Preview
  • In a Dry Season

  • By: Peter Robinson
  • Narrated by: Ron Keith
  • Length: 16 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (479 ratings)

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In a Dry Season

By: Peter Robinson
Narrated by: Ron Keith
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Publisher's summary

In a Dry Season, winner of the Anthony Award, is an outstanding example of mystery fiction. Peter Robinson's Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks conjures up memories of classic detectives like Philip Marlowe and Sherlock Holmes.

An insufferable drought ravages the Yorkshire countryside, depleting the Thornfield Reservoir, revealing the remnants of the flooded town of Hobb's End and the terrible secrets kept safe within its watery tomb. Amongst the ruins, the remains of a woman's body are discovered. Detective Banks deduces that the woman was strangled and repeatedly stabbed more than 50 years ago. His investigation takes him on a treacherous quest to bring a killer, who has escaped detection for over a half a century, to justice.

Robinson pushes the boundaries of the genre by giving listeners fresh insights into the myriad nuances of crime fiction. Ron Keith immerses himself in his multiple roles and superbly voices the novel's complexities.

Follow Inspector Alan Banks as he investigates Yorkshire's toughest crimes.
©2000 Peter Robinson (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC
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Critic reviews

"Anyone who loves a good mystery should curl up gratefully with a cuppa to enjoy this rich 10th installment of the acclaimed British police procedural series....Once again, Robinson's work stands out for its psychological and moral complexity, its startling evocation of pastoral England, and its gritty, compassionate portrayal of modern sleuthing." (Publishers Weekly)
"Peter Robinson is an expert plotter with an eye for telling detail...the characters have complexity and the issues range broad and deep." (The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about In a Dry Season

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great storyline!

Characters' tone of voice a little off at times. Not sure why Banks had to sound like the parody of a WWII drill sergeant . Otherwise a really enjoyable "read".

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

great book

The book is beautifully written and intriquing right to the last word. The reason I only gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is due to the reader. He does a fine job on the sections that are told in the third person, present day. However, I found his voice off-putting when he was voicing the first person viewpoint of a young girl during the 1940's.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Historical and Detective story

Way bad narrator here but do still listen. Disliked his chirpy,grinning delivery in the narrative parts. Was so contrary to murder and police world,was just Weird. No repertoire of dialects. Esp when freq a specific dialect was purposefully noted! I got over it, jus' sayin'...

I loved the constructs betwn the past & present. A neat job of giving the reader glimpses into some of the cultural/generational changes btwn!

I enjoyed the added length & fun in added details, yet truly Peter Robinson style of writing. Not dense but right at you writing in artful sparing yet paying off big to flesh in, make poignant touches to exchanges,flicks of detail that evoke feeling & imagery. Every scrap useful in meaning or entertainment.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A favorite

I've enjoyed all the books so far but this is my favorite. part of it is the back story of Britain during WWII and also the tightly drawn characters. Am looking forward to more if the same.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful mystery

Fascinating plot alternates between the murder 50 years ago to present. Great detective. Reader not bad, although I thought his "voice" for the detective was a bit more bullyish than I found the character. Loved every minute of it. Don't miss it.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Great story

...terrible narrator. He really ruins it for me. Since when has someone from Leeds sounded like a silly cockney?

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A great Peter Robinson work!!!!!

I choose my mysteries with care and one of Peter Robinson's is not to be missed. I caught this on a recheck to ensure I had read (listened to) all earlier Bank's books. This is one not to be missed by dedicated Alan Banks fans. In this book he meets Annie Cabot for the first time. Sparks fly!! The way the two tales in this book are interwoven is superb. It's a book you will find hard to stop once you begin it.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding

An outstanding series of novels. Combines first rate plots with outstanding character development. I’ve enjoyed them all.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Well Constructed Mystery

This is a totally absorbing mystery. I became completely involved with the well drawn characters. The book switches very smoothly from present to past and back again throughout the story which takes place in an English Village during World War II. The reader is gradually privy to the facts while the modern day detectives search the past to uncover the history of the body found in the dry reservoir. In A Dry Season is a very good novel and well worth a credit or purchase. Enjoy

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Worst narration ever.

Totally inappropriate narrator for a good story. I like this author but don't want to listen to his books narrated by this narrator.

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1 person found this helpful