police procedurals

Detective Chief Alan Banks is investigating a double homicide. Two old barges have been set afire on a remote canal. One of the dead is a washed up artist, the other a young heroin addict named Tina, who had been fleeing an abusive stepfather.

Then another fire destroys a crumbling caravan and the man within, apparently a divorced loser, loses his life while in possession of an unknown and probably very valuable Turner watercolor. Are the murders connected and if so, how? The list of suspects is long, including, Tina's confused and frightened boyfriend and her arrogant stepfather. As Banks and ex-lover, DI Annie Cabbot begin the investigation, new questions surface, suggesting the fire was set to cover up still worse crimes.

Banks drinks too much Laphroaig single-malt Scotch, craves the cigarettes he's given up and tries to keep as much distance as possible between himself and ex-lover Cabbot, while developing a relationship with still another female officer, DI Michelle Hart, which adds a lot of sexual tension to this mystery. Banks grows with every book and although I don't always like the direction he takes, I'm always fascinated.

Character, plot, pace and prose - those are what make Edgar-winner Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks novels so compulsively readable.

Certainly they are character driven: Alone again with his music and his Laphroaig, his wife remarried, his romance with colleague Annie Cabot over, Banks struggles with loneliness and a visceral antagonism toward Annie's new love interest. He's passionate, but not self-absorbed; instinctive but not reckless. And Annie: younger, a bit less certain of herself, leery of Banks' baggage, a bit defensive about her new romance, wavers between assertiveness and stubbornness and can't always tell the difference.

And then there's the plot. Fire is a fascinating, scary medium and yields great forensics. The story begins with two live-aboard barges set ablaze, a dead artist on one, a dead junkie on the other. Had the junkie's apparently grief-stricken boyfriend snapped? Had the failed artist crossed his unidentified visitors? Had the junkie's abusive stepfather shut her mouth for good? Then another suspicious blaze kills a lonely man in his isolated trailer on the other side of town and the questions multiply.

The pace mixes technical forensics, police procedure, and personal interaction in a suspenseful flow that relies on engagement rather than breakneck action. Shifts in point of view add further dimension. And the writing - atmospheric and nuanced - is as graceful as ever. Robinson ("Close to Home") has another winner.

When two abandoned river barges catch fire, killing two squatters, the signs point to arson. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks and sidekick Detective Investigator Annie Cabbot realize that their plans for getting away with their current love interests are shot--they'll be working overtime to track down the firebug--unless the fires were set for a reason more sinister than simply to see things burn. Suspicion first turns to the boyfriend of one of the victims--conveniently absent during the fire. But the young man doesn't feel right to Banks. Could it be the girl's step-father--a man suspected of sexually abusing the girl?

A second fire two nights later gives Banks and Cabbot another line to pursue--one that centers around art forgery. Because it is just possible that someone is cleaning up a mess--or a criminal network that has turned on him. Fortunately, Cabbot's boyfriend is an art professional. Unfortunately, Banks doesn't like the handsome boyfriend and the result is friction between two cops who have to work together closely.

Author Peter Robinson does a fine job developing characters and story simultaneously. Banks, with his recently ended marriage, his unsuccessful affair with Cabbot, and his current go-nowhere relationship with an out-of-town cop, remains sympathetic as he tries to track down the criminal--and to keep his feelings toward Cabbot's lover from veering into jealousy. Detours into the point of view of the young man initially suspected of arson add to the story's atmosphere.

I thought that the solution became a bit too obvious a bit too soon--and some of Banks' decisions seemed irrational, but overall, PLAYING WITH FIRE was an engrossing and enjoyable read.