• In a Dry Season

  • By: Peter Robinson
  • Narrated by: Ron Keith
  • Length: 16 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (474 ratings)

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In a Dry Season  By  cover art

In a Dry Season

By: Peter Robinson
Narrated by: Ron Keith
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Publisher's summary

In a Dry Season, winner of the Anthony Award, is an outstanding example of mystery fiction. Peter Robinson's Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks conjures up memories of classic detectives like Philip Marlowe and Sherlock Holmes.

An insufferable drought ravages the Yorkshire countryside, depleting the Thornfield Reservoir, revealing the remnants of the flooded town of Hobb's End and the terrible secrets kept safe within its watery tomb. Amongst the ruins, the remains of a woman's body are discovered. Detective Banks deduces that the woman was strangled and repeatedly stabbed more than 50 years ago. His investigation takes him on a treacherous quest to bring a killer, who has escaped detection for over a half a century, to justice.

Robinson pushes the boundaries of the genre by giving listeners fresh insights into the myriad nuances of crime fiction. Ron Keith immerses himself in his multiple roles and superbly voices the novel's complexities.

Follow Inspector Alan Banks as he investigates Yorkshire's toughest crimes.
©2000 Peter Robinson (P)2004 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"Anyone who loves a good mystery should curl up gratefully with a cuppa to enjoy this rich 10th installment of the acclaimed British police procedural series....Once again, Robinson's work stands out for its psychological and moral complexity, its startling evocation of pastoral England, and its gritty, compassionate portrayal of modern sleuthing." (Publishers Weekly)
"Peter Robinson is an expert plotter with an eye for telling detail...the characters have complexity and the issues range broad and deep." (The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about In a Dry Season

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    5 out of 5 stars

Peter’s Best Novel

Very good plot. Longer than usual. Very good character development in Gloria. Also wanted to render respect and condolences to Peter’s family and all that know he is top 5 procedural writer. RIP PETER

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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loved it!

The crime, 50 years past. The murderer still alive. Banks solves the case. What happens to his marriage, his kids, his first roommate, all explained. Now I can go back to book 3 and enjoy the story. I hate too much suspense. If suspense is all you have. . . well, F it. A good story. That is what I like.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Terrible narration

This is a great plot, lots of fascinating twists and turns. I wish I had read it instead of listening. All of the previous books in the series were read by a different narrator who was just excellent. The present narration by Ron Keith is incredibly poor by comparison. These are the problems I heard:
1) he does essentially no dialects and the few he tries ring false. The Scots forensic pathologist doesn’t have a trace of a burr, for example.
2) the voice he picks for Banks is just awful. Banks sounds loud, officious, blustery, and brusque. He sounds exactly like Hatchley. It’s some kind of half-Cockney thing, inexplicable.
3) The narration pretty much shifts back and forth between a weird whining thing like the person is about to cry, and a strange grinning thing like the person is about to laugh.
4) The rhythm of speech stays monotonously the same throughout.
5) The narrator has some strange speech habits that apply to all characters and narration. For example, all words ending with “ing” are pronounced “ink,” i.e., “somethink” and “comink.”
I listened all the way through, but it was teeth-gritting.
I will continue with the series, but I will read any of the books narrated by Mr.Keith. I’ll start listening again when they stop using him.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Great listen

The book was quite good, ending was not visa ble until last chapter.The only complaint I have is the reader. After many books with James Langston, Ron Keith's performance was less than what I was used to. He does not change voices for the many characters so it is easy to get confused during the story. I almost put the book down after the first chapter but I hated to loose a good story to a bad performance. I am sorry that the rest of the series is read by Mr Keith. I can only hope he performance improves.

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A favorite

I've enjoyed all the books so far but this is my favorite. part of it is the back story of Britain during WWII and also the tightly drawn characters. Am looking forward to more if the same.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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heads up

good book but listen to it sped up, say 1.5X or at least 1.25X - reader is a bit slow

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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Better read than heard

This is a great book spoiled by a not quite poor reader. His Banks voice is abrasive which doesn't seem to me to hold true to the written character. Might be better read.

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

Great storyline!

Characters' tone of voice a little off at times. Not sure why Banks had to sound like the parody of a WWII drill sergeant . Otherwise a really enjoyable "read".

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Dark English mystery

If you could sum up In a Dry Season in three words, what would they be?

Mystery to the end

What does Ron Keith bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Ron Keith is a particular favorite of mine I and I originally chose the book on his merits. The book turned out to be a winner. I found out years ago the listening to a book being read was a far better experience than reading. While reading is a pleasure of mine, listening provides many nuances lost when reading.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have but I have the Ipod in my car for use while driving.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Don't Start in the MIddle

I found this book very interesting and enjoyed the listening experience, but would have preferred to read (listen) to the series in order, but was unaware I was starting in the middle.

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