Sleeping in the Ground

An Inspector Banks Novel

By: Peter Robinson

Narrated by: James Langton

Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

Michael Connelly calls Peter Robinson "an author with amazing empathy, a snare-trap ear for dialogue, and a clear eye for the telling detail".

See why in Sleeping in the Ground, the gripping new novel starring Alan Banks - featuring an opening scene you'll never forget and a finale you won't see coming.

At the doors of a charming country church, an unspeakable act destroys a wedding party. A huge manhunt ensues. The culprit is captured. The story is over.

Except it isn't. For Alan Banks, still struggling with a tragic loss of his own, there's something wrong about this case - something unresolved. Reteaming with profiler Jenny Fuller, the relentless detective dives deeper into the crime...deep enough to unearth long-buried secrets that reshape everything Banks thought he knew about the events outside that chapel.

And when at last the shocking truth becomes clear, it's almost too late.

©2017 Peter Robinson (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

No Simon Prebble?

I definitely missed Simon Prebble's narration on this book. Book was okay. Parts were quite good.

Attention to detail

Several strange inconsistencies in the characters behaviors or thought processes. Lack of reality i guess. I found it irksome that a supposed Detective Superintendent seemed so slow on the uptake. This is normally an enjoyable series but this book needed the hand of a good editor, which it plainly didn’t get.

Not so enjoyable

I only occasionally write a review but have to say this is one of the weaker Peter Robinson books. I found myself drifting towards the end, already bored with it. And who wants to confess on their deathbed to a lover of years ago, that they aborted their baby. It was a mawkish filler that made no sense. James Langton’s narration was competent but a little robotic. I much prefer Simon Prebble.

Bring back Simon Prebble

Good story but the narrator was not up to the standard of Mr Prebble. Too many weird unconvincing accents

Banks is getting too old

This was pretty boring. As much about what was had for each meal, in detail, as well as each drink ( and there are many) as about the story, which is pretty much of a stretch anyway. I used to really like this author, but I think I’m done.
Also didn’t really like the reader; for one thing, he does women’s voices in a sort of soft simper - very inappropriate for cops.
I can’t believe it won an award.

all females sound like geriatric elves

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Not unless they were already a Peter Robinson fan

How did the narrator detract from the book?

OMG he was so awful. He has a nice voice, but he's a reader, nothing more. And his voice range when it comes to attempting to perform a female is laughable. Every women came off sounding like some geriatric elf, breathy, squeaky, ridiculous. Really detracted from taking any of them seriously. And this is a problem for a book that has so many female characters: Annie, Geri, Jenny, Gervaise, Linda Fuller . . . they all sounded so silly. WHY? Why do audio producers hire readers who 1) can't even give a decent range of believable voices to the main characters and 2) simply read the book aloud rather than perform it. What happened to Simon Prebble, who was doing this series for years? I hope this is a temporary change, because Prebble is a master.

Do you think Sleeping in the Ground needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

N/A

Any additional comments?

I was disappointed by this outing from Robinson. It wasn't any kind of a puzzle, there weren't multiple suspects. Also, it was so unbelievable that all the cops would buy the suicide at the beginning - it's so frustrating to read along when actions are that implausible.

Outstanding!

If you love British police procedurals, Peter Robinson is a must read. Attention to detail, great misdirection, and characters we recognize as old friends.

5 stars

5 Stars all around! Great performance of a page-turning mystery.
Love this Inspector Banks series!

Big fan of Banks and Peter Robinson!

Peter Robinson has done what some authors seem unable to achieve- he has continued to write his Alan Banks series with the same high quality for each book instead of letting his characters become boring. This latest Alan Banks novel is as fresh and interesting as his earlier books, and the characters have continued to grow and develop into old friends. I’m also pleased that Robinson hasn’t created unnecessary drama and trauma in the characters’ personal lives to try and keep things interesting. While the characters have all gone through their challenges it’s not excessive and doesn’t detract from the story. Big thumbs up - highly recommended to fans of British mystery/ detective novels.

Weaker than previous Banks books.

A little disappointed to be honest. Both story, characters and performance was below par. still I'll probably give the next one a go.