3.5 stars ( )

After becoming immersed in Peter Robinson's more recent Inspector Banks mysteries, I found it revealing to read one of the first, “A Dedicated Man,” published in 1988.

Banks, newly transferred from London to a rural part of England, is still a relatively young man whom young women find attractive. His wife, Sandra, hasn't left him yet, and his two children still live at home. He has yet to assemble the team of detectives featured in Robinson's later books.

Also unlike most of the later mysteries in the series, there is just one case to occupy his time, at least until a teenage girl disappears. The disappearance may or may not be related to the murder of a scholarly man whom everybody seemed to like and nobody seemed to have any reason to kill. Yet someone did murder Harry Steadman.

Because there seems to be no motive to be found in the present, Banks explores the past, old relationships and especially old love affairs. Where does the secret lie?

Had I read “A Dedicated Man” back in 1988 I think I might have liked it better than I do now, for now I have Robinson's later work to compare it with, and the author has improved with time. The ending fits the model of the traditional murder mystery, but seems a bit forced and is not as convincing as the conclusions of most of his later novels that are modeled more on actual police work. ( )

Good plot. A lot of emphasis on the English countryside, sometimes to the point of distracting from the story. ( )

Alan Banks did not move to the end of Earth (well... Yorkshire but it kinda qualifies after London) just to be stuck with gruesome murders again. But being Detective Chief Inspector it is part of his job. And people don't get better and behave better just because they live in the countryside.

Harry Steadman is a local historian and archeologist who does not seem to have any enemies in the small village of Gratly. And yet, someone hit him on the head hard enough to kill him - and then hid his body (not very expertly). Small villages tend to hide secrets and Harry is somewhat of an outsider - he moved there in the last years only although he was already known from long vacations he spent in the village before that. But anyone who had ever lived in a small place knows that these places also tend to generate a lot of rumors and trying to sort between rumor and fact is hard, especially if you really do not know the area.

Alan Banks suspects from the beginning that there is something under all the rumors but even he gets surprised when the truth starts emerging. He spends the novel trying to stick to his decision to stop smoking cigarettes and instead take to a pipe (it is 1988 after all - these days, it would have been vaping I guess although then the Sherlock Holmes connection would be lost) and that makes him think of Holmes and his usual motto - eliminate the impossible and whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. That is what ends up solving the case - but not before more lives are lost and a lot of happy memories shattered.

The novel is dated - it was written in 1988 and it was a different world back then. On the other hand it is too new to be different enough to be interesting because of that. As such, it has its problems - you need to keep in mind when the book is written or the blatant sexism may make you want to stop reading. But then it is normal for books written in a different time - the dales of England in the late 80s may as well be a different world sometimes.

It is not a great novel but it is a decent one and I enjoy the series. ( )

Have been reading these out of order, and would suggest Robinson did improve in later novel.

A retired archeologist is murdered and Banks investigates,

Found Bank’s preoccupation with a pipe dull & time wasting. The characters all appeared to be in their late fifties, then it became apparent they were supposed to be much younger. A teenager does some sleuthing, and she and her friends seemed to come from the fifties rather than the 1970’s.

Couldn’t quite understand why Robinson makes his detective a married man with children. They barely get walk-on parts.

Then suddenly Banks put all the pieces together. The mystery was wrapped up rapidly, and Poirot-like he gives a long tell-not-show explanation to the once-suspects. ( )

A good read. Good character development. Good mystery without tricks or wide stretches of the imagination. I want to return to Inspector Banks and fortunately Robinson has written other books with this protagonist. John Mark introduced me to this author. ( )

Continuing my recent discovery and exploration of Peter Robinson’s fiction, I have just completed his second Inspector Banks novel, A Dedicated Man. As I mentioned earlier however, this is actually my third Banks novel since I only discovered Robinson with last year’s Careless Love.

It seems that the good inspector has been enjoying something of a major-crime lull since the personal trauma he and wife Sandra suffered in Banks’s debut in Gallows View. All of that though abruptly ends via the brutal murder of a “dedicated man,” a retired college professor who has permanently relocated to Banks’s rather isolated Yorkshire location. Mainly because everyone seems to have loved and respected the victim to such a high degree, the case proves to be a particularly difficult one for Banks to get a handle on, but the inspector counts on his usual persistence, along with a well aimed hard push or two in the right direction, to get the job done.

And it’s precisely that attitude that attracts me to Robinson’s Inspector Banks novels. I have always enjoyed a good police procedural and found them to be more satisfying than detective novels by writers who rely on one thrilling scene after another to carry their books to some kind of (usually preposterous) conclusion. For me the best crime fiction writers are those who combine elements of both styles with an emphasis on process over thrill. Thankfully, too, Inspector Banks is a “talker” and several times in A Dedicated Man he explains his crime solving philosophy to one or another of the locals in great detail.

Robinson first tells the reader something that Banks learned the hard way:
“Banks knew from experience that once a murder investigation begins there is no stopping and little slowing down even for family life. The crime invades mealtimes, ablutions, and sleep; it dominates conversation and puts up an invisible barrier between the investigator and his family.”

There’s also this from Robinson explaining the inspector’s mindset:

“Banks also liked the feeling of being an outsider. Not a stranger, as he had been among the anonymous, international crowds of London, but an outsider. He knew he always would be no matter how deep he put his roots.” (In Yorkshire)

In a revealing conversation with a crime novelist who also is a suspect in the murder investigation, Banks says this:

“In writing, yes. In fiction. But in real life, I’m not so sure. It’d be a damn sight easier if I knew who the criminal was without having to write the whole book and make all the mistakes along the way.”

Later on when another suspect asks if he is close to solving the murder, he says:
“I can’t see it if I am, but detection doesn’t work like that anyway. It’s not a matter of getting closer like a zoom lens, but of getting enough bits and pieces to transform chaos into a recognizable pattern…But you can’t predict when that moment will come. It could be in the next ten seconds or the next ten years. You don’t know what the pattern will look like when it’s there, so you might not even recognize it at first. But soon enough you’ll know you’ve got a design and not just a filing cabinet full of odds and sods.”

I really like Chief Inspector Alan Banks. He may be a bit of a plodder, but he’s not going to quit before he gets the job done. So if police procedurals are for you, I think that author Peter Robinson just may be your guy. And knowing that I have something like 22 more Inspector Banks novels to enjoy makes me happy (hopefully there are many more to come yet).

As posted on Book Chase: bookcase.blogpsot.com ( )

I was inspired by Carol’s reviews to try this series. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more. ( )

i didn't really enjoy this book. I nearly gave up on it but stuck with it as it was only 225 pages long. I read the first Inspector Banks book and didn't care all that much for it either. I tried this one because I love British crime novels. The problem with A Dedicated Man is the awfully slow pace and the excessive focus on questioning and re-questioning ad nauseum the same people. This was really tedious when there was so little action to accompany it. And, the ending seemed rushed. There was no real suspense in the book. The only positive thing I can say is that I liked the quality of the writing and the setting, also not being over long. Can't see myself continuing with this series. I was keen on this series after having read one of Robinson's stand-alone novels, The First Cut, published in the UK as Caedmon's Song, which I thought was really good. ( )

Inspector Banks visits the village of Gratly to investigate the murder of Harry Steadman, an academic with a passion for the past. A sixteen-year-old girl and her boyfriend were near the murder scene but really did not see anything useful. Suspicion falls to a network of Steadman's friends and associates, many whose relationship with the man dated back at least a decade. Since Steadman seemed to be well-liked, Banks begins investigating the past as well. The installment brings pleasure to the reader following Banks' investigation. While the clues to the murderer's identity exist, the less obvious conclusion keeps readers' attention to the last page. I listened to an the audio version read by James Langton who did a commendable job. ( )

I’ve read a few books by Peter Robinson and generally enjoyed them. The TV series based on the books is also pretty good although DCI Banks in the TV series is more of a loner than he appears in the books. I think I prefer the book version of DCI Banks. This book is only the second one in the series and perhaps not quite as good as the later ones.
It is summertime in Yorkshire and the weather is glorious. Young lovers spend their time outdoors and tourists are crawling over the moors. But it is neither a young lover nor a tourist who discovers the body of Harry Steadman underneath a stone wall; rather it is a farmer and his dog looking for a lost sheep. The wall is located near to Gratly where Steadman lived but he didn’t make it to the wall on his own steam. Instead he was killed and transported there by someone. Two young lovers, Sally and Kevin, were in a deserted shepherd’s hut nearby and were able to tell the police that a car stopped on the road for about 15 minutes at 12:14 am. Banks and his crew are able to ascertain that Steadman was in the local pub until 8:45 pm. Later Banks learned that Steadman went to visit his friend Penny Cartwright after that and was thrown out by her father around 10 pm. Penny and Harry were just friends although other people in the village thought differently. It doesn’t seem that Harry’s wife Emma was one of them though. Banks is having a hard time establishing a motive for Steadman’s murder. Everyone claims he was well liked and that he didn’t have any enemies. His wife might have the strongest motive since she stood to inherit his sizable estate but she was watching TV with a neighbour all evening. She thought he was off with his friend and publisher doing research for a book on industrial archeology of the region. Banks had to break the news of his death to her. Banks continues to beat the bushes but it isn’t until Sally goes missing and is then found dead that the pieces start to fit together.
I love the descriptions of the Yorkshire countryside and the small villages peppered throughout it. Someday I think I will have to be one of those annoying tourists that clutter up the landscape. ( )

Another good read by Peter Robinson. Quite different to the first book in the series. ( )

Chief Inspector Alan Banks is called to investigate the murder of a man found in a field near the small English village where he lives. Banks found that the man appeared to be a good husband and dedicated to pursuing his interest in history since inheriting a lot of money and quitting his teaching job. Banks interviews many people in the small town but thinks someone is lying.

This was a well-written police procedural that slowly reveals the characters and their involvement. I did think that the motive for the killer was a little weak but overall I enjoyed it. The style is along the lines of P.D. James. ( )

A Dedicated Man, by Peter Robinson, is the second Inspector Banks novel. A former professor who has come into an inheritance, quit his job and moved to the Dales in order to pursue his interest in the industrial history of the area, has been found dead, and there is no shortage of suspects for Inspector Banks to consider. There's the man's mousy wife, who may not have wanted to make the move; there's the former folk singer who was unusually close to the much older man; there are local friends who might have reason to be jealous of the man. But it's the clues garnered by a second death that lead Banks to the true answer.... I'm enjoying discovering this series; I had heard about it for years but have only just starting reading it. I like the way Banks' professional and personal lives intersect, and I like all the recurring characters. Robinson plays fair with his readers, offering intrigue and honest clues, and so far I haven't been able to solve the mystery before his detective does, a good thing in a mystery series! Recommended. ( )

I had hoped that I might have discovered a long series of police procedurals that I could work my way through, but I don't think I will be doing that. This is set in Yorkshire and features Chief Inspector Alan Banks, who is trying to solve murder case. He spends a lot of time questioning people quite gently in a Midsomer Murders kind of way, while knocking back pints (and more pints) of beer at lunch time and smoking a pipe.

There were things about this novel which I enjoyed: Banks seemed to be a well-adjusted family man with no hidden past tragedy and his relationships with his colleagues were realistically portrayed. However, the standard of the writing was not great (favourite line: "I think I was responding to her sexual power unconsciously, and I was put off by her appearance") and the female characters were a bit off somehow. Penny Cartwright seemed to spend the novel having massive mood swings and behaving completely incoherently. Her back story was odd - I don't think people do make up incest-style gossip at all readily personally.

While I'm glad the villain was who it turned out to be, I don't think we were given enough clues to work things out for ourselves and Banks kind of stumbled across the answer by discovering the baddies red-handed. Finally, the whole Poirot-style "this is how it went down" explanation at the end was very unprofessional, since it is addressed to his wife and two civilians (and he found out most of it from a confession).

Disappointed. ( )

Found dead – covered by rocks near a dry stone wall in the village of Gratly! Harry Steadman’s murder was unbelievable to many as they seemed to feel he had no enemies. He was able to talk to anyone in any walk of life. He was a local historian and archeologist and was very dedicated to his life’s work. DCI Banks begins questioning anyone who was in or near the vicinity. He came up empty. He realizes that the same group of people who had hung out together some ten years ago were once again within the same location. He questions them repeatedly; he still comes up empty. Then, another horrific death occurs, that of young Sally Lumb who took it upon herself to do her own investigating. What had she found that would cause someone to snuff out her life?

The original publication date of A Dedicated Man was 1988, so don’t expect technology like on CSI. So, for that reason, it is just a tad slow. It shows steadfast and thorough police work on the part of DCI Banks. The mystery plays out engagingly well, causing the reader to constantly guess ‘is this one the killer?’ A Dedicated Man is only the second in the DCI Banks mystery series. Number 22 (Abattoir Blues) will be out October 2014. I rated this novel at 3.5 out of 5.

http://www.fictionzeal.com/dedicated-man-detective-chief-inspector-banks-mystery... ( )

A Dedicated Man is the second novel in the Inspector Banks series by author Peter Robinson. Inspector Banks is called in when the body of Harold Steadman, a local historian, is found in the fields outside the village where he lived. Banks must trawl through a web of people and lies to uncover the murderer. Is it something to do with his current work protecting the village or something in the past the binds the people of the village together?

This book is a significant improvement over the first novel.Read the full review here ( )

When a well-liked local historian is found murdered, Inspector Banks has to really put his detective skills to work in order to figure out which of the many unlikely suspects is actually guilty. This is a solid whodunit with a very puzzling path to the resolution. The previous installment had a little more depth to the characters, but this was still enjoyable as a mystery, especially since Banks is allowed to be misled and confused, which adds to the realism. There are also some lovely descriptions of the Yorkshire Dales and its people. Because of the change in audiobook reader, I actually like this better than the first one, but that isn't really a reflection on the story as such. Recommended to anyone who enjoys a semi-cozy British mystery. ( )

Peter Robinson published the first Inspector Banks mystery back in 1988. Since then, there have a been many more- the 21st was just published in January of this year! Since Dedicated Man is only #2, I have a ways to go, but I am already excited when I know that I can look forward to meeting characters who grow with each book. It's refreshing to be able to read an "old-fashioned" mystery story - no instant DNA analysis, no cell-phones, no CSI, etc. Banks is a steady, sure and intelligent plotter of facts, a listener who puts as much faith in what he doesn't hear from those he's interviewing as in what they say. His solving of the puzzle is not instantaneous, but rather slow, measured, and finally correct. It's a series I'm definitely going to continue. ( )

A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson is the second in the Inspector Banks series, and was written in 1988. This time the Chief Inspector is called out to Helmthorpe in Swainsdale to investigate the murder of a local historian, Harry Steadman. Steadman was hit in the back of the head with a blunt weapon and dumped by a stone wall. Nice right? He was “a dedicated man”; very involved with his work and in a happy relationship with his wife, Emma. He has a strong working relationship with his assistant and editor Michael Ramsden, has a fan and good friend in Penny Cartwright, and often drinks with a local entrepreneur and author at a pub called the Bridge. And, as in all good mysteries, everyone is a suspect. Robinson’s gift is to drop numerous red herrings and make everyone look guilty, or at least appear to have reasonable motive.

So Banks begins to investigate the life of Harry Steadman. But digging through the past can upset people, and the further Banks gets, the more obvious it becomes that the past is more dark and complicated than he could ever have imagined. The situation is made all the more complicated when a local teenager becomes involved and tries to take the case into her own hands. Sally Lumb, albeit bright and inquisitive, is young and naive, is privy to some fairly pertinent information regarding the case. Her poor decision making, however, lands her in trouble. Banks must then try to solve Sally’s mystery without alerting too many people to the fact that the killer may be ready to strike again.

I love Peter Robinson’s books. I know that’s a big statement considering I’ve only read two, but his writing style and his emphasis on old fashioned detective work makes his books easy and enjoyable to read. They are quickly devoured, but delivered at such a thrilling pace that picking the killer is damn near impossible. Writing a good crime novel means giving away a little, but not too much information, to keep the reader guessing and to make the whole experience exciting. If you like good crime novels, I urge you to read Peter Robinson. ( )

This is the first Inspector Banks novel I have read. I found it ok I liked the description of the lovely Yorkshire scenery.
A local historian is found dead, Banks investigates then a local girl goes missing. Banks believes both cases must be linked. A few twists and turns then Banks finally gets the breakthrough he has been looking for.

Not a bad book it is over 25 years old so no computers, mobile phones and the characters can smoke in the pub. Totally alien to modern days. ( )

This is the second of the Alan Banks mystery series. We like to listen to mysteries, especially British mysteries on car trips. Having exhausted some of our other favorite titles, this series seems like it will do well for that purpose. ( )

“A Dedicated Man” is the second book in the Inspector Alan Banks series from Peter Robinson. This time, a well-respected history professor is found dead. There is no apparent motive for his murder; everyone Banks speaks to describes the late professor as “a dedicated man” with no enemies.

Banks hits a dead end in the investigation. So he turns, appropriately, to history. He investigates the background of people who know the professor years ago, trying to put together a picture of the relationships in case this sheds new light on the case. The professor’s wife, some of his local drinking buddies, a colleague from York and a couple of friends from the past – all come together like a puzzle to reveal a complex picture of interpersonal feuds and friendships that ultimately reveal the killer. ( )

“A Dedicated Man" is the second of the Inspector Banks novels by Peter Robinson and it follows where “Gallows View” left off.

There are now I think eighteen books in the series. I read them out of order but, as all the stories are different, this is not a great problem. Banks's career and private life continue throughout the series, so if possible it would be best to read them in order.

In my opinion, what sets Peter Robinson above the bulk of thriller writers is the believability of his characters. Robinson does not populate his books with larger-than-life characters, but rather with ordinary people, with ordinary jobs and ordinary lives, who commit crimes for motives which can be understood and even empathised with. In this respect, Peter Robinson is rivalled only by Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series.

Like a latter-day Miss Marple, Banks and his plod underlings go back and forth from house to house, interviewing suspects and trying to tease a semblance of motive and opportunity from their statements. Of course, like the old-fashioned constructions of Christie, we are left with lots of semi-plausible motives and seemingly few opportunities. Banks is convinced the answer lies in a fateful summer ten years ago.

I took this to read on a business trip - and devoured it in one sitting on the plane. I love the Banks novels and always look forward to a new offering from Peter Robinson. ( )

am visiting these books a second time. i didn't enjoy the first one that much. i am listening this go round and i liked this one better but i didn't know who one of the murderers was so obviously i missed the name. maybe it was the reader? i thought he was good, actually. ( )