When the Music’s Over audiobook

I am a bit obsessive compulsive when it comes to reading a mystery series in order. I like to start from the beginning and keep going. This becomes a problem when I want to read a long running series. It’s especially problematic when I know that the earlier books may not be the best. Peter Robinson’s Allan Banks series is a case in point. I have long been eyeing this series but felt daunted by the fact that it is now over twenty books long. All this to say that I was really going against my nature when I decided to take plunge and read an advance copy of When the Music’s Over, which is the 23rd book in the series. But I’m glad I did. I’m sure I missed some of the nuances of the dynamics between Banks and his colleagues. But otherwise this was a really good police procedural with the qualities I appreciate in a good mystery: nice slow detailed buildup of the story and characters, current challenging social issues, depiction of the police as a complex mix of dedication, corruption and real emotions, and an unpredictable but plausible outcome. All that to say that I will happily read more book in the series, but I’m not sure if I’ll start from the beginning or keep going with no. 24… Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me access to an advance copy.

My View:Raise your glass and help me celebrate- this is my first DCI Banks read! Kudos to the author that despite the fact that I have not read the previous twenty two books I never felt like I was missing any significant back story or didn’t understand the protagonist’s quirks and foibles.Peter Robinson artfully writes about historical abuse and a current case of abuse against children within the same framework by cannily supervising one investigation and leading in the other. Both crimes reflect contemporary social issues and crimes that unfortunately we are hearing a lot about in the media today; the crimes committed by those who feel “entitlement”; the attitude by some sections of society who believe that women are available to be used and abused, debased, traded and treated like commodities; sexual toys. Robinson tackles this subject with sensitivity and honesty. Robinson has one of the female protagonists write a diary of sorts to record her thoughts, emotions and any details she can recollect of the crimes( historical) committed against her – the writing is simplistic yet brutal in its honesty and humanises the experience, validating the victims emotions and responses – past and present. This is very well thought out, well developed and engaging police procedural that shines the spotlight on both historical and current abuse cases, highlights the difficulties in investigating the crimes and discusses attitudes to victims and perpetrators – past and present; an excellent read for all fans of crime fiction.

SWEDISH REVIEW När musiken tystnar är den tredje boken jag har läst i Alan Banks serien. Jag var lite oroad att jag inte skulle gilla denna bok så mycket då jag läste föregående bok förra året (och jag hade helt glömt bort att jag hade läst en bok tidigare i serien) och för att vara ärligt så fann jag inte berättelsen i den boken speciellt engagerande. Så, det var med en viss mån oro som jag tog itu med denna bok. Jag hoppades att När musiken tystnar skulle funka bättre för mig. Jag hade tur, båda fallen i denna bok var intressanta och jag finner att Alan Banks och Annie Cabbot är båda intressanta karaktärer att läsa om. Nyligen befordrade Alan Banks tar sig ann ett fall där en känd person anklagas för våldtäkt, men då det skedde för över 40 år sedan så är det svårt att bevisa det, om nu inte Banks kan finna bevis eller vittna till saken. Annie Cabbot i sin tur jobbar med mordet på en tonårsflicka. Båda fallen var intressanta att följa, även om jag tycker att Cabbots fall var en aning mer intressant. Jag tror det hela lista ut vem som är mördaren är helt enkelt något som jag finner mer intressant än ett 40+ gammalt våldtäktsfall. Men jag måste erkänna att det fallet tog sig vändningar som jag inte hade räknat med. När musiken tystnar är helt klart en läsvärd bok och det är alltid angenämt att finna en ny bra serie att läsa där ett flertal böcker har publicerats!Tack till Forum bokförlag för recensionsexemplaret! ENGLISH REVIEW When the Music's Over is the third book I have read in the Alan Banks series. I was a bit worried that I wouldn't enjoy this book so much since I read the previous book in the series last year and to be honest didn't I like the story especially much (And I had forgotten that I had read a book before that). I really hoped that When the Music's Over would work better and I was lucky. Both cases in this book worked great for me and I find myself liking both Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot. Alan Banks has recently been promoted and he starts his new job with taking on a rape case. The problem is that the women in question were raped over 40 years ago and the man who she is accusing is a well-known man. Banks must find evidence or a witness, which isn't easy because it was so long ago. Annie Cabbot, in turn, works with the murder of a teenage girl. I think that both cases were interesting to follow, but I must admit that the murder case was a bit more interesting. I'm guessing that the whole finding out who the killer is probably something that interests me more than trying to solve a 40 plus-year-old rape case. However, I have to admit that the rape case took some turns that I hadn't expected. When the Music's Over is definitely a book that I can recommend to anyone liking a good crime novel. I especially like the fact that there are so many books in this series that I haven't read yet!Thanks to Forum bokförlag for the review copy!

Peter Robinson's Banks series has been going for years. I have not read all of the series consecutively. Confession time. I've mostly dipped in and out of it. The latest 'When The Music's Over' reminds me of why I keep returning to Banks.We get a story with a fabulous contemporary spin. Banks is presented with a challenging historical sex abuse case from an ageing celebrity to tackle. Think of Jimmy Savile, the disgraced DJ whose disturbing hidden life has been uncovered following his death. This is the character of Danny Caxton. All very well done and incredibly gripping stuff. There is a parallel case of a troubled teenage girl, who is found dead in the sticks.Annie Cabbot and Alan Banks are just great together. It really didn't matter that I wasn't totally familiar with their previous stories. The characters are just so strong and easy to bond with. Banks has been promoted and is clearly suited to a position of authority. I enjoyed Cabbot and her impetuous female sidekick.This was excellent and hugely enjoyable. Proper Yorkshire crime, with a very up to date vibe. It feels very 2016. Recommended!

Really a good read. Brit-style procedural/fair play stories are one of my favourite types, and this was a good one.

Cold Case, Hot TopicsAlthough I had seen Alan Banks and his second-in-command Annie Cabbot on television, this is the first I have read of Peter Robinson's 23 novels featuring the pair. You always wonder if the book will contradict the screen portrayal of the characters; this didn't, but it didn't add to them much either: they were believable and well-dimensioned on screen; they are equally believable in print. What the novel does offer is a remarkably expansive account of the police pursuit of crime, focusing less on solution than elucidation. There are two quite separate crimes here: a long-ago sexual assault case involving an aging celebrity and the murder of a teenage girl. Banks, newly promoted to Detective Superintendent, is nominally in charge of both, but delegates the murder case to Annie. Compared to most detective stories, though, there are no bombshells; the focus instead is thematic, and the book is much more like a novel than a mystery in the depth to which it treats its themes.It is also remarkably up-to-the-minute. I have not lived in Britain for some time, so needed to look up the various things that make this topical. One is the case of Sir Jimmy Savile, a well-known pop icon, television presenter, and charity fund-raiser. After his death in 2011, first the BBC and then Scotland Yard began looking into the numerous accusations of sexual assault made against him, ultimately concluding that several hundred of these had substance. Robinson references the real Savile case frequently, but for his novel creates a Savile look-alike named Danny Caxton, now in his eighties and living on the Yorkshire coast. Banks is asked to interview both the former star and his most believable accuser, a local woman called Linda Palmer, now a published poet, who claims that Caxton raped her when she was 14. Banks believes her and finds her a kindred spirit. He asks her to compile a memoir of the event, which is remarkable less for its revelations than for the amount of peripheral detail Linda puts in, memories that the writer freely admits may be partly invented. As a literary study of how the needs of storytelling might embellish and even distort the essential truth, I found this fascinating, although I felt that the amount of invented detail, whether admitted or not, would surely lessen the document's value in court.The other topical aspect took me completely by surprise. Apparently in towns over the North of England there has recently been a surge of activities by "grooming gangs." These are gangs of men predominantly of Pakistani heritage who prey on young disaffected white girls, woo them with attention and presents, have sex with them, and then force them into servicing their paying clients. Annie and her sidekick DC Geraldine Masterson (an attractive character, from a privileged background) soon suspect that their victim might have fallen foul of such a gang, but the investigation needs to take many twists and turns before they work everything out. Their progress is hindered by what I assume must be another topical fact—that local police forces have been so demoralized by the chilling effect of accusations of racism that they are virtually paralyzed. Although most of the surprises come in this thread of the story, I felt that Robinson was slightly more interested in chronicling the phenomenon than developing our understanding of the individual characters involved. The double plot, the number of characters, and the unfamiliar titles can make this hard to follow at times. It is also a long read for a rather muted climax. But it was always interesting, and a fascinating window on affairs in Britain today. So not quite five stars, but certainly a high four.

An excellent entry in the DCI Banks series. Banks must head a team into the investigation of a beloved TV star while also leading a team looking into the rape/murder of a 15-year old girl. Quite brutal sometimes, but realistic. The best Banks entry for some time. Highly recommended.

On the front of the hard cover edition to Peter Robinson's excellent novel "When the Music's over" there is a comment by the author Jeffrey Deaver...."Top-notch police procedure" This is an unassuming but very apt comment about a novel and a story that I found totally engrossing from the first to last page. Deaver's comment almost has the effect of implying that this is a work of some drudgery and reading it is somewhat akin to a work of labour and toil. The truth could not be more different for this is a story that takes you right into the heart of a police investigation (in fact two investigations) an almost fly on the wall drama,  you watch and read with fascination and excitement as the facts reveal themselves and our two heroes DS Banks and DI Annie Cabbot unravel a story of mistrust, evil and deceit in an attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice. Detective Superintendant Alan Banks is investigating an historical case of sexual abuse against one time television and stage performer Danny Caxton. Linda Palmer was barely a teenager at the time when it is alleged Caxton charmed and allured her to a hotel room in Blackpool where the rape and assault took place. In the meantime Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot is hot on the trail of the brutal rape and murder of a vulnerable 14 year old Mimsy Moffat. Banks as part of his new promotion is actively involved in one case and overseeing the other and as always it is wonderful to see the interplay between Banks and Cabbot given their past "romantic" history. The magic with Peter Robinson's writing is that you the reader almost feel a part of the investigation. His research as always is impeccable and the storyline very of the moment if we consider the recent events that occurred in Rotherham and Rochdale and the celebrity trials of such notables as Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, and Max Clifford. Adding to this the deplorable actions and breach of trust by Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith MP then we have the basis for an informative and well researched story. I love the author's descriptive style of writing very easy to read yet visual and exciting in its delivery...."His hairy belly dropped over his belt, little squares of fat pushing through the net of his string vest, and his man-breasts wobbled when he moved. He could also do with a shave and a haircut, and probably a wash , too. A tin of Carlsberg Special Brew rested on one arm of his armchair and an ashtray on the other."........"For the rest, there are drugs, drink, violence, crime or just simply apathy broken up by the distraction of video games, sex, and mobile phones. Life is something to be got through. Days are hurdles, weeks are rivers to cross, months lakes and years oceans." This is wonderful writing of the highest order; a brilliantly researched and presented story with a very suitable and proper conclusion. The 23rd Alan Banks novel and although it might be preferable to read the series in order! When the Music's Over can be read as a standalone. Highly Recommended.

Peter Robinson is another author that you cannot go wrong with. It has been a while since I have read an Alan Banks novel and I must say he has changed a lot to how I remember him. More polished, trimmed down and not a cigarette in sight.Banks is now a Detective Superintendent and his first case is (in keeping with current news items) the historic alleged rape of a 14 year old girl by a well known celebrity. Running parallel with this case is the discovery of a young girls naked body on the side of a deserted road. This case is being handled by DI Annie Cabbot. As we follow the lines of enquiry through the book, it soon becomes apparent that something truly awful is happening to the young girls in the town.

Dual story lines, one that dealt with a historical crime case and the other which was about a rape and murder of a minor. I thought the cases would connect at the end but that didn't. While the latter case was very interesting, the former wasn't that focused upon.

Probably 4.5 stars.This was a return to form for Robinson. Alan Banks has (finally) been promoted to Detective Chief Superintendent. In WHEN THE MUSIC'S OVER he is responsible for two politically sensitive cases : a beloved aging star has been accused of committing statutory rape in 1967 and a 14-year-old white girl is found dead and it is possible that a network of Pakistani sex traffickers have been preying on low-class vulnerable girls.It's nice to see DI Annie Cabot, DS Winsome Jackman and DS Gerry Masterson all have larger roles in this book, the 23rd entry in the long running Alan Banks police-procedural series.If you have read other entries in the series you will enjoy this one, and if you are a sucker for British mysteries you will not be disappointed.The only flaw I would point out is that the mysteries get resolved rather neatly in the end, continuing Banks unbelievable streak of wins. Then again what mystery series does NOT have the protagonist solve the mystery in the end? Isn't that why we reed them ( in addition to the familiarity of the characters and the often-interesting depiction of the milieus in which the crimes occur)?

A book about sexual assault, racism, murder, poetry, and (of course) detection. This is the twenty-third entry in Peter Robinson's series featuring Alan Banks, a police officer in Yorkshire who has now achieved the rank of Detective Superintendent. This is a more specifically British mystery than most of the preceding volumes. Much of the material about rape relates to Operation Yewtree, about which Wikipedia says:Operation Yewtree is a police investigation into sexual abuse allegations, predominantly the abuse of children, against the British media personality Jimmy Savile and others. The investigation, led by the Metropolitan Police Service, started in October 2012. After a period of assessment it became a full criminal investigation, involving inquiries into living people, notably other celebrities, as well as Savile.Savile had died before many of the revelations about him became public knowledge. Once again according to Wikipedia, Savile has now been accused of sexual misconduct against some 450 people.Other folks who were celebrities in Great Britain who were found guilty of sex crimes during this investigation include Max Clifford, Gary Glitter, Rolf Harris, and Dave Lee Travis. (Most of these folks had not been famous in the United States.)In this book, aging but still highly regarded singer and television performer Danny Claxton is accused by British poet Linda Palmer of having raped her in 1967 when she was 14. Because of Caxton's popularity, this is a highly sensitive matter and it is given serious attention by the police - something such accusations had not always received in the past. The investigation is headed up personally by Banks. At the same time, another case involving a young woman is ongoing. This woman was found naked and beaten to death in a little-used country road. She had definitely had sexual activity shortly before her death; it is determined that her body has semen from three different men. It is not known if this had been consensual, but the police feel that this was likely to have been sexual assault. Investigation indicates that the victim, originally unidentified, had been thrown out alive from a van that she had been traveling in and then shortly afterward had been killed by someone who was in a different van. This case is headed up by two of Banks's subordinates, Detective Inspector Annie Cabot and Detective Constable Geraldine Masterson, known as Gerry. The two investigations are followed in alternation throughout the book. Each of the cases becomes even more complex as the stories develop. One factor in the case of the murdered girl is that the DNA of the three men who had had sexual activity with her shortly before her death indicated that they they were of Asian descent. This brings a discussion of racism into the story. The racism is against Pakistanis living in England, some of them people whose families have lived in England for generations.When the Music's Over is a particularly somber entry in this series. There is much discussion of how little attention many members of the British police had given to crimes of this nature. Banks and his crew are determined not to let this continue.There are many fine things about this book but there are some flaws as well. There are some quite unlikely conversations, such as this one between Annie Cabbot and Gerry Masterson. Cabbot is the first speaker:"Besides, if heroin gives her [Sinead, the mother of the murdered girl] a bit of comfort and takes away some of the pain for a while, who are we to judge her?""But it's not a solution. It's only a temporary escape."Annie regarded the innocent young DC for a while. In the shadows, Gerry seemed no more than a young girl herself. "You're right, of course," Annie said tiredly. "But sometimes temporary relief is better than no relief at all. How do you expect someone like Sinead to deal with this sort of loss and grief?"..."But can't we do something for her? For all of them?""Of course," said Annie. "And we can bring about world peace and bring an end to hunger and child prostitution while we're at it, too. Get real, Gerry." And this conversation between Cabbot and Banks:"But why is this race business all so complicated?" Annie went on, waving her glass at him. "It drives me round the bend. I don't know what I'm supposed to think or say. Is grooming girls for underage sex supposed to be OK in their culture, like female genital mutilation or honor killing? Are we supposed to respect it all, no matter what, just because it's their culture, like Scots with their bagpipes and haggis? I mean, I don't even like bagpipes and haggis. It's not my bloody culture, I can tell you that. So does that make me a racist? And who do we blame? Society or the kids? What ever happened to morality? Good and evil? Right and wrong?"One thing that I felt did not work well was a series of memoir entries made by Linda Palmer, the woman who said she had been raped years before. Banks had suggested that she should try to recall and write down everything she could recall about the period surrounding the time of the rape. The memoir seemed to me to wander very far afield.As usual, though, Robinson does many things very well. I think that a complex narrative never grew confusing. Robinson's characterizations are consistently good, both of the main characters and of folks with smaller parts in the story.I mentioned above that this is essentially a somber tale. I found that very effective. The issues of serious sexual misconduct seem more relevant than ever before and, happily, society appears to be treating this more appropriately. But the very last, quite moving, part of the book reminds the reader that there is still a long way to go.

Newly promoted to detective superintendent, Alan Banks is working a frustrating cold case while his colleague DI Annie Cabbot is investigating a current case--the gang rape and brutal murder of a young girl.Banks has been given the chore of building a case of rape of a minor against an entertainment icon--though the alleged incident occurred four decades earlier and all files on the original complaint have gone missing.Annie is struggling against enormous odds to find justice for a girl many in her hometown considered trash. There are racial implications in the crime and this brings Annie into conflict with prejudiced townsmen, the resident Pakistani community and even the local constabulary. (There's an amusing run-in between Annie and her second, DC Geraldine Masterson and two patrol officers).Banks quickly comes to believe poet Linda Palmer, the alleged victim of Danny Caxton. And, coming to admire her, he's further frustrated by the lack of evidence in her case--which is supported by multiple other similar charges--until, finally, clues begin to bring him closer to the truth.A rash act by Gerry Masterson endangers her but unveils vital evidence that helps resolve Annie's case.Progress in Bank's and Annie's cases is revealed in alternating scenes, a technique which puts a reader's tension at fever pitch. Add realistic characters, a gripping plot, sharp dialogue and Robinson's usual allusions to music and what more do you want for a good read.This is the twenty-third in the Inspector Banks series and they just keep getting better and better.

Inspector Banks does not disappoint. A step by step procedural regarding celebrity rape with references to Bill Cosby. Robinson's subject matter is even more relevant today as news is updated regularly on the Harvey Weinstein scandal as well as others in Hollywood.There is a parallel case referencing grooming of underage girls with racial undertones. Robertson does a good job with the unveiling and fleshing out the victim and suspects. I guessed the correct suspect but not too much before the fictional police did. Always a good read is Inspector Banks.