Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake) | MYSTERY ROB | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove) | MYSTERY ROB | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
The award-winning author of the New York Times bestselling Inspector Alan Banks novels, Peter Robinson dazzles with his first collection of short fiction, The Price of Love and Other Stories. Marked by the piercing psychological insight, brilliant characterization, and riveting suspense that are the hallmarks of Robinson's fiction, The Price of Love gives us ten remarkable tales--two of which feature Robinson's inimitable Yorkshire police detective Alan Banks--as well as a stunning pair of new Banks novellas. The Price of Love is a bravura demonstration of the exceptional storytelling skill that has made critics, mystery lovers, and famous literary peers the world over--including Dennis Lehane and Stephen King--fervent Peter Robinson fans.
Author Notes
Peter Robinson was born in Castleford, Yorkshire, in 1950. He received a B.A. Honours Degree in English literature from the University of Leeds, moved to Canada, and went on to earn a M.A. in English and creative writing from the University of Windsor and a Ph.D. in English from York University.
His first novel, Gallows View, was published in 1987 and became the first book in the Inspector Banks Mystery series. The most recent book in the series is Not Yet Dark (2021). His other works include Caedmon's Song, No Cure for Love, Not Safe after Dark and Other Stories, Before the Poison, When the Music's Over, and Sleeping in the Ground. He has received numerous awards including the Crime Writers of Canada's Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel in 1992 for Past Reason Hated, and in 2018 for Sleeping in the Ground. He received the Author's Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters in 1994 for Final Account.
He has also published many short stories in anthologies and in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, including Innocence, which won the CWC Best Short Story Award, and The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage, which won a Macavity Award. He has taught at a number of Toronto colleges and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, Ontario, 1992-93.
Peter Robinson, an award-winning author, died on October 4, 2022. He was 72.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Bestseller Robinson (All the Colors of Darkness) proves that Yorkshire coppers aren't his only worthwhile subjects in this outstanding story collection. Crime in its myriad forms runs throughout, from an American GI falsely accused of rape during WWII in "Cornelius Jubb" to a detective remembering his childhood role in bringing down a gang of robbers in "The Price of Love." The settings range from the familiar Eastvale of the Inspector Banks series to Robinson's current home in Toronto. He even tries his hand at noir in "The Cherub Affair," complete with a down-on-his-luck PI and a beautiful woman in need of help. Banks fans will be delighted with the inclusion of two short stories and two novellas starring the Yorkshire detective chief inspector, one of which, "Like a Virgin," is original to this book. For those unfamiliar with Robinson's work, this serves as an excellent introduction to one of the best voices in contemporary crime fiction. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Booklist Review
This collection is a bit of a poser. Except for one novella written expressly for this edition, the volume consists entirely of previously published material, nine short stories and another novella. Both novellas Going Back and Like a Virgin (the new contribution) star Robinson's immensely popular series character, Detective Inspector Alan Banks. The novellas, beginning and ending the collection, offer a nice contrast and update on Banks' character. The first has him visiting his acerbic parents and dealing with a man who is way too interested in helping his parents out. The second has Banks confronting his own sense of personal and professional failure as he deftly handles yet another case. The other stories have quite a range: a tale centered on a black American GI stationed in Yorkshire during World War II, one on poker, and a completely nonviolent Banks story. Robinson's Afternotes provide some intriguing glimpses into his choices when writing each story.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2009 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Close on the heels of Robinson's latest Inspector Alan Banks mystery (All the Colors of Darkness) comes this collection, with nine stories (two of them featuring Banks) bracketed by two Banks novellas. With the exception of the final novella, all were written at the request of an editor, usually for a crime anthology published in the last six years, often taking Robinson in new directions as he tackled a literary form that he finds more difficult than a novel. While the emphasis is on police procedurals, at which Robinson excels, there are elements of horror and the supernatural in "The Magic of Your Touch," with its bow to Poe, and explorations of the human condition, as in "Shadows on the Water," a story of honor and courage told by a World War II soldier in a foxhole. In the final novella, "Like a Virgin," which brings Banks up-to-date, the dogged inspector learns that justice delayed need not be justice denied. Verdict This collection distinguishes itself from recent crime anthologies by emphasizing Inspector Banks; the final novella is a deeply satisfying procedural that hints at the possibility of Banks's renewing an old romantic relationship. Until the next Banks mystery comes along, fans can get their fix here. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 6/1/09.]-Michele Leber, Arlington, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Excerpts
Excerpts
An excerpt from the new novella about DCI Alan Banks, Like A Virgin , one of three stories about Banks in The Price of Love . In the soft light of the red-shaded bulb that hung over the centre of the room, the girl's body looked serene. She could easily have been sleeping, Banks thought, as he moved forward to get a better view of her. She lay on her back on the pink candlewick bedspread, covered from neck to toe by a white sheet, hands clasped together above the swell of her breasts in an attitude of prayer or supplication, her long dark hair spread out on the pillow. Her pale features were delicate and finely-etched, and Banks imagined she had been quite a beauty in life. He wondered what she had looked like when she smiled or frowned. Her hazel eyes were devoid of life now, her face free of makeup, and at first glance there wasn't a mark on her. But when Banks peered closer, he could see the petechial hemorrhages, the tiny telltale dots of blood in her conjunctiva, a sign of death by asphyxia. There was no bruising on her neck, so he guessed suffocation rather than strangulation, but Dr. O'Grady, the Home Office pathologist who knelt beside her at his silent ministrations, would be able to tell him more after his in situ examination. The room was small and stuffy, but the Persian-style carpet and striped wallpaper gave it a homely touch. It seemed well-maintained, despite its location on the fringes of Soho. No sleazy backstreet hovel for this girl. The window hadn't been open when Banks arrived, and he knew better than to tamper with the scene in any way, so he left it closed. There wasn't much space for furniture -- a small dressing table with mirror, a washstand in the corner next to the cubicle WC, and a bedside table, on which stood a chipped enamel bowl where a facecloth floated in discoloured water. In the drawer were condoms, tissues and an assortment of sex aids. Did she live here? Banks didn't think so. There were no clothes and no cooking facilities. The victim could have been anywhere between fifteen and twenty-five, Banks thought, and her youth certainly added to the aura of innocence that surrounded her in death. Whether she had appeared that way in life, he didn't know, but he doubted it. Someone had clearly gone to great pains to make her look innocent. Her legs were stretched out straight together, and even under the sheet she was fully dressed. Her clothes -- a short skirt, patent leather high heels, dark tights and a green scallop-neck top -- were provocative, but not too tarty. Much more tasteful than that. So what was it all about? Her handbag contained the usual: cigarettes, a yellow disposable lighter, keys on a fluffy rabbit's foot ring, makeup, tampons, a cheap ballpoint pen and a purse with a few pounds and some loose change. There was no address book or diary and no credit cards or identification of any kind. The only item Banks found of any interest was a creased photograph of a proud, handsome young man in what looked like his best suit, bouncing a little girl on his knee. There was a resemblance, and Banks guessed it was the victim and her father. According to the girlfriend who had found her, Jackie Simmons, the victim's name was Pamela Morrison. Banks went back to stand in the doorway. He had quickly learned that the fewer people who entered a room before the SOCOs got to work, the better. He was on detachment from Soho Division to the West Central Murder Squad. Everything was squads and specialists these days, and if you didn't find your niche somewhere pretty fast, you soon became a general dogsbody. Nobody wanted that, especially Banks. He seemed to have a knack for ferreting out murderers, and luckily for him the powers that be in the Metropolitan Police Force agreed. So here he was. His immediate boss, Detective Superintendent Bernard Excerpted from The Price of Love and Other Stories by Peter Robinson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
