Final Account

by Peter Robinson

Book Overview

New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author Peter Robinson delivers one of his most chilling tales of suspense in which Inspector Banks must uncover the secret life of a seemingly... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425149358
• ISBN13: 9780425149355
• Release Date: September 1995
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 306 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Sixth Book in the Series

It was the middle of the night when Chief Inspector Alan Banks arrived at the barn and saw Keith Rothwell for the first time or perhaps it would be better to say what was left of him. A short time earlier two masked men had brought the quiet accountant out of his farmhouse and blasted him with a shotgun It was pretty obvious that this was a pre-meditated killing, the sort that a large wad of cash could buy, no questions asked, but Rothwell was not the sort of person to make enemies, certainly not ones that wanted to kill him. The investigation only muddies the water even more. The deeper Banks digs the more he wanders what lies beneath the surface of the apparently happy and contented Rothwell family. When is old sparring partner Detective Superintendent Burgess arrives from Scotland Yard, the case takes yet another unexpected turn . . .

I like Robinson and this is one of his better mysteries

Peter Robinson is a Canadian who writes English mysteries, set for the most part in Yorkshire. His detective, Inspector Banks, is a police homicide detective who has a working class background, a love of classical music, and (in this book), a deteriorating marriage because he spends so little time at home. The book gets off to a breathless start with the arrival of police to investigate a murder -- the body is in the barn of the victim's Yorkshire "farm" (this isn't a working farm). Two masked men had tied up the man's wife and daughter, taken the man to the barn, and shot him in the back of his head with a shotgun -- leaving a grisly scene. But this is not a particularly gruesome book -- most of the time is spent trying to find out who killed the man and why. Although there are lots of twists and turns, I can't say I was surprised very much by the ending (that twist had crossed my mind) -- but the book was so well written I could hardly wait to get back to it. If you like "English" mysteries (the kind P.D. James writes), you will enjoy this mystery and others in the series.

A work from one of the best living murder mystery makers.

Peter Robinson is one living author whose book titles will be circulated to all my family members when my next birthday draws near. He has rejuvenated an appetite for murder mysteries that had become jaded. This one opens, literally, with a bang, as two masked men abduct an accountant. The incident is witnessed by the man's wife and daughter. Soon after shots are heard at the nearby barn on the accountant's Yorkshire property. The man's face has been blasted off. Chief Inspector Alan Banks is summoned and begins investigating. It becomes clear that the abducted man, Keith Rothwell, was not all he seemed to be. Layer after layer is peeled off his public and private image, his essential identify becoming more and more elusive. Almost all the traditional elements of the murder mystery genre are skillfully worked by Peter Robinson. Characterization is a stand out feature, although characters all seem to be uniformly articulate. Readability is another sterling quality. This is a murder mystery that will easily draw you in, and one that will leave you feeling afterwards that your time with it has been well spent.

Excellent British police procedural

Of all the British police procedural mysteries I've read, and I've read a bunch, Robinson's Inspector Banks books are my favorite. Mind you, there are others close in second and third place, but he's on top. Wonderful primary characters you can care about, fascinating plots, secondary characters who add realism and dimension to the story. Light touches of humor or humanity. I wish Robinson was as prolific as Francis.