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Having read several later books featuring Inspector Banks, I decided to start at the beginning of the series. Although the book was written nearly 30 years ago, it did not feel too dated. The recurring theme of feminism does not have the same dominance today as in the mid 1980's but now has given way to other social and gender issues. And the desires of Peeping Tom's are now readily assisted by the presence of mobile phones and the internet.
The scene setting is very strong and very vivid. The characters defined, although not a lot of Inspector Bank's back story is known at this time but he does have his emotional challenges within his marriage.
The author's writing is strong with the intensity of action in the story definitely in the second half of the book. All in all, I thought a strong start to the series.

This was an odd book. It begins laughing abit about women demanding they be taken seriously but slowly it deepens into a discussion of the different ways men and women see things. And of course there is a murder and some other crimes to heighten the suspense. I am intrigued enough to want to read the next book.

This novel, first published in 1987, isn't old enough to make it classify as historical fiction yet it is old enough to make the issue of women's liberation seem dated. I'm glad to say that the lack of technology and forensic investigative resources never bothered me because it was so clear that they were not yet widely used. I wanted to begin reading this series with the first book in order to decide whether to continue with the rest and before I began buying them up. Now I'm slightly confused. When viewed strictly as a police procedural it was very enjoyable and I thoroughly liked the setting of the smallish English village of Eastvale in Yorkshire. There are just enough descriptions of the countryside and places nearby to allow me to understand the geography and the types of people native to that part of England. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks has only been in Eastvale for less than a year after transferring from London. Watching how he and his wife and two children are adapting to their new surroundings is a large part of this story. On the other hand, I didn't like the way Banks and several other characters were portrayed in their private lives. I have a clear view of Banks as a policeman, but not as a man.

You would not expect such a small town in the north of England to have quite so much crime, but there seems to be something of a crime spree going on. Since the incidents begin with seemingly small occurrences it takes a little while for the police to have enough information to effectively work on the cases. Then it becomes necessary to figure out exactly how or if they are related or connected. Pulling in the female psychologist to help with profiling the peeping tom seemed to come much too early in the story and explaining that it was done to head off any criticism from the local women's liberation movement fell rather flat when that argument over whether a man or woman should be consulted was never used by anyone.

When you read this novel you have to take into account the time period in which it was written and first released. The women's lib arguments did not seem particularly effective to me, but perhaps that is simply from hindsight. The police procedural aspects were quite well written so the novel was very much a success for me from that standpoint. I had planned to read the books in chronological order if this one proved satisfactory. Instead I think I will skip ahead in time and see if I like the way the author has grown the Alan Banks character. After all, it is Banks who must carry the story and if I find myself not wanting to read about the main character there really is no need to continue the series. Here's hoping the next book I read will give me what I'm looking for in a mystery novel. Also, I keep seeing reviews calling these novels "quick, easy reads". I read this book in less than a day. That isn't exactly what I'm looking for. If I am so involved that I just can't stand to put a book aside, that's one thing, but just being "quick and easy" is something quite different. I was involved in the portions of this book I was thoroughly enjoying so I hope the series becomes more developed along the police procedural lines.

Gallows View is the first novel in the popular Inspector Banks series by British author Peter Robinson. Banks, has recently moved from the high-crime city of London to Yorkshire, a sleepy little town, where crime is not particularly common and the residents have until now felt safe. He is happily married to Sandra, has two kids, is very dedicated to his job, and works long hours. Sandra has outside interests, and is presently taking photography classes, so Banks' long hours don't seem to present a problem. In this novel there are several things happening: 1. A Peeping Tom is targeting blonde attractive women, including Banks' wife, but leaves no evidence and has made it very difficult to catch him; 2. Burglaries are being committed all over town, primarily aimed at elderly victims; and 3. An elderly woman has been murdered in her home.

A very attractive female psychologist, Jenny Fuller, has been called in to help with the investigation of the Peeping Tom. Although she is a well-respected and first-rate psychologist, she is primarily chosen because she is a woman, due to the fact that there is a woman's group in the town that has accused the police department of putting the investigation on the back burner because the crime is only committed against women. In order to profile the stalker, Banks and Fuller find it necessary to meet often, and they generally meet in pubs over drinks.

Since Banks is the Chief Inspector, he has his hands full trying to solve the three sets of crimes. He is, however, an excellent investigator, and with hard work and a quick mind, finally solves the crimes in the end.

The setting for this novel is very English, which gives it a sort of charm that is missing from some mainstream suspense/thriller novels. The characters are just run-of-the-mill people and are very believable - no superheroes here with superhuman strength; no out-of-the-ordinary evil murderous villains or serial killers just waiting to pounce on the next victim; no graphic violence. Robinson's writing style is easy to follow and the book flows without any inconsistencies. There are several suspenseful moments in the book, and the ending is a totally unexpected surprise. This book is definitely recommended for those who enjoy well-written police procedural thrillers. Like me, once you finish this one, you'll want to immediately pick up the next novel in the Inspector Banks series and sit down to an afternoon of good reading.

This book was purchased with personal funds and no promotion of the book was solicited by the author or publisher.