intelligent way and creating a interesting read. I really enjoyed the character of 'Inspecter Alan Banks' a complex and enjoyble creation. Plus he's a very good detective...

Rating:
Summary: Same As
Review: I have just read the 8 trial pages of "Blood at the Root" by Peter Robinson and word for word it is the same as "Dead Right" by Peter Robinson - have you made a mistake, or do I have the wrong cover on my book?

Rating:
Summary: Same As
Review: I have just read the 8 trial pages of "Blood at the Root" by Peter Robinson and word for word it is the same as "Dead Right" by Peter Robinson - have you made a mistake, or do I have the wrong cover on my book?

Rating:
Summary: This series gets finer and finer; his best book yet
Review: In Eastvale, England Sandra and Alan Banks were more and more going their own way. Before Alan, a Detective Chief Inspector, can sort his feelings, he finds himself investigating the murder of Jason Fox, whose corpse was found near a local pub. Alan and his associate Detective Constable Susan Fox soon learn that Jason had a racial confrontation with three Pakistanis. They also discover that Jason worked for the Albion League, who allegedly sells illegal drugs to blacks.

Alan's personal life intercedes when a frustrated Sandra asks for a separation on the grounds that they have nothing in common anymore. Alan also has problems with his superiors, who seem to want him off the case because their superiors have their own sting operation that Alan might muddle. Increasingly becoming depressed and melancholic, Alan, with the help of his loyal sidekick, relentlessly presses on to ferret out the truth behind the killing of Jason Fox.

The Alan Banks mysteries are getting better and better as Peter Robinson has matured to the point of being one of the top writers of English police procedurals. The root of what makes BLOOD AT THE ROOT so good is the increasingly humanizing of Banks, whose character is a depository of personal problems that he struggles to keep out of his investigations. The police's official inquiry and the wealth of well written secondary characters who stomp into Alan's personal space, add a genuine feel to the novel, turning it into one of the top five releases in the sub-genre for 1997.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the others
Review: In this novel things are not as they seem. Inspector Banks is sent to investigate a beating death outside of the English pub areas. Everything seems cut and dried at first since the victim was a renowned racist who was seen arguing with a group of Pakistani youths. If it were that simple there would not be a novel.

The book focuses on hatred and drug dealing. Inspector Banks is having major personal problems that at times might hinder his investigation. This is my second Inspector Banks novel (PAST REASON HATED being first). I intend to continue reading the series because I have heard many positive things about the character in other novels. This book was good but not as good as the one I previously read.

Rating:
Summary: This is a series that keeps getting better
Review: Robinson has really let his characters loose in Blood At the Root. At every turn, he and Susan Gay find themselves questioning themselves, their relationships and their professions. The story is topical and really interesting, but I was a little frustrated by some of the digressions. This is a great series