• Gallows View

  • By: Peter Robinson
  • Narrated by: Mark Honan
  • Length: 8 hrs and 45 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (473 ratings)

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Gallows View  By  cover art

Gallows View

By: Peter Robinson
Narrated by: Mark Honan
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Publisher's summary

Former London policeman Alan Banks relocated to Yorkshire seeking some small measure of peace. But depravity and violence are unfortunately not unique to large cities. His new venue, the quaint little village of Eastvale, seems to have more than its fair share of malefactors---among them a brazen Peeping Tom who hides in night's shadows spying on attractive, unsuspecting ladies as they prepare for bed.

When an elderly woman is found brutally slain in her home, Chief Inspector Banks wonders if the voyeur has increased the awful intensity of his criminal activities. But whether related or not, perverse local acts and murderous ones are combining to profoundly touch Banks's suddenly vulnerable personal life, forcing a dedicated law officer to make hard choices he'd dearly hoped would never be necessary.

©2009 Peter Robinson (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"An extremely well-fashioned police procedural." ( The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about Gallows View

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Wrong interpretation

I've read most all of Peter Robinson's books and this being the first in the series it is not his best. That being said, the real problem with ths audio book is the narration. It portrays Banks with low brow accent, unsophisticated and bumbling. Not at all giving justice to Mr. Robinson's witty character, Inspector Banks.

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37 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointing

Always on the lookout for a writer who can really grab my attention. Watched some of the DCI Banks episodes on Public Television so thought I would try one of the books. Of course it makes sense to start with the first one, even though one must also be prepared for the possibility that the writer has not quite got into his stride. Actually, while Robinson's dialog for the most part creaks and he seems to be a little overenthusiastic in describing the bits where people take their clothes off, there is no doubt he has a way with words. This comes out especially in his descriptions of the surrounding countryside, which verge on the poetic. And while the sub-plots are not sophisticated, nor are they deficient to the point of interfering with one's overall enjoyment. So that doesn't sound so bad.
Well, it is. Because the reading is frankly horrendous. It's not just that Mr. Honan has some difficulties handling the considerable number of regional accents involved, and he does have some difficulties - I don't think I heard anything that passed for genuine Yorkshire in the whole book (watch the Herriot stories on Public Television and you'll get the idea). It is the consistent over emphasis that appears to imbue every action, every event, every line of dialog, every descriptive pasage with a sense of critical importance, not unlike television news reporters who seem to think no-one will listen to them unless they shout. Now it is not clear as to whether Mr. Honan's delivery is his own idea or whether he is being directed. No matter which, it effectively destroys the story, hence my low rating. What Mr. Honan fails to appreciate, even though it is stated explicitly at least twice, is that our hero has come up to Yorkshire expecting a quiet, mondane life. The author provides a quiet small Yorkshire town with a market place and people going about their unexciting lives as a backdrop against which the unaccustomed criminal activity should stand out in sharp relief. Mr. Honan takes the entire book, no matter what is happening, like the Ride of the Valkyries. How much nuance I have lost as a result I cannot say. After a while I was punch-drunk, though I saw it through to the end. Fortunately I note that the remaining Banks books are read by James Langton and Simon Prebble. Prebble I know from the Dick Francis books and am thoroughly at home with. Langton has read around 130 books and must be doing something right. Either one will surely be a relief from Mr. Honan's non-stop histrionics.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Love the book, but the not the performance

DCI Banks is a great character. I am always disturbed by the fact that his physical description does not at all fit the actor who portrayed him in the BBC versions, but nonetheless, he is an engaging character whose personal and inner life provide a good counterpoint to the stories of crime and detection. I found the narrator's super deep voice not the best choice for Banks, and he does not do well on reading many of the other characters, especially the female ones. I found these issues detracted from the overall impression, but still I enjoyed listening to the book.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Narration is all !

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I wouldn't: I was nearly put off Robinson forever. Happily, I had brains enough to check that the rest of his Banks books are NOT narrated by Honan.

Would you be willing to try another one of Mark Honan’s performances?

No. Someone has told him that he must sound bright and cheerful. The rolling 'r's were almost enough to make me not finish this book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I NEVER watch movies of books I've read and liked.

Any additional comments?

The switch from Honan to Langton is the best thing that happened to Robinson in the audio field !

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice Start to the Inspector Banks series

This was my first encounter with DCI Banks from Peter Robinson. It found the plot interesting, and the movement from one set of characters to another was smooth. The performance wasn't the best I have heard, and the female characters were sometimes a bit difficult.

Overall, I would recommend this to a fan of the British contemporary crime novel.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Don't let narration scare you off

There's a lot of negative comments on the narration. Don't let that distract you from the story.

If you've come to DCI Banks after seeing the adaption on BBC, you likely have a predisposition to what the character of Banks should be. But, the TV image doesn't necessarily sync with the author's physical description. However, Banks' intuition, character qualities, and investigative excellence come through.

The background settings are well described, and character development is well done. The story moves along well.

Very enjoyable. I look forward to the rest of the series.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Police Procedural, First in Series

Peter Robinson really got my attention after picking and reading a very Suspenseful Mystery Novel, called "After the Poison," I wanted more and found that he had a Crime/Detective Series around Detective Alan Banks. I read this quite a good while back.

I liked getting to meet this personality and his interesting co-workers and relationships. There's just enough depth and complexity in them with promise of more. Great sense of detail without being wordy. Multiple cases and sub-stories unfold rapidly. Robinson began here in 2008. This got me started looking forward to and as much interested in following the aging and life of DCI Alan Banks & Co. Also love learning about the geography, people/culture of Yorkshire Dales. Not the depth of "Before the Poison," but a breezy read that is still filling.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Easy and relaxing

I so enjoyed this- lots of mild humor; good relationships- great style- no gore. My cup of tea

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good intro to what I hope is a fine series

There is promise in this book but it feels a touch old-fashioned in its sensibility, with all the discussions of smoking in buildings, men debating women’s lib, etc. That said, it could grow. I will give it another chance!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Gallows View

narrator was fantastic!

story was good but dragged in a few places. this is the first in a series so i think you take more time setting up the characters and location. i love the TV series based on these novels

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1 person found this helpful