All the Colors of Darkness (Inspector Banks Novels)

Better quality crime thrillers strike that delicate balance between complete revelation and holding back just enough that there's a payoff with the ending. And so it is with this tidy little story we have here.

I'll not rehash the plot and the characters as other reviewers have already done, but, instead, I'll tell you about the grist of the work itself. Let's start with forensic evidence.

Currently with all the CSI TV series in full bloom, there's a heightened interest in forensic science as it relates to crime. In this case, all of the evidence supports what APPEARS to have happened. What Robinson does with this story is provide good interplay between how things seem and how they actually are. He hangs his action around the leads off of the crime, not off of the crime itself. I found it to be more and more interesting as the story unfolded, and I was surprised a little by that when I realized what was happening.

However, often the stories we discover in real life lead us back to basic human emotions - envy, anger, revenge, anguish, and remorse among others. Our lives, for the most part, are less complicated than we think but they have all the complexity we require in the mere basic human feelings.

The two main characters here, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot are the best kind of coppers - those driven to get to the bottom of things. Neither of them accept interviews and occurances on their faces if something about them bothers them... and that makes for good reading here.

Robinson's style provides your "reader's rewards" at regular intervals in this one. He does a nice job of using dry, almost boring verbage to set up the action pieces and this contrast makes those meatier parts all the more delicious. It's been probably twenty odd years since I've read a British suspense crime novel and that was Agatha Christie. While perhaps not in her class of authors, Robinson gives us the English language in all its power and glory - a language exercised here in its full descriptive capabilities. I particularly love the way the Brits use a phrase instead of a single word in their adjective terms. There's a lot of life to language used like that. Very refreshing.

An unusual thread throughout the work is Robinson's mention of various works of music as used by the characters. I'm a certified music nut and have something on a lot of the time, and I could very much relate to the use of music to match moods presented here. It would be fun sometime to sample here on the store all the albums mentioned in the book -- sort of like doing the locations tour (wineries, motel and restaurants) in California from "Sideways."

So anyway, here's a little story about doing the necessary, right thing and of telling the truth even if you know they come with unforeseen, possibly heavy costs. One always hopes that being true to one's self won't entail much in the way of a personal price to be paid at all, but that's not always the case, is it, Inspector?

This one is a good read, a true page-turner, with a strong sense of reality throughout. I suspect you'll be richly rewarded for the time spent.

"Inspector Banks" is one of my favorite English detective series. Peter Robinson has written many fine installments. My personal favorites are "In a Dry Season", "Cold Is the Grave" and "Past Reason Hated" (which takes place in the Dales in the winter and is highly recommended winter mystery by the fire reading). All of the previous books in the series have been quite enjoyable with clever plots and interesting believable characters. I purchase them as soon as possible and savor them over the course of 1 or 2 days before passing them on to my wife and best friend. I keep hoping Masterpiece Mystery will film some of these. However, this book is another story, it was a disappointment in spades. It's like Peter Robinson trying to do Ridley Pearson or something. A complete misfire. My wife and best friend felt the same. As another reviewer mentioned, the frequent musical references are way overdone. Oh well, everyone has a bad day now and then. Peter, take a big breath and re-read some of your early works. Then sit down and write another great Inspector Banks mystery! I can't wait!!!

Since this is my 1st Peter Robinson novel, I need not compensate for the halo effect (unconsciously valuing the work at hand based on a prior, generalized mindset towards the author & his other works) though, antithetically, I lack the context of continuing characters' development over time within the series.

CHARACTERS
So, judging from this perspective, I find the main character Banks less than likable or impressive, his subordinate Annie Cabbot pretty good, but the supporting characters quite intriguing: Banks' superior Gervaise (a considerably complex character that neither Banks nor Cabbot can understand), victim's mother Edwina Silbert (who doesn't use her considerable clout to help find out the truth), Cabbot's subordinate Winsome Jackman (who isn't described until much later in the book), & the delightful Tomasina Savage (whose last interchange with Banks is highly problematic based on her prior ones). Unfortunately, the author does little to flesh out these enigmatic characters. Further, I found Banks' girlfriend Sophia interesting at first but disappointingly shallow later. Finally, the "spooks" were uni-dimensional and far-fetched--apparently a swipe at Homeland Security or the British equivalent. Robinson refers to them as MI5 or MI6 without any real evidence. There are many political innuendoes too--but without much analysis or closure--the terrorist attack, for example, seems to run counter to Banks' biases about the "spooks." He seems to want the best of both worlds--defeating terrorism but without any cost to Democracy. So do I, but to think you can possibly achieve this is simplistic.

PLOT
This is a long book which could use some subtle editing (not to mention the typos). It has exciting & dramatic portions, but frequently drags on as well. The book starts out rather interestingly--much like an episode of Crime Scene Investigations (TV show CSI), but evolves into a psychological analysis of homosexual love, intelligence services, politics, and police hierarchy. There is a basic plot element based on Shakespeare's Othello (hence the title of the book), but unfortunately, it ends up more like "Much Ado About Nothing." The bad guys tend to die (or almost) accidentally and the only real closure (considering the ambiguous, rather unsatisfying denouement) is the recovery of traffic cones--discolored at that. With all the fine mystery novels available, I'm not particularly inspired to read another Robinson though other folks (who have read him before) indicate that most of his others are better than this one.

I complained about Robinson's last book. I felt that the characters were getting tiresome, and that maybe the series had run out of steam. Boy, was I wrong. Robinson hits the ball way out of the park with this outing. I literally could not put this book down. The characters are well developed; I like Annie Cabot again, Winsome is entertaining (not to mention "Harry Potter"), and I still would love to have a chat with DCI Banks! I also loved the plot in this book. It's really a combination of Othello, "MI5", and North by Northwest (Lester Townsend, indeed!). I know that sounds like a bizarre mix, but Mr. Robinson certainly created an enjoyable suspense ride - all the way to the very end. Bravo! I'm back to being an avid Banks/Cabot fan.

Peter Robinson has developed one of the genre's most appealing investigators in Alan Banks. He's lived a lot, learned from his experiences and mistakes, and remains ineffably real and humane. Bank's has a lot on his plate in Colors of Darkness. Just as he seems to have found genuine happiness with Sophia, he finds himself immersed in a case that's patently straightforward, but his instincts keep telling him that how deceiving are appearances. The Cold War is over, but now its replacement, the ever-present terrorism threat, has grown even more complex and perilous, and Banks is unnervingly unsure of the rules.

All the Colors of Darkness is an expertly crafted, knotty mystery, with elements of darkness, as well as plenty of zigs, zags, and human interest. Highly recommended.

When abruptly pulled away from a mini vacation to head up the investigation of what initially appears to be a straightforward murder-suicide case, Chief Inspector Alan Banks frustration is palpable. Though most would have taken the path of least resistance and marked the file closed, Banks excels under pressure and with his team continues searching for the cause behind this senseless tragedy. Working without authorization or the support of his superiors, his hunt for understanding places everyone--friends and family included--into treacherous circumstances as Banks quickly uncovers the fact that his pursuit may have national consequences.

Though new to this author's collection of work, it is simple to see why Peter Robinson has found such success with this long running series. "All the Colors of Darkness" begins as a clear-cut gritty crime drama effectively combining the best of a modern day spy adventure. At first, some may find the minor details too extensive as each room and its contents are described in full leaving little room for personal imagination. However, as you continue forward through the pages his distinctive style and remarkable skill stand out making "All the Colors of Darkness" an intricate thriller.

Check out our interview with Peter Robinson in the April 2010 issue of Suspense Magazine.
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For fans who eagerly await eash new Robinson text; this one definitely won't disappoint.

For those who have never read Robinson, the relationship between DCI Banks, his new girlfriend and her family might prove a little confusing. Since this particular thread is from a previous novel, it might cast a first time reader somewhat adrift. Even though Robinson weaves the loose ends in nicely, this excursion into Banks' personal life only really matters if one is familiar with his previous relationship involving Annie Cabbot. Having said that, Mr. Robinson gives enough information about his characters to prevent a new reader from becoming lost. As for the story, it's another roller coaster ride! Absolutely nothing is as it seems.

I found this installment a little farfetched. The whole question of how much the "spooks" did or did not do is a little too much. I much prefer a regular crime within their district and how they solve it. But, I do love Banks.

My first Peter Robinson and Inspector Banks novel. And I really enjoyed it.

Stellar book with multi-level plot, many twists and turns and intricate characters. I especially liked the intrigue wtih MI6 and the stunning ending of the book.

I plan to read more of Inspector Banks. I was introduced through the TV series which ran here recently. Peter Robinson is another great Canadian mystery writer, who lives in Toronto, even though he sets his novels in his native Yorkshire.

When Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot spells out her and Detective Chief Inspector Banks' theories about their latest case, their superintendent's response is "It...sounds far-fetched to me." I couldn't agree more. "All the Colors of Darkness" is one of those mysteries in which the reader is led on a wild goose chase of sorts (Shakespeare, spies and 9/11 are all thrown together haphazardly), only to end up at a conclusion that's both mundane and implausible. (And that's only one of the two cases the book covers. The other, involving gangland trouble on a council estate - yawn - is forgettable and pointless.)

This is certainly a step up from "Friend of the Devil," the last Banks novel, but it's still not one of this series' best. As in the latter, I think Robinson is biting off more than he can chew. Unbelievably, on top of the grisly murder/suicide that sets the novel in motion -- as well as a failed romance with a spoiled young Londoner -- Robinson throws Banks smack into the middle of a major terrorist attack, leaving him "smeared with blood and God knew what else," and questioning Man's inhumanity to Man. (It's a puzzling plot development, given that, once introduced, Robinson seems to have little interest in pursuing its monumental implications. As a device, it's remarkably arbitrary.) Banks is obviously heading for a major crash, given his black moods and heavy drinking...but I'm not sure I want to go along for the ride. Not that I have anything against hard-drinking, depressed detectives, mind you, Ian Rankin's John Rebus being a prime example. But at least Rankin leavens his Rebus novels with dry humor; the Banks series is no laughing matter.

And I'm over the constant musical references. I officially don't care what Banks has on his iPod any more than I would expect him to care what I have on mine. As I have no idea what most of the pieces are, it doesn't in any way illuminate the action or give me a better understanding of the character's state of mind.

I was excited by the appearance, halfway through the book, of a young, spunky female PI, one Tomasina (Tom) Savage. I wondered if perhaps Robinson were introducing her as the potential star of a new series. I for one would find that a welcome break from Banks and his troubles; might be that Robinson could use one as well.

I have enjoyed all the previous books in the Chief Inspector Alan Banks series, and this one certainly does not disappoint. A complex, absorbing, multilayered novel, it starts out with what seems to be a simple murder-suicide, when some schoolboys out for a swim find a hanged man, and shortly afterward, his lover is found dead, the victim of a bloody, violent attack. Both men have been working on a production of Othello at a local theater. The story soon becomes much more complicated, with espionage brought into the mix, and a terrorist bombing in London.

The title comes from Banks' description of what Othello is about: "The usual stuff of Shakesperean tragedies. All the colors of darkness." This novel is not just a crime/spy thriller, but also an exploration of jealousy and betrayal, secrecy, and the power of language to create unbearable mental images and inflame the passions.

It's best to read this series in order, beginning with Gallows View. Banks' life is portrayed in such detail throughout the series that he comes to seem like a real person. He is a music lover, which was the first thing that attracted me to these books. There are no cardboard characters here; all are well portrayed.

On the whole, I prefer a happier ending than we have in this book, but the shocker of a finale does open up some interesting possibilities for Banks in the future. I am really looking forward to finding out what happens next.

If you haven't read Peter Robinson before just stop reading and go get the first Banks novel and enjoy. If you've read all the others leading up to this one I'm not sure why you're reading this review. It's a great series with great characters, atmosphere, and plotting. Some people seem not to have liked some of the less parochial aspects of this one, but it's still a part of the series and therefore you basically have to read it- don't you? I can't see how anybody who likes the series can justify giving it one star. Even reading their reviews I'm not convinced. If I only read books by authors whose politics I agreed with life just wouldn't be that interesting. Sure some authors go off the rails (Patricia Cornwell anyone?), but this is just bringing a little more reality into the English countryside than some might appreciate.

One thing I love about these Inspector Banks novels is the fact the stories twist and turn all the way to the last page. In this case the ending redeems a plot that is sometimes as murky as the elements of evil involved, elements quite new to the Dales and certainly not the typical villains of standard police procedurals. At the end I was convinced Robinson had it right. The dark underpinnings of British society are there, seldom seen, and rarely held to account. Banks himself is once again the right "Everyman" to bring that them to light.

Robinson's earlier efforts starring Banks have earned him my undying loyalty, but this book makes it difficult. The plot turns from one convenient coincidence to another and the whole premise of the books is silly and unbelieveable. Probably by design, the end of the book resolves little. All I can say good is that Robinson is still a master at wonderful dialog and interaction between the characters. He's written much better books. If you're starting out with Robinson on this book, try another -- it'll be much better.

Robinson's earlier efforts starring Banks have earned him my undying loyalty, but this book makes it difficult. The plot turns from one convenient coincidence to another and the whole premise of the books is silly and unbelieveable. Probably by design, the end of the book resolves little. All I can say good is that Robinson is still a master at wonderful dialog and interaction between the characters. He's written much better books. If you're starting out with Robinson on this book, try another -- it'll be much better.

As always Peter Robinson tells a good tale, but though I love Inspector Banks and his crew, this one had me
yawning a bit in the middle as it seems too drawn out. The the arrival of the MI6 and MI5 bad/good guys in the backstory I found off-putting. Interesting, complex characters abound, and once again Inspector Banks loses his current girl (I look forward to finding out who will be his next bedmate). THe trend toward British detectives always at odds with their bosses is getting a little old.

This is modern detective fiction at it's finest. Great plotting. Dark images and wonderful characters. All of Robinson's books have been great reads but this is exceptional.

Hope some of the minor character like our lady private eye return.

I was very disappointed in this book. Plot was overly complicated and unbelievable, the music references so many that I wondered if perhaps the author should write a book on music since he is so very interested in it, the landmarks permeated the text, too much too much too much.

The earlier books, especially the first ones, were more character driven and therefore interesting to me. With this Dark book, I find myself looking for excuses to put the book down and do something else.

Let's get back to the earlier writing which is complex without being pedantic, clever without being self conscious, and much more fun.

Until this book, I thought Peter Robinson to be the best writer of English mysteries around today. But All The Colors of Darkness is a great disappointment. It seems to be sloppily written - almost as if Robinson typed it on his computer but did not write it (to paraphrase Truman Capote). Just two examples - the attempt to tie in the plot of Othello into his current case becomes tiresome and is repeated over and over again; and the terrorist plot in London adds absolutely nothing to the plot.

Surely, Peter Robinson can do better than this and I will still eagerly await his next Inspector Banks book.

"All the Colors of Darkness," is, I believe, the 18th in the bestselling multi-prize winning Detective Inspector Alan Banks British mystery series, a police procedural/suspense novel that is set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale. ( It follows on Friend of the Devil.) I believe this entire series has been set in the United Kingdom, although Peter Robinson, its author, who was born in Yorkshire in 1950, immigrated to Canada in 1974. He now divides his time between Richmond and Canada.

In ALL THE COLORS on a beautiful June day in the Yorkshire Dales, a group of boys, spending the last of their summer freedom swimming in the river near Hindswell Woods, discovers in a peaceful wood the hanged body of Mark Hardcastle, the openly gay theatrical designer for the Eastvale Theatre's current production of Othello. DI Annie Cabbott is first on the scene: she muses that it is very difficult for third parties to hang a conscious, resisting person; therefore, she thinks, the young man committed suicide. But that theory doesn't quite work for her. Soon after, the body of Hardcastle's latest lover, the older, wealthier Laurence Silbert is found, beaten to death in his posh home. DCI Banks is called back from an idyllic weekend he had planned with his latest girl friend. His investigation quickly reveals that Silbert had been a professional spy in the employ of England's famed spy service, MI6; and that MI6 is extremely interested -- too interested --in the case. Banks does eventually figure out who did what to whom, but the solution offered is almost beside the point, as Banks and his assistant Cabbot, have in the meantime come up with an extremely fanciful, theatrical, and impossible to prove or prosecute back-story to the rather cut-and-dried crimes.

Robinson is certainly an able writer, in full command of his powers, and ALL THE COLORS is well-written. Dialog and descriptive writing are fine. He has created in Banks a protagonist full of Yorkshire grit. But I was a bit irritated by the author's constant reference to various works of rock music by groups I never heard of: I suppose they're British. And, I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for rock, I suppose. I can just about tolerate these frequent musical references in the writing of the current dean of British mystery writers, Ian Rankin: for one thing, I love his work, and for another, I've generally at least heard of the music he cites. Anyway, I mention this as some others may find this constant citation of unknown music as irritating as I did.

Furthermore, Banks may really not be the detective for everybody: on the strength of this book, he appears to be a rather anti-American left-winger. He belittles the work of MI6; at one point, he explains it all to Cabbot: "The people who were your enemies yesterday are your friends today, and vice versa. Often the only thing you have in common to start with is that you're united against the same enemy. Alliances change and shift with the wind. Germany. Russia. Iraq. Iran. The bloody United States, for all I know. They've been known to get up to some pretty dirty tricks in their time. Maybe he's [Silbert] got evidence they engineered the terrorist attacks in the U.K. to keep us involved in the Iraq War. God knows, I wouldn't put anything past any of them. Silbert could have been involved in something that shows MI6 and the government, or a friendly foreign government, in a bad light, and with an election coming up..."

Shortly thereafter, the writer will take a gratuitous swipe at Margaret Thatcher, former 1980's Conservative Party British Prime Minister, theorizing that she ruined many people's lives. "The parents were often products of the Thatcher generation, who had also had no jobs and no hope for the future, a legacy they passed on to their children." Well, as ever, there are two sides to any issue: there are people who credit Thatcher with restoring the British economy to competitive status in Europe, granted, at a high cost.

The writer graduated from the University of Leeds with honors. In Canada, he took a Master's degree at the University of Windsor, studying with Joyce Carol Oates; and a Ph.D. at York University, Toronto, and began his writing career. He's a popular author: several of his many books have been best sellers. For a supposed mystery, ALL THE COLORS does have a somewhat weak plot, with too much political preaching, but some readers may enjoy Robinson's venture into the cold war/spy trade, which he reasonably deftly integrates with his more mainstream action. But the book is not for me.

It's all relative. If you like your crime novels of the mainstream kind, the type of thing that would make for a TV or blockbuster Hollywood movies, you will enjoy this. If you prefer crime stories that are more out there, you'll need to look elsewhere. The writing is good and the story a page-turner; it's just a matter of if you need more of an edge or something unusual in your mystery novels.

Loved reading it but ending too simple without connection, just a neat tidy up. The love story between Banks and Sophia just silly no reason for him to think she's in for the long haul. Written with a man's perspective not really understanding her. Middle aged men with alcohol and career issues do not make interesting lovers for the young. give Banks a woman, a contemporary that leaves him breathless. Lots of loose ends neatly wrapped up without much corroboration. 7/8 of book exciting, ending not plausible.

An interesting idea but I'm not sure Robinson really pulled it off. The "crime" is solved in the first third of the book. The other 2/3rd relates to Bank's dissatisfaction with the result, the limitations of the law and his private life. With the involvement of MI5 and MI6 Banks is pre-occupied with ends and means and acting within and outside of the law to get the correct result.

I've only read one other Inspector Banks book, and now wish I had done more. Alan Banks is a great character, multi-layered and complex. Here, his back story is sometimes more interesting than the cases he's working on. I wondered about his history with Sophie and Annie as he navigate between them during his case. Definitely an interesting character to follow.

Not my favorite Peter Robinson/Inspector Banks novel. It felt a bit far-fetched and I was left not really believing the premise - that Banks would follow up on a spy-caper scenario out of a hunch that the players were following the plot of Othello. I just couldn't quite get on the ride. A disappointment - I have loved earlier Banks books.

This move towards a political diatribe leaves me empty. It is as if the plot was designed only to show how politically sensitive the author is. The scene of a terrorist bombing in London is completely gratuitous and has no place in the plot except to exhibit the author's belief that regardless of the efforts of our governments we are not safe. This novel is so hackneyed and predictable. If you must read Peter Robinson go back to his earlier novels before he became a political polemicist. I am thankful I found this book in a thrift shop and there is where it is going back.

An interesting idea but I'm not sure Robinson really pulled it off. The "crime" is solved in the first third of the book. The other 2/3rd relates to Bank's dissatisfaction with the result, the limitations of the law and his private life. With the involvement of MI5 and MI6 Banks is pre-occupied with ends and means and acting within and outside of the law to get the correct result.

This book has a nice, tight plot involving an apparent murder-suicide, disappearing people and a London terrorist bombing. What I couldn't get past though was the talkiness of the book: the character, DCI Banks, talks about his girlfriends and moons over different CD music and apparently pops in for a drink at every pub he encounters. What the author has failed to deliver is any interest in all of this. Banks is no spring chicken and apparently there have been many prequels to this novel, none of which I've encountered, so to me he is a sad older guy who has many regrets over his life which he drowns in drink and sporting around in his old Porsche. A lot of the book deals with his girlfriend of the moment, Sophia, who becomes leery of him when her apartment is ransacked by a spy organization. So Banks proceeds to stalk her. Really, this is a distraction to an otherwise good plot. Too much characterization and too little action.

For those who are concerned about British slang and its use in the novel, look up "cockney" and "polari" in Wikipedia and learn a few basic words of slang. It's really not difficult to learn. It causes me to wonder though, why the title of the book is All the "Colors" of Darkness and not "Colours." Did they change the title for the American edition?

If you are a fan of Peter Robinson's works and have read the other novels about DCI Banks, then I suggest this will satisfy you. As for me, I've read better detective stories. Just my opinion.