Chief Inspector Alan Banks is confronted with a baffling murder mystery when a young police constable is stabbed to death at an antinuclear demonstration attended by hundreds of people.

Reviews

Chief Inspector Alan Banks of Britain's Eastvale Regional Police reappears in another fluently written, superior mystery. In this third outing he plays good cop while Supt. Richard (``Dirty Dick'') Burgess, a special investigator from London CID, plays bad cop in investigating the murder of a young constable sent to keep order at an anti-nuclear demonstration. ``A full-blown riot in Eastvale, admittedly, on a small scale, was near unthinkable,'' Banks muses. It's a drowsy town of 14,000 that time has passed by, yet a murderer--one of the demonstrators--undeniably has struck with a flick-knife (switchblade). Dirty Dick, a notorious stud and heavy drinker, roars into town, convinced that Bolshies and terrorists have killed PCsic Gill. A user of terror tactics himself, he's intent on making a collar even if the evidence must be bent. He brushes off Banks's suggestions that the demonstration may have been used as cover for a grudge killing. In a story that uses considerable psychological subtlety in exploring the afterlives of '60s flower children, Banks traces the crime to its roots in the past. Toronto author Robinson ( Gallows View ; A Dedicated Man ) has created a stalwart cop in Alan Banks, a man who loves justice and understands a woman's heart. Mystery Guild alternate; paperback rights to Avon . (Mar.)

The author of A Dedicated Man ( LJ 7/91) returns with another fine traditional English mystery featuring Inspector Banks.

"Thoughtful...vivid...challenging...like the region that breeds them, the people in Robinson's mystery flaunt their colors but keep their secrets."--" New York Times Book Review"Excellent."--" Orlando Sentinel"A rich, multi-layered book, elegantly written and carefully plotted."--" Virginia Pilot and Ledger-Star"An exceptional series." --- Washington Post