Friend of the Devil audiobook

The 17th book in Peter Robinson’s series...and just as good as all the other books before it. Robinson’s methodical and precise style of writing is always a delight to read. Alan Banks and DI Annie Cabbot are each involved in a case of murder. The book moves between both murder stories, sometimes separately and sometimes overlapping them. Robinson brings in the story line from one of his standalone books, “Caedmon’s Song”. Although Banks didn’t appear in this book at all it plays a big role in “Friend of the Devil”.Robinson continues to build on both the professional and personal lives of both Banks and Cabbot. While some people may find it cumbersome to read about all the little details of Alan’s and Annie’s lives, this is what builds strong and believable characters who I come to time and time again when I want to get lost in a good mystery. The ending of the book is strong and believable.

Another solid instalment of the DCI Banks series!A slighter longer read than the usual but thoroughly enjoyable. Inspector Banks is firmly set in his career and takes the lead again. There is nothing to fault in the telling of the plot and it continues to remain true to the characters, their location and the expected details of the investigation.There was far less on the lives of Banks and his family, and it tinkers on the edges of his romantic interests. I will continue to work my way through this very solid, well-written series.

Peter Robinson's 17th DCI Banks novel is yet another strong entry in this great series. Robinson once again shows tremendous skill, as he weaves two separate plots into one seamlessly entertaining police procedural story.The author continues to build on the lives of the regulars, while making new characters & even the minor ones completely believable. I'm very much looking forward to reading the 18th DCI Banks novel, & the 19th & the......well, you get the idea!

Once again we have two separate murder investigations going on here. In my opinion, his writing gets better with each book. So far there are currently 23 DCI Banks books out and I’m on a mission to catch up with the series. Then I can eagerly await publication of the newest book in the future.This book, Friend of the Devil, is number 17 in the series.DI Annie Cabbot has been loaned out to neighboring police force but she is in touch with Eastvale Police as the two investigations appear to relate to one another.Alan Banks is paired with obnoxious DS Kevin Templeton and one of my new favorite characters, Winsome Jackman. Winsome is a 6 foot black female detective hailing from Jamaica. You can imagine the stir she causes in the quiet Yorkshire dales since they’ve never had any ethnicity in the police force before.In Banks’ investigation we have a collage-aged drunken female who was found raped and murdered in The Maze. There are many suspects but the murderer wasn’t who I thought it would be. Great job of keeping that a mystery up until the end. I wish he had written about the murdered girl’s family again though, see them have closure.Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot’s investigation involves a wheel-chair bound woman who had her throat slit. Why would anyone want to harm a paraplegic? That is revealed, as well as a blast-from-the-past from a previous book, when they discover the murderer in this case.At the 60% mark there was a huge twist and surprise! As always what I love about Alan Banks is the dedication to the job as well as his personal life interests of literature, music and food. Reading some reviews there are folks who only want the murder investigation and have zero interest in the personal life and loves of our detectives. I like the balance of knowing who these people are when they aren’t working. It makes them more rounded characters for me.There was quite a bit of food mentioned in this book as many discussions take place in a pub. At one point Banks meet someone in a wine bar and enjoyed a good wine and baked brie with toasted baguette. Yorkshire puddings, sausages, vegetarian meals, Black Sheep ales and more.

I have enjoyed earlier books in this series more, but this is still a well crafted set of cases. I was surprised by Annie Cabot's going off the rails and as much by the younger lad she picks up almost stalking her after she makes it clear she's not interested. Couldn't he find a girl his own age?Banks comes across as purposeless outside his job and starts an unlikely relationship with a much younger lady. The crimes are serious but it's odd how this Eastvale station doesn't tackle tractor theft, cannabis growhouses or other major crimes. Just bizarre deaths. I did feel too many crimes were being shoehorned into the tale, past and present. And if a girl is killed in a maze of dark lanes in town, why is no council official involved, when you would expect them to be under pressure to put up serious lighting for public safety. This is a complex and maybe over-clever tale with a lot of names to keep straight and case files expanding like concertinas, so not the best place to start the series.

DCI Alan Banks' 17th case opens with the brutal rape and murder of a young women on a Saturday night / early Sunday morning, less than 5 minutes from Banks' police station. Meanwhile DI Anne Cabbot working in another region is investigating the murder of a quadriplegic, former prime suspect from an earlier book. The two cases overlap at points in this, yet another fine, and grim piece of work from Robinson. 7 out of 12

Hoewel je dit verhaal als een standalone kan lezen, is het een van de weinige boeken in deze reeks die sterk teruggrijpen naar 2 eerdere delen, nl Lijdensweg dat eerst geen deel leek uit te maken van de reeks (een slachtoffer van serieverkrachter/moordenaar dat wraak neemt) en Nasleep (een koppel dat meisjes ontvoert, martelt en vermoord)Annie is uitgeleend aan de divisie Yorkshire-Oost en tijdelijk gestationeerd in het stadje Whitby. Ze moet de zaak onderzoeken van een totaal verlamde jonge vrouw die met overgesneden keel werd teruggevonden op de kliffen, nadat ze in haar rolstoel werd opgehaald door een bezoekster.Banks heeft te maken met een studente die verkracht en vermoord werd in oud, vervallen stadsdeel van Eastvale dat ‘the maze’ wordt genoemd.De boeken van Peter Robinson lijken wel steeds beter te worden. Inspecteur Banks blijft een sympathieke, ietwat eenzelvige man. Het wordt stilaan tijd dat hij wat geluk in de liefde leert kennen. Ik hoop nog altijd dat hij en Annie Cabot terug samenkomen, maar dat lijkt niet zo direct het geval. Misschien in de toekomst?

Number 17 in the Inspector Banks canon, Friend of the Devil, was the first of Robinson’s books that I’d seen as a TV show (terrific) before reading. As a consequence, I read the novel with a sense of knowing the outcome but not being one hundred per cent sure – and that’s the beauty of book to TV translations, they are never quite the same. The book, of course, has far more detail, takes time to unpack scenes and explore characters inner thoughts in a way the TV cannot. So, even though I “knew” the story, there was a sense in which I didn’t and that made reading a double pleasure. The novel commences with DI Annie Cabbot being called to the vicious death of a wheelchair bound woman by the sea. When she discovers the identity of the woman who is linked to an old and horrific case that first introduced Annie into Bank’s life, the stakes change. This is a high profile case where, it’s felt, justice has at last been served. But that doesn’t change the fact that a murderer has struck and must be brought to justice. At the same time, Banks is called to investigate the murder of a beautiful, clever and popular young woman who is found in an area known as The Maze in Eastvale. At first, there seems to be nothing in common with the two cases but, as the investigations proceed and both Banks and Annie are forced to think outside the square, commonalities begin to emerge – commonalities that lead them to discover the lies that have kept dark secrets hidden, and that the killer or killers are closer than they thought.What I love about Robinson’s books, apart from the cases themselves, is that he also delves into and as a consequence develops, the personal lives and friendships between the central characters. Banks and Cabbot have had a rather tumultuous personal relationship and, in this book, it’s no exception with Annie making mistakes, feeling judged (something which she is perfectly capable of doing to herself and far more harshly than those close to her, despite what she thinks) and failing to trust those who only have her best interests at heart. Likewise, Banks doesn’t know how to recapture the friendship he’s enjoyed with Annie nor reconcile the loss he feels now that their intimate relationship has ended. Nonetheless, this doesn’t directly affect their ability to work together as a team nor acknowledge each other’s strengths just as they accept each other’s weaknesses. Something all the officers do to a greater and lesser degree.Another fine addition to such a consistently strong and utterly readable series.

Another solid entry in the Banks series. A seemingly inexplicable murder of a severely disabled woman in a wheelchair is investigated by Annie Cabbott, while Banks is on the grisly and violent rape and killing of a young girl. The developments unexpectedly ties the two together. Some real mystery solving and a lot of complications in the professional and private lives of the main cast makes this one a great addition to the series.

Clever and full of surprises ! I loved it... DCI Banks never fails to entertain me !!

Great, again two stories in one

Bon roman policier. L'action se deroule dans une region anglaise. C'est une enquete bien ficelee, remplie de rebondissements avec une finale imprevisible.