Do it like the Brits!

What is it about British whodunits that I love so much? I have recently started re-reading Peter Robinson’s Chief Inspector Banks books, and in the past two weeks have raced through four and am tackling the fifth now!

Actually, perhaps it is not hard to see why I am hooked. Back from my dream trip to England a couple of months ago, when Robinson describes the Yorkshire countryside, the sweep of the green valleys and meadows, criss-crossed with drystone walls and dotted with sheep, the meandering becks and lonely roads—something that he does with consummate skill—I can close my eyes and imagine myself back there.

Add to that the fact that Robinson is a skilful narrator. Having read all but two of the Banks books, I can’t remember a single one that didn’t grip me right from the start. The cases range from peeping Toms to perverted killers, and like all good fictional detectives, Alan Banks has you rooting for him. Unlike Reginald Hill’s Andy Dalziel (Dee-ell), Banks is easy to like, and he tries to say and do the right thing. If one thing rankles, it is how every major character in the book is so darned good-looking! Right from Banks, who is small and slight, but with dark hair and a mysterious scar above his right eye. He has been described as dishy by women ranging across all ages!

The Yorkshire connection continues with Reginald Hill, who is a very different cup of tea. His Dalziel and Pascoe novels are based in the region known as mid-Yorkshire. I have not been able to figure out the city/town. Superintendent Dalziel is a fat, coarse man, but even though he tries to hide the fact, his heart is in the right place. His political incorrectness borders on criminal insensitivity, but the coarse exterior hides arguably the most intelligent man between the pages of fiction His right-hand man is the suave Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe. The spectacularly ugly Sergeant Wield and lately the youthful Constable Shirley ‘Ivor’ Novello make up the rest of the team.

Hill’s strength lies in his sublime prose, something he churns out with effortless regularity without slipping into the ridiculous. There have been times I have stopped reading just to mentally applaud! The very forgettable Arms and the Women apart, the Dalziel and Pascoe books are wholly entertaining. In fact, On Beulah Height is the most stunning and complete crime novel I have read. (Just for the record, reviews of most of these books are available on Writeside.net’s books section.)

Moving further north, we come to Scottish writer Ian Rankin, and his creation Inspector John Rebus, based in Edinburgh. Rebus is a dark and brooding character, given to drink and depression. He has a reputation for being a bit of a maverick, and run-ins with higher-ups are routine for him. Actor John Hannah’s depiction of Rebus in the TV series is exactly how I imagined him! Partnering him—often in his madness—is his friend and colleague Siobhan Clarke. It will be interesting to see how the relationship between the two develops in this ongoing series.

Hill, Rankin and Robinson—in that order—take the crime writing genre to new heights. There was a time when I used to swear by the likes of Ruth Rendell and Colin Dexter, but that seems ordinary fare now. No offence!

~PD

7 Replies to “Do it like the Brits!”

  1. This is not the genre I usually read. But, the more and more you describe these books the more I would like to read them!

  2. 😛 Well, I know that a lot of people look down on the crime genre, etc., etc., but some of the book are surprisingly deep, and not just all about violence, sex and sensationalism. I admit I have grown out of the Agatha Christie, Perry Mason type of books, but there is a lot of choice out there.

    I was writing about British authors I liked (and I missed out Peter Lovesy!), so I didn’t mention Henning Mankell. If you have a problem with violence, try him. He appears to avoid describing violent scenes even if the crimes being investigated are very gory! His books are a bit hard to get used to because they are translated from Swedish, so some parts feel a bit awkward.

    *rushes to fix books section so I can spam you with links* 😳

  3. It’s funny the way you have described how you used to swear by Dexter but have since found Robinson, Rankin, et al.

    I have done it the other way round! I found Dexter a lot better describer of the surrounding story, and not just the detail. With Dexter I feel as if I am part of the story, as he brings in other characters with feeling, not just descriptions.

    I love Rankin (being Scottish myself) and if you like crime books with a little bit of humour added (like Carl Hiaasen I guess), a great British (Scottish) writer is Christopher Brookmyre.

    My current readings are all from Hard Case Crime (http://www.hardcasecrime.com), an excellent trip back to the days of proper pulp fiction crime!

    Thanks for an interesting blog!

  4. Degsy, thanks for your comments. Always on the lookout for new authors – in fact, I’m re-reading Robinson and tremendously enjoying it. Perhaps I should give Colin Dexter another go!

  5. Like the new layout!

  6. The Poms definitely seem to lord it over the crime genre. Even if you look at the classics, out pop Conan Doyle, Christie and Sayers.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.