Standing in the shadows by Peter Robinson

In 1986 Nick Hartley is living in a typical student share house when his ex-girlfriend, Alice Poole, who has the upstairs flat, is found murdered in a nearby park. Detectives interview Nick intensively, especially as the Yorkshire Ripper had recently struck nearby. Nick is eventually discounted but he has his own suspicions as Alice’s boyfriend, Mark Woodcroft, has disappeared. The unsolved murder nudges Nick towards a career in investigative journalism. When an archaeological dig in 2019 at Eastvale near the A1 uncovers a human skeleton that is definitely not Roman, Detective Superintendent Alan Banks must work out the identity and find the killer from the meager forensic information gleaned from the remains. Banks draws his team together to first identify the body then look into his past for clues as to how he came to be murdered. The two threads are well constructed with authentic details that identify the settings, especially the 1980’s student digs, protest rallies and the impact of John Lennon’s death. The characters of Banks and his team have been developed over the previous 27 stories and fans will recognize references to events in the previous books, like the skeleton discovered “In a Dry Season”. Banks’ love of vintage vinyl is showcased and there is a general feeling of nostalgia like when he recognizes the theme from the TV series Z Cars, reflecting “he was probably the only person in the pub who knew what it was” p. 202. There are some lovely descriptions of the Yorkshire Dales scenery and some clever plotting so the book does stand alone successfully. This final book from Peter Robinson, who died after completing it, will be treasured by fans who have been following Banks and his team in books and in the TV series for many years.

Themes: Murder mystery, Police procedural.

Sue Speck