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Final Account: An Inspector Banks Novel    by Peter Robinson Amazon.com order for
Final Account
by Peter Robinson
Order:  USA  Can
William Morrow, 2016 (1994)
Softcover, Paperback, CD, e-Book
* * *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

Final Account by Peter Robinson may have been written in 1994 but it loses none of its suspense or thrills in the passage of time. The author's writing is just as crisp and intriguing today as it was when first published. I can assure you that it is just as hard to put down unfinished as it was back then.

The victim in this plot is an accountant – as unlikely a victim as could be imagined. The fact that he was eliminated just yards from his wife and daughter is hard to believe. Such a terribly unsettling scene. Lies abound in this tale and fall as effortlessly from tellers' lips as any truth would.

Chief Inspector Banks arrives on the horrific murder scene to be just as baffled as anyone else. (I must admit I did have my suspicions which later proved to be right.) Lies continue and Banks can't come up with a solution. What he finally discovers was not a complete surprise to me, but did not diminish my enjoyment of the novel.

Apart from the mystery, which in itself is a major accomplishment, Final Account is a treasure trove of fine writing. Robinson describes the scenes he places his characters in with a master's touch and pulls readers into each and every one. They become participants in the action and can revel in English flora and fauna as well as the topography, all the while enjoying a fine mystery. You can guess I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. And highly recommend it.

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