Title:	Gallows View
	Author:	Peter Robinson
	Published:	1987, Harper
	No. of Pages:	309
	Cover Price:	$14.99 US

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Gallows View is the first novel in the popular Inspector Banks series by British author Peter Robinson. Banks, has recently moved from the high-crime city of London to Yorkshire, a sleepy little town, where crime is not particularly common and the residents have until now felt safe. He is happily married to Sandra, has two kids, and is very dedicated to his job and works long hours. Sandra has outside interests, and is presently taking photography classes, so Banks’ long hours don’t seem to present a problem. In this novel there are several things happening: 1. A Peeping Tom is targeting blonde attractive women, including Banks’ wife, but leaves no evidence and has made it very difficult to catch him; 2. Burglaries are being committed all over town, primarily aimed at elderly victims; and 3. An elderly woman has been murdered in her home.

A very attractive female psychologist, Jenny Fuller, has been called in to help with the investigation of the Peeping Tom. Although she is a well-respected and first-rate psychologist, she is primarily chosen because she is a woman, due to the fact that there is a woman’s group in the town that has accused the police department of putting the investigation on the back burner because the crime is only committed against women. In order to profile the stalker, Banks and Fuller find it necessary to meet often, and they generally meet in pubs over drinks.

Since Banks is the Chief Inspector, he has his hands full trying to solve the three sets of crimes. He is, however, an excellent investigator, and with hard work and a quick mind, finally solves the crimes in the end.

The setting for this novel is very English, which gives it a sort of charm that is missing from some mainstream suspense/thriller novels. The characters are just run-of-the-mill people and are very believable – no superheroes here with superhuman strength; no out-of-the-ordinary evil murderous villains or serial killers just waiting to pounce on the next victim; no graphic violence. Robinson’s writing style is easy to follow and the book flows without any inconsistencies. There are several suspenseful moments in the book, and the ending is a totally unexpected surprise. This book is definitely recommended for those who enjoy well-written police procedural thrillers. Like me, once you finish this one, you’ll want to immediately pick up the next novel in the Inspector Banks series and sit down to an afternoon of good reading.

This book was purchased with personal funds and no promotion of the book was solicited by the author or publisher.

This book may be purchased at Amazon: Gallows View: The First Inspector Banks Novel