Two novellas (one newly published) featuring DCI Alan Banks and 10 short stories comprise this admirable volume. The short stories are sandwiched in between the two novellas and a couple of them feature the author’s trademark protagonist.
The opening novella, Going Back, finds Banks visiting Peterborough, England, where he spent his teenage years, to celebrate his parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. Even on such an occasion, Banks can’t escape from crime-solving. The closing novella, Like a Virgin, recalls an earlier case and the beginnings of the end of his marriage, his burnout, and his move to Yorkshire.
The short stories encompass a wide variety of subjects, and all, of course, reflect various human frailties and emotions, ranging from greed to lust, all very much worth reading not only for the author’s style and observations, but his ability to provide surprising endings. It is, of course [as to this author, that is], highly recommended.
