Peter Robinson Books in Order DCI Banks Series Reading List

This article provides a complete list of Peter Robinson Books in Order DCI Banks Series along with a discussion on the adaptation of various Peter Robinson books.

Peter Robinson, the Yorkshire-born suspense writer, has been producing chilling tales set in around the imaginery town of Eastvale in the Yorkshire dales since 1987. Peter Robinson, author of the longstanding crime series featuring Chief Inspector Alan Banks continues to produce police procedurals you can really get your teeth into. They are well-plotted entertaining reads and so it is not surprising that he has a loyal following of readers eager to get their hands on each book as it is released.

DCI Banks himself is a multi-layered character who we just keep learning more about with each novel: he is a bit of maverick, likes his music, not the best at relating to others and has an on-off relationship with colleague Annie Cabbot for a while. As a cop he is doggedly determined to uncover the truth about the cases he investigates.

How many DCI Banks novels are there?

There are now 27 DCI Banks novels in the series by prolific crime writer Peter Robinson that began with Gallows View back in 1987. A new DCI Banks thriller was added last year in 2021 with the publication of Not Dark Yet.

Watch An Evening With Peter Robinson at the Harrogate Festival discussing Not Dark Yet (#27 Alan Banks Novel).

What is the Latest DCI Banks Book?

The latest thriller in the DCI banks stable by Peter Robinson is Not Dark Yet, book 27 in the series published on 16 March 2021. Peter Robinson does not disappoint with Not Dark Yet which is a gripping read with a good mix of suspense and compelling dialogue, something we have come to expect from him as one of the leading crime writers in the world.

Not Dark Yet (Book #27 DCI Banks Series) By Peter Robinson Buy This Book at: Fishpond Mighty Ape Book Depository Amazon FREE audio version at: Audible with 3 month trial.

What is the First Peter Robinson Book?

Peter Robinson introduced us to Alan Banks in his first novel Gallows View in 1987 (a cop who seeking a better lifestyle moves the family from London to Yorkshire.) He soon followed this novel up with DCI Banks #2 A Dedicated Man (1988) and #3 A Necessary End (1989).

Is Peter Robinson still writing books?

Although now 72 years of age Peter Robinson continues to delight readers with a new Alan Banks mystery every couple of years. There are 27 DCI Banks books in total, the latest being Not Dark Yet. He is reported to be working on Book 28 in the series but the date that the next book will be out on is yet to be confirmed.

Do You Need to Read Peter Robinson Books in Order?

It is definitely not essential to read Peter Robinson's DCI Banks series in order of publication. Each book is a stand alone novel and is an enjoyable read in and of itself. If you are not intending to read the whole series anyway and you are not sure where to start why not try his latest thriller Not Dark Yet?

If you have watched the TV series DCI Banks but have yet to read the Peter Robinson books then you may want to start with something familiar already in which case I would recommend Aftermath which is the basis for the first two episodes of Series 1 followed by Playing With Fire which covers episodes 3 and 4.

If you are looking for the most rewarding experience from the DCI Banks series then I recommend that you read them chronologically starting with Gallows View. That way you get the most out of the character development and understand the subtleties of the turning points that Banks and other key characters go through.

Peter Robinson Books in Order of Publication and Reading Order

The DCI Alan Banks novels by Peter Robinson in order of publication and reading order are as follows:

1. Gallows View (1987)
   
2. A Dedicated Man (1988)
   
3. A Necessary End (1989)
   
4. The Hanging Valley (1989)
   
5. Past Reason Hated (1991)
   
6. Wednesday's Child (1992)
   
7. Dry Bones That Dream (1994) - (aka Final Account)
   
8. Innocent Graves (1996)
   
9. Dead Right (1997) (aka Blood at the Root)
   
10. In a Dry Season (1999)
    
11. Cold Is the Grave (2000)
    
12. Aftermath (2001)
    
13. The Summer That Never Was (2003) - (aka Close to Home)
    
14. Playing with Fire (2004)
    
15. Strange Affair (2005)
    
16. Piece of My Heart (2006)
    
17. Friend of the Devil (2007)
    
18. All the Colours of Darkness (2008)
    
19. Bad Boy (2010)
    
20. Watching the Dark (2012)
    
21. Children of the Revolution (2013)
    
22. Abattoir Blues (2014) - (aka In the Dark Places)
    
23. When the Music's Over (2016)
    
24. Sleeping in the Ground (2017)
    
25. Careless Love (2018)
    
26. Many Rivers to Cross (2019)
    
27. Not Dark Yet (2021)
    

There are also 3 novellas in the series:

• Going Back (2009)
  
• Summer Rain (2015)
  
• The Good Partner (2016)
  

Is there a new DCI Banks book?

The most recent DCI Banks book is #27 Not Dark Yet (2021) which follows #26 Too Many Rivers to Cross (2019), #25 Careless Love (2018) and #24 Sleeping in the Ground (2017). Book #28 is in the pipeline but any further details are yet to be released.

Are Peter Robinson Books Any Good?

Peter Robinson's books are authoritative police procedurals and worth the read. The plodding DCI Banks and the vulnerable DI Annie Cabbot make a formidable crime-solving team. Sadly Peter Robinson's long running crime series has not had the attention it deserves until more recent years when it was dramatized for TV (DCI Banks).

Is DCI Banks TV Series A Good Show?

ITV's DCI Banks TV series ran for 5 seasons over 32 episodes from 2010 to 2016 and dramatized a number of Peter Robinson books. The series was filmed mostly in West Yorkshire. It was well received and is highly rated on IMDb with a 7.6/10 rating. DCI Banks TV series is available on streaming services and to buy by the season on DVD or as a DVD boxed set of the whole series.

Stephen Tompkinson of Ballykissangel and Wild at Heart fame plays the title role of misery guts Banks. DS Annie Cabbot is played by Andrea Lowe (series 1-5) and Caroline Catz is DI Morton (series 2-5).

Series 1 (8 episodes): In the first series four Peter Robinson novels were adapted for TV beginning with Aftermath in which DCI Banks is being investigated by DS Annie Cabbot after a serial killer mysteriously ends up in a coma. The three other books adapted are: Playing With Fire, Friend of the Devil and Cold is the Grave.

Series 2 (6 episodes): Strange Affair, Dry Bones That Dream (aka Final Account) and Innocent Graves were the basis of the whole of series 2 of the DCI Banks show.

Series 3 (6 episodes): Wednesday's Child, Piece of My Heart and Bad Boy were adapted for the third season of the DCI Banks series.

Series 4 (6 episodes): Included 3 original stories for TV.

Series 5 (6 episodes): Was made up of 3 original stories for TV.

Start Streaming DCI Banks today.

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Do DCI Banks and Annie Get Together?

Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot have an on-again-off-again romance throughout many of Peter Robinson's books. We are first introduced to DS Annie Cabbot in Book 10 In a Dry Season when she joins his team and he soon realizes he is attracted to her. In the same novel Banks's wife Sandra is involved with another man and the couple separate after 20 years of marriage.

What are Best Peter Robinson Books? Our Top 3 Picks

3. Bad Boy by Peter Robinson (Book 19 DCI Banks Series)

Peter Robinson's DCI Banks novel Bad Boy is a powerful mix of emotion and suspense. Banks is on holiday in San Francisco while his impulsive daughter Tracy, at home in Leeds, gets dazzled by her flatmate's handsome boyfriend. But things go very wrong when the police raid a home in Eastvale: Patrick Doyle, Banks's neighbour gets shot, his daughter is under suspicion and being held in custody, and Tracy is on the run. And that's not the worst of it.

Bad Boy (Book #19 DCI Banks Series) By Peter Robinson Buy This Book at: Fishpond Mighty Ape Book Depository Amazon FREE audio version at: Audible with 3 month trial.

2. In the Dry Season by Peter Robinson (Book 10 DCI Banks Series)

DCI Banks is having personal problems - his marriage is on the rocks and no reconciliation is in sight after a year of separation. Professionally he is in the dog box following an incident of insubordination with a superior officer Jimmy Riddle. Banks is assigned a cold case from the 1940's when a body of a woman is found in the bed of a dried out reservoir in Thornfield. Aided by Annie DS Cabbot, a young and outspoken officer who he realizes he is attracted to, they uncover the secrets that have been submerged for so many years.

In the Dry Season (Book #10 DCI Banks Series) By Peter Robinson Buy This Book at: Fishpond Mighty Ape Book Depository Amazon FREE audio version at: Audible with 3 month trial.

1. Strange Affair by Peter Robinson (Book 15 DCI Banks Series)

With his personal life in a mess DCI Banks is struggling with his depression and is having some time out. Out of the blue he gets a disturbing call from his estranged brother Roy and goes to London in search of him. He bases himself in his brother's empty luxorious house and begins digging into his life to find clues about his disappearance. Meanwhile DI Annie Cabbot is called to a murder scene of a young woman dead in her car who just happens to have Banks's name and address on a slip of paper in her pocket. The two seemingly disconnected cases soon converge in unexpected and terrifying ways.

Strange Affair (Book #15 DCI Banks Series) By Reginald Hill Buy This Book at: Fishpond Mighty Ape Book Depository Amazon FREE audio version at: Audible with 3 month trial.

If you are a lover of crime fiction and you haven’t read Peter Robinson's DCI Banks books yet, you are in for a treat. If you have already read a book or two, why not read the whole series and enjoy Peter Robinson's rare talent. Bookmark this page so that you always have a handy list of Peter Robinson books in order.

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