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A Necessary End: An Inspector Alan Banks Mystery Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,058 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A peaceful demonstration in the normally quiet town of Eastvale ended with fifty arrests—and the brutal stabbing death of a young constable. But Chief Inspector Alan Banks fears there is worse violence in the offing. For CID superintendent Richard "Dirty Dick" Burgess has arrived from London to take charge of the investigation, fueled by professional outrage and volatile, long-simmering hatreds. Almost immediately, Burgess descends with vengeful fury upon the members of a sixties-style commune—while Banks sifts through the rich Yorkshire soil around him, turning over the earthy, unsettling secrets of seemingly placid local lives. Crossing "Dirty Dick" could cost the chief inspector his career. But the killing of a flawed Eastvale policeman is not the only murder that needs to be solved here. And if Banks doesn't unmask the true assassin, his superior's misguided obsession might well result in further bloodshed.
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"[These notes were made in 1993:]. If there is a moral to this tale, it's that very old one, "Don't judge a book by its cover." There is a very obvious suspect - a bad lot with a chip on his shoulder. And there is an obvious if somewhat nebulous motive, namely political activism, for the killing of a cop in the middle of a demonstration. The trouble is, the two don't go together, and neither takes account of who the cop was and whether there could have been an entirely personal motive for the killing. This last, our clever Inspector Banks eventually discovers, is the case. The bad lot is staying with some rather unconventional but fairly harmless political activists at a farmhouse. One of them had a wife who died in a motor accident; her death was purely accidental, but it was indirectly brought about by dizziness &c. caused by a blow to the head from a policeman some time earlier, and that policeman is the one - a most brutal and unlikeable one - who is killed. The killer is the soft-spoken carpenter who was married to the woman. As usual, Robinson keeps us busy with character as well as plot, bringing in a cynical and rather disgusting career officer from London, who is determined to jump to his own conclusions and ignore the rules of decent behaviour in his treatment of witnesses and suspects, thus making Banks' job very difficult. Although I think Robinson's latest work is even better, these first few novels are very, very strong, and I find them toughly reassuring and sympathetic in their moral stance, without being in the least bit preachy."
— Surreysmum (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Thoughtful…vivid…challenging…Like the region that breeds them, the people in Robinson’s mystery flaunt their colors but keep their secrets.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Excellent.”
— Orlando Sentinel -
“Another fluently written, superior mystery…In a story that uses considerable psychological subtlety in exploring the afterlives of ’60s flower children, Banks traces the crime to its roots in the past. Toronto author Robinson has created a stalwart cop in Alan Banks, a man who loves justice and understands a woman’s heart.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“James Langton’s presentation makes an outstanding mystery even better…Langton skillfully delivers the aristocratic accent of a stuffy member of Parliament, distinctive Yorkshire speech, and even a Cockney accent.”
— AudioFile -
“Alan smokes, drinks, frets, and otherwise behaves like an increasingly attractive human being en route to a denouement right out of Ruth Rendell’s second drawer. Fans of British procedurals should get to know this appealing series.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
Thoughtful.... Vivid.... Challenging.... Like the region that breeds them, the people in Robinson's mystery flaunt their colors but keep their secrets.
— The New York Times Book Review
Awards
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AudioFile Earphones Award winner
A Necessary End Listener Reviews
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" A demonstration in Eastvale turns nasty, and several demonstrators and police are injured, and one policeman is killed. Inspector Alan Banks handles the murder investigation, but is joined by Superintended Burgess from London because of the political aspects of the case, but Burgess sees Reds under every bed, and is particularly suspicious of the occupants of Maggie's farm, a house on the moors. "
— Stephen, 1/18/2014 -
" The fact that I didn't like how the story ended didn't stop me at all from enjoying Robinson's fluent and extremely professional writing. He has a beautiful way with words that gives every character a different charm and aura. Looking forward to reading the rest of the Inspector Banks series. "
— Jailan, 1/11/2014 -
" Have decided to read the series from the start and in my opinion this is the best of the three so far, I'm really starting to get a feel for these books. Banks is a very likeable character and Robinson tells a story that trundles along at a nice pace, I would describe these books as 'cosy', like slipping on an old favourite pair of slippers. They certainly don't let you down, bring on book #4 "
— Paul, 12/27/2013 -
" Good police procedural story. Liked the way that the characters developed as time went by. will definitely read more of Peter Robinson's stuff. "
— Grahambootle, 12/10/2013 -
" The joy of reading an author long after the book is published is not having to wait for the next installment. A good, solid British mystery with just enough twists to keep you hanging. "
— Nancy, 11/20/2013 -
" A detective story that kept me guessing to the last chapter. Inspector Banks is his charismatic self and growing with every book. This is written and set back in the 80s so brought that era back to me. "
— Carla, 11/7/2013 -
" Another good book by this author.This is turning into a really good series. "
— Pauline, 10/5/2013 -
" Not as good as the first Banks novel but a pretty good read. Does seem a bit slow towards the end though. "
— Simon, 9/10/2013 -
" Another fantastic mystery by Peter Robinson. He kept me guessing right to the end. But his books are as much character studies as mysteries...and I love his settings. He describes them so well, you can taste the lovely British beer every time Banks sits down with a pint. "
— Teresa, 9/10/2013 -
" very well written. No fast action, meanders along but still satisfying. "
— Colin, 8/23/2013 -
" The novel proceeds at a fast pace with a good mystery to solve. Who killed the policeman who enjoyed beating up peace demonstrators? Lots of suspects for Chief Inspector to investigate in his thoughtful, resourceful manner while dealing with another policeman bent on playing dirty tricks "
— Vionna, 6/22/2013 -
" I found this book to be very slow moving and also the characters to be a bit sterotypical. Very similar to Colin Dexters "Morse" novels although not as good. "
— Colin, 3/7/2013 -
" Another good Alan Banks mystery set in a small shire of England where every day starts with tea and ends with a pint at the pub:o) "
— Maggie, 2/9/2013 -
" An early Detective Banks (1989) has him investigating the death of a policeman by a protester of a potential nuclear power plant in north England. The suspects live at a "hippy" farm. The story seems drawn out. Not my favorite. "
— Pat, 1/15/2013 -
" I'm liking this series. Banks has to deal with an obnoxious fellow officer when solving a murder. Not intense gripping storyline, and it fizzled a little at the end, but his writing is consistently good. "
— Pam, 2/18/2012 -
" I really like this series. The stories are more of what I imagine a police detective's job to be like. "
— Chris, 2/15/2012 -
" A good story. A little slow through the middle, but a good ending. I enjoyed the tension between Banks and Burgess. "
— Rick, 12/24/2011 -
" He always has a bit of a twist at the end. Like his choice of music. Lots of drinking. "
— Marianne, 8/3/2011 -
" a pretty good police procedural set in England. It just took too long to get the the end. "
— Carol, 4/8/2011 -
" I found this book to be very slow moving and also the characters to be a bit sterotypical. Very similar to Colin Dexters "Morse" novels although not as good. "
— Colin, 2/2/2011 -
" He always has a bit of a twist at the end. Like his choice of music. Lots of drinking. "
— Marianne, 1/14/2011 -
" This is an okay book, but I prefer it's predecessor, "A Dedicated Man". This one has a little too much "life-of-the-detective, which I'm not a huge fan of. "
— Polly, 9/3/2010 -
" A time killer on a rainy day. A not very challenging crime novel. I enjoy the PBS series on Inspector Banks better than the mystery novel on which they are based, at least that is my assessment having read only this one. "
— Brian, 9/1/2010 -
" An early Detective Banks (1989) has him investigating the death of a policeman by a protester of a potential nuclear power plant in north England. The suspects live at a "hippy" farm. The story seems drawn out. Not my favorite. "
— Pat, 6/28/2010 -
" Nice procedural -- Yorkshire setting. Slow start but held my interest after the first half with a satisfying ending. "
— Nancy, 5/12/2009 -
" funny reading a book where the office has only one computer and there are no mobile phones, and everyone smokes. <br/>Great character and story - I am going to search out more of this writer "
— Fiona, 4/12/2009 -
" Another good book by this author.This is turning into a really good series. "
— Sparhawk, 11/27/2008
About Peter Robinson
Peter Robinson (1950-2022), author of the award-winning Inspector Banks novels, won the Anthony, Barry, Macavity, Martin Beck, and Arthur Ellis awards, among others. The Inspector Banks novels have been named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, a New York Times Notable Book, and a People magazine Page Turner of the Week. His novels have reached #1 on the London Sunday Times bestsellers list and hit the New York Times expanded list of bestsellers.
About James Langton
James Langton, an Earphones Award–winning narrator, trained as an actor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and later as a musician at the Guildhall School in London. He has worked in radio, film, and television, also appearing in theater in England and on Broadway. He is also a professional musician who led the internationally renowned Pasadena Roof Orchestra from 1996 to 2002.