Written by Peter Robinson

All The Colours of Darkness

By Peter Robinson

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 Hindswell Woods. But the idyll is shattered by their discovery of a mans body, hanging from a tree. DI Annie Cabott soon discovers he is Mark Hardcastle, the well-liked and successful set designer for the Eastvale Theatres current production of Othello.

Everything points to suicide, and Annie is mystified. Why would such a man wants to take his own life? Then Annies investigation leads to another shattering discovery, and DCI Alan Banks is called back from the idyllic weekend he had planned with his new girlfriend. Banks soon finds himself plunged into a shadow-world where nothing is what it seems, where secrets and deceit are the norm, and where murder is seen as the solution to a problem.

The deeper he digs the more he discovers that the monster he has awakened will extend its deadly reach to his friends and family. Nobody is safe.

Fans of Inspector Banks will have been eagerly awaiting the latest development in his career, and that of his close colleague, friend and one time lover Annie Cabot, but this book will stand alone for anyone who has not read the previous ones.

Reader's Review

"All the Colours of Darkness" is fast paced and intriguing with an element that will keep the reader swiftly turning the pages, waiting for the next development. They will not be disappointed! All the elements of a good crime thriller are here, murder, intrigue, lovers' rows, and the dirty tricks brigade in the form of MI6. With a plot as tangled as a plate of spaghetti, only one thing is certain - it's going to be very messy!

This is a great read and a welcome update for Banks' many fans, but read it even if you have read none of the previous ones - you soon will.

Reviewed by Maureen Nield on 29/07/2008