Review: Gallows View

This is a very high-quality debut novel by a writer whose popularity has sky-rocketed both in the UK and the US in the past couple of years.

The plot is not very challenging but it's realistic and very enjoyable. It's not too hard to get your head around any of the three main plots - but each is equally engaging - and sometimes that is just what I want in a crime novel. The storylines are thus A peeping tom is terrorising the women of the small Yorkshire town of Eastvale. A series of burglaries are being committed, first against the elderly, but then progressing to larger, more profitable homes. Also, an elderly woman is found dead in her house on Gallows View road...but are any of the cases linked?

Each plot is fascinating in it's way, especially the storyline involving the peeping tom, which I found to be a very original one to be among the main features of a novel. It becomes especially interesting when a psychologist is called in to give insight into the peeper’s character, and fans of the psychological aspects of crime are then presented with a different sort of criminal- psychology (other than that of the usual psychotic-killer psychology) which is refreshing and interesting.

Robinson’s writing style is addictive and very good, he has a strong sense of place, and he paints his characters really well. Inspector Banks in particular, the protagonist of the series, is especially well characterised and likeable. He also writes near-perfect dialogue.

I also liked the way the personal lives of the characters are weaved into the storyline more-so than in most novels, and were made an integral part of the story themselves. I hope he continues this trend in the other books...

All in all, I would recommend this book to any fan of British police procedural novels (namely Ian Rankin, R.D Wingfield, Reg Hill, P.D. James, etc). It's realistic, enjoyable, with great characters and a satisfactory plot. I am looking forward immensely to reading more of this series…

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Fiona Walker

Book Review: Gallows View