All the Colors of Darkness audiobook

Author Peter Robinson and his protagonist, Chief Inspector Alan Banks, never fail to entertain or disappoint. In All the Colors of Darkness, Banks finds himself called back from holiday with his girlfriend, Sophia, to Eastvale to lend his expertise to an apparent murder-suicide investigation.Banks is more than a little peeved when the investigation is suddenly called to a close only a couple of days later, determined to be no more than what it first appeared to be.Too many questions are left unanswered to suit Banks' "copper's curiosity," and soon the stubborn and diligent chief inspector embarks on a further investigation -- unofficial -- into the untimely deaths of the two gay lovers. One of the dead men was a retired MI6 agent; it isn't long that government agents make their dissatisfaction with Banks' curiosity known. A twisty and twisted investigation ensues, with the suspense building until its denouement saved until the final pages.Although this book is part of a series, it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone.

I really enjoyed this one - and looking at amamzon.co.uk reviews, it would appear as though i was the only one!In a switch from the henning mankell novel recenyly read, we have a mystery here which is not resolved until the end. We follow banks as he progresses through the investigation.And the crime.... a nice clever play on Othello, as a local gay couple are found - one dead, one suicide. He theories of the investigation are that this has been caused by a third party spreading rumours and innendo which results in the catasphoric events that take place.The impact on Banks social life, as he new relationship goes down the pan as he is called back from ldn to investigate is well drawn and so is the relationship with his former lover - Annie Caboot. In fact, there is quite an air of desperation around banks as everything gets fucked up around him as he does his job. He even tries it on with a younger PI, who is only interested in him cause of his rock and roll son - only to get blown out.The complexity of the mystery is increased as the murder victim is MI5 - cue, shady spooks, getting warned off the case from above etc. but it just about holds it own.Where it doesnt is a frankly strange interlude with Banks at the heart of a terrorist bomb. I would love to know why this is here - is it to show that M15 are required because of the threat of international terrorism? On its own, it adds nothing at all to the story.I do like the music references. This year Banks is incredibly listening to Cat Power and Mazzy Star - which I find refreshing (but unlikely). Presumably, these are the authors tunes and he has good taste. It also means that reading his books and meeting a familar character becomes like catching up with an old friend.Good crime fiction, experly presented.

I initially had mixed feelings about this, the 18th of Peter Robinson's excellent DCI Banks novels. Usually I'm gripped by Robinson's writing within a few chapters, but it took a lot longer before I really got into this one.This time Robinson paints a broader canvas than usual, & although still a police procedural story it moves into the world of espionage. Some of the secret service aspects of the story seem implausible & jar with the author's previously believable novels. Thankfully Robinson's ability to create extremely well drawn & realistic characters saves the book (for me at least) from its more unrealistic elements. Hopefully he will return to the "real world" in his next novel.

I think Robinson is up there with Rankin/Connellywhat do others think?a really good read and interesting in being so close to real life and how things sometimes work

All the Colours of Darkness is a very good Banks story. The complex plot involves a gay murder and possible suicide and the close involvement of the security services.What sets this apart from other recent Banks novels that I’ve read is that the reader learns a huge amount about the man himself, his hopes, fears, strengths and weaknesses. It’s not an easy read in so much as there’s some graphic descriptions of events and the narrative is very sad.This is an excellent detective story with outstanding character and location descriptions, a credible narrative and a fascinating insight into police procedures.David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War and The Summer of ‘39, all published by Sacristy Press.

I love the simple storytelling and convoluted plots of DCI Banks books. They just keep rolling along in a chronological fashion getting more involved but what I love is the workings out as they go on. Beautifully descriptive of NYorks landscapes, the smart and the rough areas of market towns - the two lines of story which never meet- one local one involving estate drugs gangs , the other the mysteries of M15/6 . There is always a spot of human interest- the latest Banks’ lover - always a music catalogue of moody and eclectic songs , always the sensual taste of food and drink and always the brooding relationship between Banks and Annie Cabot and the grumpy boss who really respects him ( but doesn’t show it) a ripping good read.

It's terrifying to find out that an intelligence service - from your own country, no less! - can create a "legend" about you that can't be explained away, dismissed, or refuted; meanwhile, your career and personal life are left in ruins. Banks, Cabbott, & Co. are investigating around the edges of just such a service, and are dealing with the pressures of not only finding out if the obvious is the only answer, but also being leaned upon by the upper echelons of the police to close it out: quickly and quietly.

Lots of twists and turns from beginning to end

Despite the negative reviews, I found this book to be a good summer read and an interesting new episode in DCI Banks' career. It does have some unsettling different tones as Banks finds himself working against British Intelligence, and his character seems to take a more angrier and darker mood than usual. While the crime is solved, Banks is not happy at the ending as several innocent people have died along the way and his personal life is in some disarray. Where will he go in the next episode of his life? I will continue to follow him.

One of my daughters gave me All the Colours of Darkness by Peter Robinson. I was delighted. I first met Peter when I attended an Arvon writing course in Inverness, Scotland and he was one of the tutors. What an incisive mind he has! Peter hales from Armly, Leeds, Yorkshire, England where he was born on 17, March 1950. He gained an honours degree in English Literature from Leeds University. He then emigrated to Canada in 1974 and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, Canada where Joyce Carol Oates was his tutor. He has also attained his PhD from York University in Toronto, Canada. He now lives in the Beaches area of Toronto with his wife, Sheila Halladay, and he occasionally teaches crime writing. If you are interested in writing and find a course that is led by him, I commend it to you.All the Colours of Darkness is the eighteenth novel in the Inspector Banks series of novels by this multi award winning English detective fiction writer. The novel was first printed in 2008, but has been reprinted a number of times since. It begins on a beautiful June day in the Yorkshire Dales, in England. A group of children spend the last of their half-term freedom swimming in the river near Hindswell Woods. However their time is spoiled when they discover a man’s body, hanging from a tree.DI Annie Cabott investigates the crime and discovers he is Mark Hardcastle, a popular and successful set designer for the Eastvale Theatre’s current production of Othello, by William Shakespeare. The crime is a clever play on Othello, as it progresses and a gay couple are deceased: one dead, one suicide. Banks has theories of the investigation. These are that this has been caused by a third party spreading rumours and innendo which result in the catastrophic events that take place. The first death seems to be suicide, and Annie is mystified. There is no obvious reason why Hardcastle would want to take his own life. Then Annie’s investigation leads to another shattering discovery. Hardcastle’s partner is found murdered and DCI Alan Banks is called back from the holiday weekend he had planned with his new girlfriend.Banks soon finds himself plunged into a world where nothing is what it seems. Secrets and deceit are the norm, and murder is seen as the solution to a problem. The deeper Banks digs, the more he discovers that the monster he has awakened will extend its deadly reach to his friends and family and nobody is safe. The reader is treated to a mystery here which is not resolved until the end and follow Banks as he progresses through the investigation.All the Colours of Darkness is a complex story that impacts on Banks social life. His new relationship goes down the pan. In fact, there is quite an air of desperation around Banks as everything gets messed up in his life as he does his job. He even, improbably, tries it on with a younger PI, who is only interested in him because of his rock and roll son. Predictably, Banks gets blown out. The complexity of the mystery is increased as one of the victims turns out to be MI5. There is also a strange interlude with Banks at the heart of a terrorist bomb. It does not seem to add much to the main story.Although, I am of the view that All the Colours of Darkness is good: it is not quite as good as many of Peter's other novels. Still, I recommend this book.

All The Colors of Darknessby Peter RobinsonAlan Banks series Book #184 ★'sFrom The Book:In a world of terror and uncertainty, what does one small death matter?The body hanging from a tree in a peaceful wood appears to Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot to be a suicide. Further investigation into the sad demise of Mark Hardcastle, the set designer for the local amateur theater company, leads to the corpse of Mark's older, wealthier lover, brutally bludgeoned to death.Suddenly the case demands the attention of Chief Inspector Alan Banks, called back from his vacation even though nothing suggests this wasn't a crime of passion followed by remorse and self-destruction. But machinations within the shadow world of secret government only add to the colors of darkness already shading this troubling affair. And a stubborn policeman who will not be frightened away could lose everything in one terrifying, explosive instant.My Thoughts:This book draws on elements of espionage and Cold War treachery, yet it is another solid installment in the Inspector Alan Banks series. Boys playing in the woods find a body hanging from one of the trees. Alan Banks is away with playing house with his much younger girl friend, Sophie... so Annie Cabot is own her own until she is ordered to call Banks and bring him back. It looks like a domestic quarrel where one partner bludgeoned the other and then hanged himself in grief so Annie thinks she hardly needed assistance with this case. Banks returns and all of a sudden no one wants the case investigated...they want it closed. Of course that raises red flags to Alan and Annie who continue to investigate on their own.There are many subplots to the main story and investigation, so at times, the whole thing becomes confusing...and in the end it still leaves you wondering if any of the motives for the murder were ever really believable. There are personal developments with our main detective that fans of the series will want to see but I have to say I've read better Alan Banks novels.

WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD. Peter Robinson's latest entry in the Alan Banks police procedural series is a rather dark one. Banks's investigation of what at first seems a simple murder-suicide involves him with Britain's security services, of whose actions Robinson doesn't have a very high opinion. He mentions a couple of books that Banks reads for background and it's safe to assume Robinson has read them too. All is grist to Banks's mill, even going to a Shakespeare production helps him realize what has really happened in the case. Otherwise, we are treated to more of the excellent police procedurals Robinson is known for.The relationship between Banks and his assistant and sometime lover DI Annie Cabbot is still unsettled; everyone is still trying to figure out their new Chief Superintendent, Catherine Gervaise; and we're learning more about Winsome Jackman and some of the other characters in the station. In short, another excellent book, and now we have to wait nearly a year for the next one. Although I found the ending somewhat unsatisfactory, I think that goes with the territory of police work intersecting with spy work.

Peter Robinson is one of my favorite authors and this book--number 18 in the Alan Banks series--did not disappoint. At times I was unsure if it was a traditional English mystery or a spy thriller. The plot didn't reflect well on M15 and M16 and the ending held out the promise that there would be repercussions in future volumes. I look forward to them.