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Monday, November 23, 2009

All the Colors of Darkness

Robinson, Peter.  All the Colors of Darkness.

Robinson is usually one of my favorites, but this Inspector Banks novel was a disappointment. The entire novel seems a departure from Robinson's usual style.

The MI6 angle grated on me for some reason; the murder-suicide plot was convaluted on its own and didn't need the additional complications.  The Banks/Sophia relationship was uncomfortable from the beginning and becomes more uncomfortable as the story evolves.  The musical references have become stale, and yet there are even more in this novel.

I found this novel darker and somehow less authentic in regard to characters and plot.  There seems to be a personal bitterness involved, but nothing rang true for me.

Fiction.  Mystery/Police Procedural.  2009.  356 pages.

5 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear this one is a disappointment. I've read the first 11 of the series so far. I still have a ways to go before I get to this one. It's been a very enjoyable series over the years.

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  2. This was only the second book of his I've read. I had difficulty believing the spy stuff in this one.

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  3. SuziQ - This is the first of Robinson's that I've read that I didn't like. He has always been in my top 3 for this genre.

    BooksPlease - I didn't care for the spy stuff, either; this novel just didn't measure up for me.

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  4. I haven't read much of Robinson's work but last week I picked up one of his books as an unabridged set of CDs and having just finished 'The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest' as a download I'm moving on to Robinson this evening. It isn't the latest one (can't remember what it is!) so perhaps I shall have better luck.

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  5. Ann - I really have to try listening to books; I could do some quilting or embroidering while I listened! Hope you enjoy whichever Inspector Banks you have on CD!

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