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Peter Robinson has been incrementally building a fan base in the United States for a while now, and though it is a dedicated one, it is at this point numerically somewhat less than what he deserves. His novels detailing the exploits of the quietly eccentric Police Inspector Alan Banks and D.I. Annie Cabbot are better known in his native Britain; this may change with the United States publication of PLAYING WITH FIRE.
The book finds Banks and Cabbot still working through the dissolution of their romantic entanglement while trying to keep their professional relationship viable and functioning. Both have found other interests that they are trying to maintain within the demands of their job when they are summoned to a Yorkshire canal to investigate a fire that has engulfed two barges and resulted in the death of two individuals. It is quickly determined that the fires were deliberately set. Within a short time, a second fire consumes a trailer in the remote English countryside and another life is lost. While the fires appear to be related, the connections among the victims --- a young heroin addict, a supposedly starving artist and a failed businessman --- remain unknown.
Robinson is in no hurry here, as he sends Banks and Cabbot along their respective ways while they attempt to unravel the backgrounds of the victims and seek to uncover the linkage that may determine the motive and, ultimately, the perpetrator. A dead end, a clue, a red herring ... all are part of the investigative process, and while things move slowly, Robinson's pacing is exquisite, maintaining a nice balance between describing the investigation and further developing the personae and relationships of the principals. Banks, especially, is an absolute delight. His life is basically his work and he has an eclectic taste in music, which ranges from the classical to Van Morrison to what is on the radio right now.
Robinson additionally relies more on quiet drama than explosions and karate battles to move things along. Most of the violent acts take place off the page, yet PLAYING WITH FIRE is not a "cozy" by any means. His description of the aftermath of a fire will almost certainly cure the reader of any longing for "char-broiled" fare. Robinson also takes a very subtle look into the world of artists and collectors. I have to confess that I learned more about painting after reading a few pages of this book than I did during an eight-week course on the subject.
PLAYING WITH FIRE also introduces one of the most cunning and calculating villains I've encountered recently; the black heart's identity is concealed for almost the entire book, though fans of the genre will spot him fairly early on. I have a feeling he'll be back; he's too good to be confined to a single book.
Robinson meets and exceeds the expectations created by such previous Banks novels as IN A DRY SEASON and CLOSE TO HOME. The conclusion of PLAYING WITH FIRE, while satisfying, leaves the reader yearning for more, and for the next installment of the Banks series. Highly recommended.
--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
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