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When the Music's Over: An Inspector Banks Novel
When the Music's Over: An Inspector Banks Novel
When the Music's Over: An Inspector Banks Novel
Audiobook14 hours

When the Music's Over: An Inspector Banks Novel

Written by Peter Robinson

Narrated by Simon Prebble

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this audiobook

A baffling murder on a remote country lane puts Alan Banks and his team to the test in the detective’s most intense and gripping case yet – from an author hailed by Louise Penny as “a writer at the top of his game.”

With Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot investigating the young woman’s death, newly promoted Detective Superintendent Banks finds himself taking on the coldest of cases: a fifty-year-old assault allegedly perpetrated by beloved celebrity Danny Caxton. Now Caxton stands accused at the center of a media storm, and it’s Banks’ job to discover the shocking truth.

As more women step forward with accounts of Caxton’s manipulation, Banks must piece together decades-old evidence – as the investigation leads him down the darkest of paths…

Suspenseful, powerful, and surprising, When the Music’s Over is the finest novel to date from one of the foremost suspense writers at work today.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperAudio
Release dateAug 9, 2016
ISBN9780062472564
Author

Peter Robinson

One of the world’s most popular and acclaimed writers, Peter Robinson was the bestselling, award-winning author of the DCI Banks series. He also wrote two short-story collections and three stand-alone novels, which combined have sold more than ten million copies around the world. Among his many honors and prizes were the Edgar Award, the CWA (UK) Dagger in the Library Award, and the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy Martin Beck Award.

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Reviews for When the Music's Over

Rating: 3.9331395930232556 out of 5 stars
4/5

172 ratings19 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is my favorite Inspector Banks book. I loved the music and poetry references. Enjoyed learning about Brighton Beach and all the concerts from the late 60's. The book focused mainly on two separate cases involving young women who were raped. One from the past (1967) and one from the present. I found the book well-written and researched. The characters were well-developed and the storyline was riveting. There were many plot twists which kept the pages turning. One thing I like about Peter Robinson's books is that he does not disappoint. His books are always very interesting and intriguing. I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series and hope for many more in the future.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    As this is number 23 in the series, it shows that I have made an effort to read my way through this series. I think I have about 3 or 4 books left to go. I really enjoy this series. A lot of the books are stellar, especially later in the series. This one, though good, didn't grab me as much as a lot of others have. In it we see Banks with his new title - Detective Superintendent. His first duty as a DS is to investigate what is known as an historical sexual assault case. Someone has come forward accusing an aging popular singer and entertainer of rape which happened when the woman was 14 years of age. It's fifty years later, and she has decided to come forward with this accusation that she has buried deep inside her for decades. At the same time, DI Annie Cabbot is investigating the rape and murder of a fifteen year old girl. The girl has been found lying in a roadside ditch naked and beaten to death. Both cases are not connected other than being similar crimes committed fifty years apart. Really not much has changed in all that time both Annie and Banks determine. Banks' investigation runs into many roadblocks as all of the evidence from the decades old rape has been expunged or it has simply disappeared. Police corruption is the culprit in this one, and most of the key police officers have died by the time Banks gets onto their crimes. But the complainant and the accused are still both very much alive, and Banks and Winsome Jackson troll through historical records and old witnesses that have come forward in order to build their case. In Annie's case, the crime they're investigating, though much more recent, could start a racial altercation in one of Eastvale's notorious tenements. Both Annie and Banks are walking political minefields that could end up derailing their careers. Where this book fell down for me a bit was that I figured out the perpetrator in Annie's case early on, and Banks' case really could have only ended in only one way, and that is how it did indeed end. Except, Banks' case didn't really have a satisfactory ending, and a lot was left up in the air. Regardless, I am looking forward to reading the next in this series. I love Alan Banks and his entire crime-fighting crew.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A DCI Banks based upon the operation Yewtree investigations was never going to be a fun outing for our hero and the team: add to this a grooming case for Annie and the laughs are guaranteed to be missing. The book is, however, well written and a good read.Peter Robinson allows us to see these horrible crimes in the round. Punches aren't pulled, but equally, no group is vilified. This must have been the most tricky story ever to be attempted by a fictional crime writer and it is an amazing accomplishment that Mr Robinson pulls this off.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Two cases over a 50-year period, both involving the rape of teenage girls, occupy Inspector Alan Banks’s team in “When the Music’s Over,” the 2016 entry in Peter Robinson’s outstanding series of mysteries. Interestingly, both cases justify the book’s title.In the older case, Banks, newly promoted, investigates an accusation by a prominent British poet that Danny Caxton, a popular entertainer back in the Sixties, raped her when she was 14. A complaint had been filed at the time, but nothing came of it. Caxton had been a friend to top police officials in those days, as well as a generous contributor to police charities. Could that be why most of the records from the case have disappeared? Now Caxton is an obnoxious 85-year-old more confident than ever that the law cannot touch him.The newer, more interesting case involves another 14-year-old girl found dead on a country road. Evidence suggests she has been raped by multiple men, dumped naked along the road, then beaten to death by someone else. Although Banks is technically in charge of this case, the actual investigation is headed by Annie Cabbot, a member of his team and a woman who herself was a rare victim.Robinson doesn’t rely on chases, shootouts or even obscure clues and brilliant deductions. Rather this novel, like others in the series, focuses on solid, usually routine police work. Yet it is riveting from first page to last.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This novel by Peter Robinson surprised me, as the story captured my interest immediately. The story deals with teen-age girls and the problems these girls encounter. These young girls are solicited by older men and groomed for the illegal sex market. The girls are controlled by drugs and presents until they are doomed to a cloudy existence. Peter Robinson casually shows the mentality of these girls in a world devoid of love and caring as they plummet into a hellhole. I find myself amazed at the lack of parental supervision, where have Ozzie and Harriet gone? Are parents too wrapped in their own private misery to observe their children and guide these children to a deserving life? The novel also explores the cold case of a sexual assault. I remember someone telling me that everyone woman has been a victim of assault during her life. What a sad commentary on human nature.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A very contemporary plot building on operation Yewtree, the revelations about Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris and others, as well as the disturbing stories of the grooming of young girls in places like Rochdale. Banks, recently promoted to Superintendent, is given a political hot potato as his first case and at the same time is overseeing Annie Cabbot who has the brutal murder of a young girl to investigate. As always strong plotting and characterisation elevate this novel.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Standard Peter Robinson, neither better nor worse than he usually is (and he's unusually consistent!) If you haven't read him yet, start at the beginning, it's worth it. If you have, and you like him, you'll like it.

    (Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoy all Inspector Banks novels and I enjoyed this one. Extreme political correctness does exist in the UK. I did skim a lot of the diary written by one of the characters. However, the actual story was good and I love the characters of banks and Annie.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I have been a fan of Peter Robinson's writing, and by inference, a fan of Inspector Alan Banks. The plotting is straight forward and the story telling excellent. The main attractions are the locale, I spent a bit of time in Yorkshire so the people and the locale are quite familiar to me. Peter Robinson is quite adept at making the reader feel a part of the characters lives as well as gently dropping us into the Yorkshire cities and countryside.I have been following Banks and Annie Cabbot for so long that yes, I do feel like I know them very well.This book, however, veers a bit from the familiar and the comfortable. it delves in the newer dark underside of the modern UK and it is the uncomfortable kind. In this book, Banks has been promoted and Annie had not, and it clearly rankles. Annie is starting to show some of the irreverence and maverick bravado that was so much a part of Banks. There are two crimes, as always. One is hostprical and one is present day. Robinson is excellent at this and he is once again telling the story with verve and aplomb. The stories involve two very contemporary issues plaguing the western world: child molestation and racial unrest. In the aftermath of the Jimmy Savile scandal, it is no wonder that the author decided to use this motif as a centerpiece. He then adroitly mixed is with the second story involving child sex crimes mixed in with the racial issues that is popping up in the UK. While the UK does not have the historical dysfunction that the US has suffered through for the entire history, their dealings with the problem serves as a reminder of just how emotionally explosive this issue can be, especially with the roles of the aggressor and victim reversed. You can tell that the author is struggling with trying to tell the story well, as he does, without really getting mired down by the emotional baggage that always rears its head when it comes to dealing with both issues. They are both complex and emotional. I am not sure that the author was completely successful in treating the issues in a clear eyed way, but he did have a good go. I don't think that there is A good way to address the issues in a work of fiction that is not directly a story that confronts the issue. I think that the author did well enough, given the parameters that he had set for himself . Regardless of the amount of effort that he put into it, I was still left a bit disappointed by the ending of the story. It felt like there was another shoe that needed to drop, that the story was ended prematurely. This is why I only gave it a four star. BUT, it was a jolly good read, the main characters were evolving as characters and the peripheral characters were also evolving nicely as well.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not one of the best. There's a particularly annoying, and very slow passage, in which Annie and her partner discuss their joint case. How much better to see the detectives actually solving the crime. A little banter is fine, but four or five pages of exposition is a killer.There's a problem with Bank's case as well. Again, a woman who has complained of a childhood rape by a famous tv star, creates a memoir to try to free up her memories. This victim and Banks are only periodically in contact, so you have the police seeking information and the victim at home writing. There's very little human interaction. This whole work seems to be a few inches off target. It never gains momentum and both investigations are unsatisfying. There is one promising lead which might show up in a new work: the prejudice and Islamophia of many police, and the hopelessness, alienation, and bad decision making among Islamic communities.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Robinson skillfully weaves together two investigations: one the current murder of a teenage girl, the other the case of a beloved entertainer accused of many years of abusing young female fans in the 1960s and 70s. The team of Annie Cabot and Gerry Masterson play an integral role in this book, and it was interesting to learn more about Gerry than we have in past outings.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When the Music’s Over, the 23rd entry in the DCI Banks series, interweaves two separate but similar investigations separated by decades. Alan Banks, in his first case since his promotion to Detective Superintendent, is working on an old case involving a celebrity, Danny Caxton. The now elderly Caxton is accused of raping several women in the ‘60s and ‘70s. At the same time, Annie Cabot and Gerry Masterson are working on a recent rape/murder case. A fifteen-year-old girl was raped by several men who threw her out of their moving van after they finished with her. She was still alive at the time she was tossed out but, as she walked away, she was attacked by another assailant who beat her savagely and left her to die alone on the deserted road.Peter Robinson is one of those rare authors that you can always depend on to give a well-written, well-plotted, intelligent, and completely compelling story and When the Music’s Over is no exception. As always, there are plenty of references to music and food as well as to recent real UK cases. For anyone who enjoys police procedurals with interesting and complex characters and cases, When the Music’s Over is not to be missed.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This is the 23rd book in the DCI Banks series. That's it....no more books until Peter Robinson's latest novel comes out in July. Naturally I am already on the list at the library for this publication - so excited!This book has two investigations going on which has been par for the course in previous books. Alan Banks has gotten a promotion and he is working on what is described as a historical rape case. Danny Caxton is a celebrity accused of raping young women back in the 1960's and 70's when he was very famous. The women, some now in their late 50's and older, are coming forward and banks must investigate the now 85-year old Caxton.Annie Cabbot and Gerry Masterson are also working on a rape case. A young woman raped and dumped in the Yorkshire countryside. She was alive when she was thrown out of a van but someone else came along and murdered her later.This is NOT a cozy mystery.What I liked about this book:I love a good forensic mystery novel.Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot are some of my favorite police characters.Now they are introducing some new detectives and I like them as well.Food and wine! There is always mention of pub meals or something at Banks' home. He is enjoying his journey learning about wine.What I didn't care for:If we have two investigations going on at the same time, do they both have to be rape cases? I was thankful it wasn't graphic. I would have liked one case to be a plain old homicide.Food and drink items mentions are Black Pudding and Smoked Bacon Scotch Egg,, a Prawn and Rose Marie sandwich, chilled California blush wine, Sam Smith's ale, gin and orange, white wine spritzers, cheese and chutney sandwiches, veggie lasagna and Caesar salad.It was the shrimp and wine that called to me with this book. A Greek Scampi with Chickpea, Feta, Tomato Salad and a lovely cool glass of Leese-Fitch Chardonnay.Recipes may be found at Squirrel Head Manor .
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was the most enjoyable Banks book I have read in a while, the series is definitely back at it's best! The ratings for the book do reflect this. This is most definitely a book of our times, including the theme of grooming and sexual abuse by tv personalities of the past. This book certainly felt as though it had more depth than in recent books. Whilst not great themes to read about Peter Robinson does an excellent job of it and I was hooked throughout the book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of my absolute, all time favourite series, that never, ever disappoints, is Peter Robinson's Inspector Banks novels. The 23rd book in the series, When The Music's Over, releases early next month.Robinson opens When the Music's Over with a gut wrenching prologue. The reader knows that there is someone and something very, very dark out there......Banks has just been promoted to Detective Superintendent. And along with his promotion, comes a high profile case. A beloved public performer, now in his eighties, may not be the man the British public has believed him to be. More than one woman has come forward with accounts of 'historical sexual abuse'. It's up to Alan and his team to see if they can prove a case that's over fifty years old.I wondered how Banks would go about investigating the historical case. After so many years, what clues would be left to follow? As Banks says...."I mean...nearly fifty years ago...It's about as cold as case as you can get."Running parallel and just as challenging is Detective Inspector Annie Cabot's case. The body of a young girl has been found by the side of the road, horribly beaten. Racial tension, political correctness and public relations tip-toeing are muddying the waters in Annie's investigation."And what are the odds of some stranger just happening along this road, seeing a naked woman walking and turning out to be a passing psychopath, deciding to beat her to death."This latest mystery from Robinson is both topical and current. Both cases draw upon actual cases for inspiration - that of Rotherham and Jimmy Savile. Although there are two separate cases, they have common (and disturbing) starting point. The plotting is excellent, well thought out, well paced and absolutely believable.Well loved supporting characters return, including one of my perennial faves, Winsome Jackman. We get to know young newcomer Detective Constable Gerry Masterson a bit better. She provides a different outlook from the seasoned detectives and I look forward to seeing more of her. And I never grow tired of Annie and her strong opinions.I have always enjoyed Banks' musical tastes, often seeking out some of what he's listening to. In this latest book, poetry is a new passion of Banks. Robinson has grown his characters as the series has progressed. Alan's personal life is always of interest. His last relationship has ended and as the book progressed I wondered if he might follow through with his attraction to one of the witnesses in his historical case. I always like finding the reference to the title when reading. In this case, it's from a conversation..."You know what they say. When the music's over, it's time to have fun.""Never heard that one, said Banks. I thought it was turn out the lights.""Don't you turn out the lights when you want to have fun, Superintendent?"Well, leave the lights on and immerse yourself in this latest wonderful read from Robinson. While I don't know about fun, I do know it's another fantastic read from Robinson. Five stars for this reader.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    On the front of the hard cover edition to Peter Robinson's excellent novel "When the Music's over" there is a comment by the author Jeffrey Deaver...."Top-notch police procedure" This is an unassuming but very apt comment about a novel and a story that I found totally engrossing from the first to last page. Deaver's comment almost has the effect of implying that this is a work of some drudgery and reading it is somewhat akin to a work of labour and toil. The truth could not be more different for this is a story that takes you right into the heart of a police investigation (in fact two investigations) an almost fly on the wall drama, you watch and read with fascination and excitement as the facts reveal themselves and our two heroes DS Banks and DI Annie Cabbot unravel a story of mistrust, evil and deceit in an attempt to bring the perpetrators to justice.Detective Superintendant Alan Banks is investigating an historical case of sexual abuse against one time television and stage performer Danny Caxton. Linda Palmer was barely a teenager at the time when it is alleged Caxton charmed and allured her to a hotel room in Blackpool where the rape and assault took place. In the meantime Detective Inspector Annie Cabbot is hot on the trail of the brutal rape and murder of a vulnerable 14 year old Mimsy Moffat. Banks as part of his new promotion is actively involved in one case and overseeing the other and as always it is wonderful to see the interplay between Banks and Cabbot given their past "romantic" history.The magic with Peter Robinson's writing is that you the reader almost feel a part of the investigation. His research as always is impeccable and the storyline very of the moment if we consider the recent events that occurred in Rotherham and Rochdale and the celebrity trials of such notables as Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, and Max Clifford. Adding to this the deplorable actions and breach of trust by Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith MP then we have the basis for an informative and well researched story. I love the author's descriptive style of writing very easy to read yet visual and exciting in its delivery...."His hairy belly dropped over his belt, little squares of fat pushing through the net of his string vest, and his man-breasts wobbled when he moved. He could also do with a shave and a haircut, and probably a wash , too. A tin of Carlsberg Special Brew rested on one arm of his armchair and an ashtray on the other."........"For the rest, there are drugs, drink, violence, crime or just simply apathy broken up by the distraction of video games, sex, and mobile phones. Life is something to be got through. Days are hurdles, weeks are rivers to cross, months lakes and years oceans."This is wonderful writing of the highest order; a brilliantly researched and presented story with a very suitable and proper conclusion. The 23rd Alan Banks novel and although it might be preferable to read the series in order! When the Music's Over can be read as a standalone. Highly Recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    You’ll probably not find a bigger Peter Robinson fan than me so this review may be a tad biased. If that doesn’t bother you, then read on.Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks series never fails to please and When the Music’s Over is no exception. Like most (all?) books in the series, it tackles both a current case and a cold or older case. In this particular instance, Robinson also tackles the ethnic hatred that currently seems to be running rampant throughout our ‘civilized’ world.Mimsy (Mimosa) Moffat, wearing nothing but her birthday suit, was thrown out of the van that barely stopped into a roadside ditch. She was able to gather herself up and begin limping toward help. When another van appears, Mimsy thinks it’s her savior. Little did she know.Fifty years after the fact, noted poet Linda Palmer accuses famous entertainer Danny Caxton of rape.This comes on the heels of several other prominent and newsworthy cases of ‘historical abuse’ that have been litigated. (Does Bill Cosby ring a bell?) Of course Caxton denies it, saying that he had enough girls who voluntarily bedded down with him that he didn’t need to rape anyone, especially an under-age girl. Over the decades, his conceit hasn’t abated.While Detectives Annie Cabbot and Gerry Masterson investigate the former case, Banks and Winsome Jackman investigate the latter. Along the way, Cabbot et al encounter the tension between the Pakistanis who have emigrated to their locale and the local ‘indigenous’ inhabitants who hate the Pakis, as they are called. Banks and Cabbot have their hands full, clues to neither case abounding. As you know, however, these two detectives and their crackerjack teams will solve the case.After having read my first Inspector Banks mystery, my vision of DCI Banks was not at all like the actor portraying him, Stephen Tompkinson. (I pictured him short and stocky.) However, after years of watching the BBC program (according to IMDB there is a 2016 series–hopefully it will air soon), he has become the epitome of Banks as has Andrea Lowe come to personalize Annie Cabbot. So, of course, I had to include their photos. (SPOILER: For those of you hoping to see these two get together like I do, it doesn’t happen in When the Music’s Over.)The DCI Banks series has the perfect set of characters, plots, action, romance, etc. It would be an unsolvable mystery how any mystery fan could have not read any of these books.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I have never read this author before, despite his having written a number of novels in this series, so perhaps that is coloring my judgment. In this novel Banks, who just received a promotion, is involved in two major cases as the same time. He is directly responsible for the rape cases involving a famous celebrity, much like the Cosby case, as well as overseeing one involving the murder of a young girl who was groomed and involved in forced prostitution. The author is obviously a great music fan as there are a number of references to a variety of composers and artists, as well as a fan of good wine. While the writing is compelling and the descriptions of police work insightful, the ending left much to be desired. Both case endings were anti-climatic that were too easily anticipated by the reader, including Banks and the victim walking off into the sunset together – to listen to music by a mutual friend of both!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In this 23rd installment of the Inspector Banks series, Alan Banks has recently been promoted to Detective Superintendent, and has been handed a sticky case involving accusations of historical sexual abuse against a famous celebrity. The accused, Danny Caxton, is now 85, with most of the complaints stemming from the 1960’s. Banks is tasked with investigating one of the complainants, Linda Palmer, who was 14 at the time of the alleged assault.Meanwhile, in alternate chapters, Detective Inspector Annie Cabot and Detective Constable Gerry Masterson are engaged in an investigation into a murder of a young girl found naked and beaten on a country road. Eventually they identify her, and suspect she may have been subject to “grooming” by Pakistanis in her underprivileged neighborhood. ["Grooming" is the practice of luring in minors for sexual abuse and prostitution. The problem was deemed sufficiently menacing in the U.K. that The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre was formed in 2006. In this story, the characters make frequent reference to the Rotherham case, in which widespread child sexual abuse took place in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England beginning in 1997. In 2010, five men of Pakistani heritage were found guilty of a series of sexual offenses against girls as young as twelve. An independent inquiry in 2013 estimated that some 1400 children had been sexually abused, predominantly by gangs of British-Pakistani men. The Home Affairs Select Committee criticized the South Yorkshire Police force for their inept handling of the abuse. Long-term ill effects, such as the increase in prejudice and blanket xenophobia, ensued. The story discusses in great detail the importance of public relations to the police in dealing with sensitive issues. In the case Banks is looking into, there was evidence of bribery at high levels of enforcement to shut down investigations. There was also the whole he-said-she-said dilemma, as is especially salient in cases without witnesses. Inevitably some of the police and press were suspicious that any accusers of celebrities were just after money.In the case taken on by Cabot and Masterson, there are also a number of issues with contemporary relevance that come into play. One is the lack of options for children growing up in areas where parents are unemployed and/or absentee and/or abusive, and the failure of social services to help this at-risk population. Another is the tension between the white and non-white British population. The police don’t want to be identified as “racist,” especially since perpetrators of color are quick to invoke “the race card.” As Annie observes: “Coppers and social workers [are] so frightened of offending any ethnic or cultural group that they can’t do their jobs properly. Victims [especially girls from bad areas, are] so convinced they won’t be believed that they don’t even bother to report crimes.”Discussion: There are things I really liked about this book. Robinson certainly can’t be accused of not presenting all sides of controversial issues, and he doesn’t do it with a lot of judgment. Thus it seems "balanced," even though I didn’t agree with the stances taken by many of the characters. I also liked that he presented even the *non-bent* higher-ups in law enforcement in a rather negative light, having them defend each other’s authority rather than taking up what was for me a justified defense of the behavior and dialogue of the lower echelons in the force (such as Annie and Gerry). It seemed more realistic that way.The reviews I have seen for this book have been very positive, but I wasn't so enamored of the book. I got kind of tired of all the music references, and not just because I didn’t know who most of the groups were. I concede that a bit of that contributes toward establishing who Alan Banks is, but after a while, it just bored me, as did his forays into poetry. Clearly he is a man who prides himself on having educated himself, and continuing to educate himself, in ways other than what his background might have suggested. But for me there was too much of that, and it got tedious. I also was bored by the memoir written by the accuser of sexual harassment that she wrote at Banks’s request and which was interspersed throughout the text. I understand it was in part to evoke a time period, and to set the mood of permissiveness of the Sixties helping to explain the attitudes of police and the public, but again, to me there was a bit too much of it, and the character's recollections were only tangentially central to the story. In sum, for me there was a lot appealing in this book, but much I found myself skimming over. Nevertheless, Robinson is quite skilled at taking us through the permutations of police procedure and thinking, and the issues he explores are certainly timely.