Of course, that’s an exaggeration and there probably aren’t all that many authors called Peter. However, there are three, all British (well, actually, two English and one Scottish), and all pretty good – Peter May, Peter Robinson and Peter James. The latter two very much in the detective/crime fiction genre with their principal characters both senior policemen, Alan Banks and Roy Grace, respectively. The great thing about all three is that, if you like them, they publish new books regularly, pretty much on an annual basis (or, at least, it feels like that)!
Peter May has a wider range than the other two, with each focusing on one principal character, with six books featuring a Chinese detective, Li Yan, the Black House novels with Detective Inspector Finn McLeod from the island of Lewis in the Hebrides, the private detective, Enzo Macleod, on whom, I regret to say, I am not very keen, and a number of really good stand-alone novels. I am a big fan of Li Yan and I was really sorry to hear from Peter May at a book signing event in Edinburgh a few years ago, that he would not be writing any more in that series as it was his practice to ‘stop at six’. I can see the merits in that – ‘leave them looking for more’ – but, for me, six seems too few. Try the Chinese books first and, after that, I would recommend the Black House series which is principally, but not exclusively, set in the Hebrides. Certainly give Enzo Macleod a try as you may well have different tastes to me and then I would suggest you pick up the stand alone books.
Peter Robinson and DS Alan Banks
I really like Peter Robinson’s Alan Banks books and I like the Alan Banks character. I thought that Stephen Tompkinson portrayed him well in the TV series. When I say that, I still felt that the actor was a little on the young side but, as with so many fictitious characters who have been around for a while, it’s difficult to know how old Alan Banks is! These days, members of the police force tend to retire after about thirty years’ service and go on to another career, often in the security sector, at around their early fifties. However, some years (and books) ago, Peter Robinson provided a CV for Banks with a year of birth of 1951which would make him around 70 now! I think this can be a bit of an issue with a lengthy series of books featuring a particular character and we perhaps have to accept that our heroes will, at best, stay the same age and, at worst get younger, as new books appear and, of course, as we get older! As I said earlier, I think Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch may be the exception here as he has been allowed to grow old gracefully and retire, albeit while still getting involved in (usually cold) cases on a pro bono basis!
However, despite any qualms about his ageing process, Banks is a great character and I know I wait for each new book to come out and I am always a bit disappointed when I have finished it as I know I am probably going to have to wait at least a year for the next one. I always find him easy to identify with and I like that in a character. He is clearly the same sort of generation as me with similar interests, especially in music, and I also wonder about the extent to which Peter Robinson is living vicariously in his character! I like the way you get to know the other characters in his life and work as well and, going back to ageing again, it is interesting to see how his children and his colleagues’ lives evolve over time. The stories are good with clever twists and, as with so many ‘whodunnits’ I often don’t see the outcome until the last minute! Although there have been many Inspector Banks novels, you don’t need to read them in order (although I think it’s preferable) because, like most authors, Peter Robinson usually provides sufficient background in each book to acquaint you with Banks and how his character has developed.
Peter James and Roy Grace
The third ‘Peter’, James, also comes highly recommended. Once again, he has been around for a while, with a new volume in the series coming out pretty much on an annual basis. A little quirk which is worth mentioning is that every book in the series has the word ‘Dead’ in the title just in case you hadn’t guessed what genre of fiction was being dealt with. Funnily enough (and it is probably just me), I don’t find the principal character of Detective Superintendent Roy Grace as being the most appealing detective fiction hero that I have come across. That may be because he is quite a bit younger than me at around his early forties but, in addition, his domestic circumstances are a little complicated and, arguably, unusual. It doesn’t matter really, because, like his namesakes, Peter James has a gift for coming up with great storylines and all three, whether it be through their series or their stand-alone novels, come highly recommended! One final thing I would say about the Roy Grace novels is that ITV has launched a series on the books and John Simm has been cast as Grace. So far, there has only been a feature length episode and it went right back to the beginning which is a little bit of a nuisance when you have read all seventeen! However, I thought it was pretty good and, strangely as he is quite a bit older than Roy Grace, I thought that John Simm was pretty much perfect for the part.
Just to finish this piece, if you have had a look at the links to these three Peters, you will have spotted that they are all around seventy, just a little bit older than me – any significance in that, do you think?