DCI Banks's holiday in Greece is interrupted by the discovery of the remains of his old school friend, Graham, which reopens the decades-old investigation into his disppearance. Banks wants to help, and alongside the team at Eastvale are looking into the disappearance of a local teenager. ( )

Banks is enjoying the joys of a Greek island getaway to recover from his last case when he reads about the body of a young man uncovered at a building site. When he discovers the body is an old friend who disappeared while doing his paper route in 1965, Banks rushes off to give whatever aid is needed. Meanwhile in Yorkshire, Annie is investigating a missing 15 year old boy. These parallel cases made for an intriguing mystery novel with a clear, uncomplicated presentation. As Banks has plenty of of reason to look back to 1965 and his youth the reader is treated to a reminiscence of the politics and music of the era. This is one of my favourites from Robinson. ( )

One of my favorite authors and favorite characters. This story is composed of parallel cases that have a three decade time lapse between them. The police are trying to figure out why boys, as a whole... and these two in particular...one in the past and one in the present...have run away or become easy prey to abductors. Alan Banks finds that the reasons have changed very little in the 35 years since his friend, Graham...whose bones have just been unearthed... disappeared. It mattered very little that Graham was cool and popular where the current boy, Luke...was lonely, talented, and precocious. Banks must also reveal one of his own most closely guarded secrets...the evidence he withheld as a boy during the initial police investigation into Graham’s disappearance. Robinson creates a complex and intriguing story while bringing into question if we can really know anyone...even those closest to us. ( )

You've got to love a DI Banks book.

I took a break from reading this series because I didn't want to gorge all the goodies in one sitting. The lure has become too much and I returned to the fold with The Summer... I bought it as an omnibus with Cold is the Grave, interestingly, the book presents them in reverse order (CitG being the earlier book, but the second presented). It is surprising, as there are certain spoilers in the Summer...

As one would expect, the story, whilst not true to life, presents a credible landscape for Banks to inhabit. Robinson always does a fine job of balancing the detective's private and work lives. Some knowledge of Banks, the man, is needed to understand the way he works but some detectives are too 'interesting'; their back story subsumes the crime tale. Not Banks.

In this tome, Banks and side kick, Annie Cabbot, operate separately on two tales of child death. Banks on that of his childhood friend, whose bones have been discovered many years after his disappearance and Annie on a recent death, seemingly part of a failed kidnap.

I shall say little more about the plot because it might spoil it for any reader - including myself, should I return to re-read. Suffice it to say, that it was a hugely entertaining read and I shall go on a binge of DI Banks for a while. ( )

One of Inspector Banks' friends disappeared in 1965 and when the friend's bones are unearthed several decades later, Banks cannot help but take part in the investigation at the same time as Annie Cabbot deals with a new disappearance case that starts to closely resemble Banks' old one. You know when you start reading a book in this series that you'll get a solid mystery with solid characters in a solid environment and this installment is no different. Not riveting, but very much a what-the-doctor-ordered kind of read. I only wish that the two story lines would have had more to do with each other as that's more the norm in mystery fiction, but it was still a good read. Reading Banks is like wearing comfortable slippers and I will continue to put said slippers on when the mood strikes. ( )