When the Music’s Over by Peter Robinson

Val Penny ♦ June 26, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

It had been far too long since I had read a Peter Robinson novel so I treated myself to the 23rd DCI Banks novel, When the Music’s Over. It is marvellous.

In When the Music’s Over Alan Banks has been promoted to Superintendent and is senior investigating officer in two important cases. The first is a historical sex crimes case that comes to light after the victim finds courage after the Jimmy Saville and Rolf Harris cases amongst others. I found it interesting that there was reference to the real historic cases throughout the book.

The victim, Laura, a celebrated poet, was raped whenshe was fourteen years old by a famous entertainer, Danny Caxton and another man. Banks and Winsome Jackson work tirelessly to unravel what happened and who was involved over fifty years ago during that attack.

Meanwhile, Cabbot and Masterton investigate a day of present day grooming when the corpse of a fourteen year old girl is found. The girl was naked and has been raped, beaten and stamped on and left dead on a country road.

There are the usual twists and turns the reader has come to expect from Peter Robinson and the reflection of the historic case in the modern one is beautifully crafted. Needless to say, the end is not predictable.

When the Music’s Over is a fine crime thriller: an excellent police procedural. It would be a great read for a book group as well as for anybody who enjoys the crime thriller genre. I highly recommend it.

Peter Robinson was born in Yorkshire. After getting his BA Honours Degree in English Literature at the University of Leeds, he came to Canada and took his MA in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor, then a PhD in English at York University. He has taught at a number of Toronto community colleges and universities and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992-93.

Val Penny