MANY RIVERS TO CROSS Inspector Banks, Book 26

Narrator Simon Prebble's skill makes this story ripped from today's headlines fascinating--and alarming. Yorkshire's Detective Superintendent Alan Banks is occupied with drug wars (locals against an Albanian mob), sex trafficking, and anti-Muslim activities. Listeners will be shocked when a harmless, old druggie, and a young Syrian boy are found murdered. Robinson's usual engaging characters are mostly absent, while a new person, Zelda Melnic, takes center stage. But even Prebble's superb Moldovan accent and impressive descriptive skills of this super recognizer (one who never forgets a face) fail to make her likable. Prebble excels with raw emotion and soulless thugs but adds levity when Banks questions 85-year-old Mrs. Grunfeld, a witness who sets him straight about the reliable observations of the elderly. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2020]