In Memoriam - Peter Robinson

 In Memoriam

Peter Robinson (17 March 1950 – 4 October 2022)

Copyright Hodder& Stoughton

The crime fiction community have been shocked to hear of the death of Peter Robinson that happened on 4th October 2022 after a short illiness. Peter Robinson was a great crime writer and his DCI Alan Banks series had legion of fans. He was also a great writer of short stories.

The statement from his publishers Hodder & Stoughton can be read here. The Guardian newspaper also have a piece on Peter Robinson that can be read here, the BBC here and also the Globe and Mail

The DCI Banks series were adapted into an ITV series with Stephen Tompkinson, which ran from 2011 to 2017. His 2001 novel Aftermath was the basis for the poilot.

In 2017 Hodder and Stoughton celebrated 30 years of Peter Robinson and DCI Alan Banks with a month long celebration of events.

A number of his books and short stories have been nominated for awards worldwide. The first novel in the series Gallows View (1987) was short-listed for the John Creasey Award in the UK and the Crime Writers of Canada best first novel award. The fifth Inspector Banks novel, Past Reason Hated, won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel in 1992.

Innocent Graves which was published in 1996 was also nominated for a Hammett Award by the International Association of Crime Writers, and also won the Arthur Ellis Award.

In 1990 his short story Innocence won an Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story. His short Story The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage won a Macavity Award and was also nominated for both an Agatha and an Arthur Ellis Award.  Murder in Uptopia won Peter Robinson his fifth Arthur Ellis Award in 2001. 

In A Dry Season won the Anthony Award and Barry Award for Best Novel and was nominated for the Edgar, Hammett, Macavity and Arthur Ellis Awards in 2000. In 2001 it went on to win the France’s Grand Prix de Littérature Policière and Sweden’s Martin Beck Award.  Cold is the Grave, (2000) won the Arthur Ellis Award and was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. In 2006 it won the Danish Palle Rosenkrantz Award.

Peter was awarded an Edgar Award in 2020 for the Best Short Story Missing in Action. He also won a CWA Dagger in the Library in 2002.

Peter Robinson © Ayo Onatade

For three succesive years he was also nominated for a Macavity Award in 2005 for Playing With Fire, 2006 for Strange Affair and 2007 for Piece of my Heart. His 2013 book Before the Poison was a Dilys Award winner for Best Book and also Golden Crowbar (formerly Martin Beck) Award from the Swedish Crime Writers. In 2008 he won the Crimespree Magazine Award for best on-going series. 

In 2014 he also won awards in Finland for body of work and in 2016 the Great Calibre Award for body of work. Portal Kryminalny.(Poland) In 2006 he became a member of the illustrious Dectection Club.

In 2013 Peter Robinson gave a paper at St Hilda's Crime and Mystery Conference where he gave a paper on the increased popularity of true crime cases.

In 2020, he was granted the Grand Master Award from the Crime Writers of Canada, having previously been given their Derrick Murdoch Award in 2010. His books have been published in 25 countries.

Ayo and Peter Robinson © Ayo Onatade

Peter Robinson was a firm favourite with the Shots team and reviewers. Over the years the books have been consistently been reviewed and it is clear that they have been firm favourites with readers.

My abiding memory of Peter that will stay with me was his generosity. A number of years ago I found myself in Richmond, North Yorkshire visiting my judge Lady Hale. I can't remember how we found out that we would both be in Richmond at the same time but I found myself spending a very pleasant afternoon with Peter and his wife Sheila in their garden chatting away and being plied with food and drink. It was such an enjoyable vist and one that I will treasure.

His passing is a great loss to so many; his family, authors and readers. He will be sorely missed.

The latest Book in the series Standing in the Shadows is due to be published in 2023.

Standing in the Shadows by Peter Robinson (Hodder & Stoughton) Published 30 March 2023

Late November, 1980. English student Nick Hartley returns from a lecture to find his house full of police. He soon discovers that his ex-girlfriend has been found murdered in a nearby park, and her new boyfriend is missing. Nick quickly realises he is a suspect as he has no convincing alibi, but Nick has his own suspicions . . . Meanwhile, in late November 2019, an archeological dig near Scotch Corner unearths a skeleton that turns out to be far more recent than the Roman remains she is looking for. Detective Superintendent Alan Banks and his team are called in, and the investigation into the find begins but there is little to be gleaned from the remains themselves. Left with few clues, Banks and his team must rely on their wits to hunt down a killer. As the two cases unfurl, the investigations twist and turn to an explosive conclusion.