This is the latest in the series about DCI Alan Banks, set in the fictional town of Eastvale in Yorkshire, in the English midlands. I suspect I've read most, if not all, of the books and must confess that he is my favorite English detective. Banks is 62 at this stage and, as Robinson has aged him as the books have progressed since 1987, one must assume that retirement cannot be too far off. I believe that what I like most about him is that he is a decent guy, is very, very good at what he does, generates loyalty amongst his troops by simply being forthright and honest with them, and usually doesn't get along with his immediate superior, who always seems to be more interested in statistics than good policing.
This story involves three homicides and opens with a cop being shot with an iron bolt from a crossbow. Banks is very good with popular culture, particularly music, but this time shows his facility with film. Someone asks about a crossbow death in one of the Bond movies and he immediately supplies the answer - 'For Your eyes Only'. An Estonian journalist is next and Banks concludes the tie-in is a missing persons case that he worked on six years ago and travelled to Tallinn to investigate. Banks is correct and while he in in Tallinn wrapping up most of the issues, his deputy at home, Annie Cabbot, solves the rest of the case.
The main thing that makes a series like this work is the lead character; his idiosyncrasies, methods, inadequacies, but mostly his charm. The other part is the author's ability to paint a picture of what's going on in a particular place and time. This one is filled with all sorts of information about cross-border migration in the EU.
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