ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Peter Robinson, a Canadian crime writer was born in Castleford, Yorkshire, England on March 17, 1950. He is the son of Clifford Robinson (a photographer) and Miriam Jarvis (a homemaker). Since he was born far from luxury, the young Robinson did his best in school. In fact, he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree with honors in English literature from the University of Leeds in 1974. In the following year, he was married to Sheila Halladay (an attorney). They moved to Canada where he earned his master’s degree in English and creative writing at the University of Windsor in Ontario. There, he studied under American author Joyce Carol Oates before Oates moved to Princeton. Oates had rejected Robinson’s application into her creative writing program, but later attended a poetry reading and enjoyed his work. After studying at Windsor, Robinson returned to England but had trouble finding a teaching job. He blamed Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who took office in 1979, for budget cuts. He flew back to Canada and enrolled in a Ph.D. program at York University in Toronto. He enjoyed the region and teaching jobs were available, so he stayed.
Robinson began writing poetry and published some works. In 1990, he garnered the Arthur Ellis Award for best short story for “Innocence”; Arthur Ellis Award for best novel, for The Hanging Valley, 1990; Arthur Ellis Award for best novel, for Past Reason Hated, 1992; Torgi award for best talking book, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, for Past Reason Hated , 1994; Author’s Award, Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters, for Final Account, 1995; Arthur Ellis Award for best novel, for Innocent Graves, c. 1996; Macavity Award, for “The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage,” 1998; Anthony Award for In a Dry Season, 1999; Barry Award for In a Dry Season, 2001; Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere for In a Dry Season, 2001; Martin Beck Award for In a Dry Season, 2001; Arthur Ellis Award for best short story, for “Murder in Utopia,” 2001; Edgar Award for best short story, Mystery Writers of America, for “Missing in Action,” 2001; Dagger in the Library Award, Crime Writers of America, 2002; Arthur Ellis Award for best novel, for Cold in the Grave in the year 2000.
In 2002, Robinson was awarded the “Dagger in the Library” by the CWA. The thirteenth Banks novel, The Summer that Never Was (US Close to Home), appeared on the New York Times expanded bestseller list in February 2003, and on both the UK and Canadian bestseller lists and was nominated for an Arthur Ellis and an Anthony award. Playing with Fire, published in January 2004, was nominated for both the Arthur Ellis and Hammett awards. Strange Affair (January 2005) was nominated for Arthur Ellis and a Macavity awards. The books have been translated into nineteen languages. Piece of My Heart appeared in 2006, and in 2007, Friend of the Devil reached Number One in the Sunday Times hardcover bestseller list. In January 2008, Robinson was presented with the Celebrates Reading Award by the Toronto Libraries. Aside from those numerous achievements, Peter Robinson is also a member of the International Association of Crime Writers, Crime Writers of Canada, Crime Writers’ Association and Mystery Writers of America up to the present. He and his family are now peacefully and happily living in New York and sometimes in their other house in Ontario.
WORKS PUBLISHED
Peter Robinson published many crime novels. These are Gallows View which was published in 1987, followed by A Dedicated Man on 1988; A Necessary End on 1989; The Hanging Valley on 1989; Past Reason Hated on 1991; Wednesday’s Child on 1992; Dry Bones That Dream on 1994 (published in the USA as Final Account; Innocent Graves on 1996; Dead Right on 1997 (published in the USA as Blood at the Root); Not Safe After Dark on 1998 (Short stories; includes three Inspector Banks stories); In A Dry Season on 1999; Cold is the Grave on 2000; Aftermath on 2001; The Summer that Never Was on 2003 (published in the USA as Close to Home); Playing with Fire on 2004 and its continuation which is Strange Affair on 2005; Piece of My Heart on 2006; Friend of the Devil on 2007; All The Colours Of Darkness on 2008; Bad Boy on 2010; Watching The Dark on 2012; Children Of the Revolution on 2013; Abattoir Blues last 2014, and recently In the Dark Places in 2015.
STRANGE AFFAIR’S BACKGROUND
Strange Affair is the fifteenth novel by Canadian detective fiction writer Peter Robinson in the multi-award-winning Inspector Banks series of novels. The novel was first printed in 2005 but has been reprinted a number of times since. The story revolves around Alan Banks from the night when he receives a disturbing message from his brother, Roy which leads him to abandon the peaceful Yorkshire Dales for the bright lights of London, to seek him out. But Roy seems to have vanished into thin air. Meanwhile, DI Annie Cabbot is called to a quiet stretch of road just outside Eastvale, where a young woman has been found dead in her car. In the victim’s pocket, scribbled on a slip of paper, police discover Banks’ name and address. Living in Roy’s empty South Kensington house, Banks finds himself digging into the life of the brother he never really knew, nor even liked. And as he begins to uncover a few troubling surprises, the two cases become sinisterly entwined.