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Book Review of Innocent Graves (Inspector Banks, Bk 8)

Innocent Graves (Inspector Banks, Bk 8)
trekie70 avatar reviewed on + 291 more book reviews


Alan Banks finds himself facing what may be one his most challenging cases yet. When a young female student at a local private school is found murdered, all evidence seem to point to one man, an English teacher named Pierce. Between the matching hairs found on the body and the man's proclivity for what some might consider deviant hobbies, it seems like an open and shut case. It is surprising to everyone when the accused's clever lawyer manages to get him acquitted. A new victim is found shortly after the acquittal: a young girl from the same school, killed in the same way and once again made to appear as if she was sexually assaulted. The police turn toward Pierce once again, despite his continuing claims of innocence. It is only when he is given an alibi from an unexpected source that the police finally realize they have made a terrible mistake, ruining a man's reputation in the process. Now Banks must find the real killer before he strikes again.

Innocent Graves by Peter Robinson is the 8th novel featuring Detective Inspector Alan Banks of the fictional city of Eastvale, England. As with the previous novels of this series, Robinson does a stellar job with plot and character development. While not very graphic, his works can in no way be called "cozy." I have become a big fan of foreign mysteries over the last 10 years and Peter Robinson is a big part of the reason why. I look forward to catching up on the rest of the Alan Banks series and give this entry 4/5 stars.