Standing in the Shadows is the final book (the 28th) of the Inspector Banks series, written in 2023.    All of the books are police procedurals, mostly centered in East Vale in the Yorkshire Dales.   The author has been writing and publishing solid crime stories for 35 years.    A TV show featured some of the books over 5 seasons.

Inspector Alan Banks left the Metropolitan Police in London for a more peaceful life in Yorkshire, but over the years he has faced many challenging cases.    This final book follows two streams, one back in 1980 and the other in 2019.     They are linked by a past murder and a current day discovery of an unearthed skeleton.    Chapters alternate between the point of view of Nick Hartley, a university student, whose girlfriend Alice is found killed, and the modern police investigation into the identity of the skeleton.   Nick makes a number of attempts to find out more about the murder over the years.    Banks follows faint leads and eventually identifies the remains, and at the same time, the circumstances of another murder.    The two threads of the story become interwound and both reach a satisfying conclusion.

Peter Robinson’s stories have lots of local color, but many pub visits, meals on the go, music at home, books to talk about, relationships to remember and some to regret, friends and family to support, and the details of daily life of the main characters.    These books are an easy read, a series to enjoy.

I have read about half of the Inspector Banks series, and I will likely read more.    Peter Robinson lived most of his life in Canada, passing away in Toronto in 2022.    His legacy of enjoyable crime books is a part of his legacy.

Recommended – 4.4 out of 5.0 stars4.4

An audiobook excerpt is provided: