Gallows View is the first book in the Inspector Banks series by Peter Robinson.   There are 28 mystery books and they have won a number of awards in the period from 1987 to 2023.    All of the stories take place in Eastvale, a fictional city in the Yorkshire Dales.    Banks moved there from London for a quieter life, but with the number of murders and other crimes portrayed in the series, it could not have been all that peaceful.   The plots follow the police procedural structure, and the stories are reminiscent of the Ruth Rendell mysteries (high praise indeed).

Readers are often surprised by how good the first novel is and then they read more books and find that the series is consistently strong.    In Gallows View, Banks deals with a peeping Tom, a murder, a rape, and some break-ins, all in the same time period, and we find that there are some links to the criminals and the events that unfold.    The story is well told and a satisfying read.

All of the Inspector Banks stories are recommended.   Rating – 4.3/5 stars.