This is the 25th crime novel in the Inspector Banks series, and it’s a cracker. For those unfamiliar with these books, the hero is the aforementioned DCI Alan Banks, who’s based in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale. Banks is getting on (aren’t we all) but still remarkably keen on locking up villains in the best UK police procedural tradition. I’ve been hooked on these books since the first one “Gallows View” was published in the late 80s.

In the tradition of this genre “Careless Love” begins with the discovery of a body, followed closely by another, and then takes us on the journey of finding out whodunnit. The classic scenario. But Robinson’s writing is infused with beautifully written detail, in his description of the Yorkshire dales, the mythical picturesque town of Eastvale and his relationships with his co-workers – you know the sort of thing. And he has arguments with his younger colleagues, particularly DS Annie Cabbot, with whom he has had – er, a relationship, in previous novels.

You may have seen the TV series based on these books, which is OK, sometimes combining different books into one story, which kind of pisses me off but they’re done » Continue Reading.