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    Past Reason Hated: A Novel of Suspense
    Past Reason Hated: A Novel of Suspense
    Past Reason Hated: A Novel of Suspense
    Audiobook11 hours

    Past Reason Hated: A Novel of Suspense

    Written by Peter Robinson

    Narrated by James Langton

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A picturesque Yorkshire village is dressed in its finest for the upcoming Noel. But one of its residents will not be celebrating this holiday.

    Chief Inspector Alan Banks knows that secrecy can sometimes prove fatal-and secrets were the driving force behind Caroline Hartley's life...and death. She was a beautiful enigma, brutally stabbed in her own home three days prior to Christmas. Leaving her past behind for a forbidden love affair, she mystified more than a few. And now she is dead, clothed only in her unshared mysteries and her blood. In this season of giving and forgiving, Banks is eager to absolve the innocent of their sins. But that must wait until the many facets of a perplexing puzzle are exposed and the dark circle of his investigation finally closes...and when a killer makes the next move.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 24, 2010
    ISBN9781400182732
    Past Reason Hated: A Novel of Suspense
    Author

    Peter Robinson

    Peter Robinson's DCI Banks became a major ITV1 drama starring Stephen Tompkinson as Inspector Banks and Andrea Lowe as DI Annie Cabbot. Peter's standalone novel Before the Poison won the IMBA's 2013 Dilys Award as well as the 2012 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Novel by the Crime Writers of Canada. This was Peter's sixth Arthur Ellis award. His critically acclaimed DCI Banks novels have won numerous awards in Britain, the United States, Canada and Europe, and are published in translation all over the world. In 2020 Peter was made a Grand Master by the Crime Writers of Canada. Peter grew up in Yorkshire, and divided his time between Richmond, UK, and Canada until his death in 2022.

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    Reviews for Past Reason Hated

    4/5

    269 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A picturesque Yorkshire village is dressed in its finest for the upcoming Noel. But one of its residents will not be celebrating this holiday.

      Chief Inspector Alan Banks knows that secrecy can sometimes prove fatal'and secrets were the driving force behind Caroline Hartley's life 26and death. She was a beautiful enigma, brutally stabbed in her own home three days prior to Christmas. Leaving her past behind for a forbidden love affair, she mystified more than a few. And now she is dead, clothed only in her unshared mysteries and her blood. In this season of giving and forgiving, Banks is eager to absolve the innocent of their sins. But that must wait until the many facets of a perplexing puzzle are exposed and the dark circle of his investigation finally closes 26and when a killer makes the next move.

      My Review:
      This was a very interesting mystery with different characters and plot and I enjoyed it very much but not as much as some of the others I have read. I know this series keeps getting better and better so I do look forward to reading more from Peter Robinson.
    • 1/5
      Too much foul language and sexual content. Skip this author
    • 4/5
      Robinson's mysteries are always well-written and this was no exception. He has an excellent character in Banks, and a good supporting crew, although it is debatable if the newest team member, Susan Gay, will survive until the next story. There are many suspects and side stories to add complications and lead the reader astray. Surprisingly, I picked the culprit very early, which is why I downgraded an otherwise 4 star tale to 3.5 stars. If it was obvious to me it should have stood out for Banks too.
    • 4/5
      I discovered the Inspector Banks mysteries about 2001 when I read #12 in the series, Aftermath. I continued to read the books as they were published but a few years ago I decided I should read the earlier books. This is #5 so I still have quite a bit to go to read the rest. Meanwhile Peter Robinson keeps adding new books. How am I ever going to catch up?This book is set just prior to Christmas (probably 1990 since it was first published in 1991). A snow storm hit the Yorkshire area on December 22, slowing traffic and making things a little difficult for attending holiday parties. Inspector Banks and most of the Eastvale CID were at a party for DS James Hatchley's wedding. Newly minted DC Susan Gay therefore is the only member of the detective squad around to take the call about a murder. She decides to go to the hall where the party is taking place to get some senior members (remember, before cell phones you couldn't just get someone on the telephone when they were needed). DI Banks goes to the house where the suspected murder has taken place with Gay and other members of the team. There is indeed a corpse, quite a grisly one, and it is quite obviously murder. Caroline Hartley had a number of stab wounds to her chest. She was found by her partner, Veronica Shildon, when she came home after doing some holiday shopping. The first think Banks noticed was a record that was playing. It was a recording of a piece by Vivaldi called Laudate pueri, which is a requiem for a dead child. Banks is sure this is a valuable clue. Neighbours saw a few people come to the door including a man whom Caroline admitted to the house, a woman who just stood on the doorstep before leaving and another woman who also entered the home. Banks has to try to track down these people, learn more about the victim, and find out who might have had a motive to kill her. It's a pretty tall order right before the holidays.In this book Banks is still married to his wife. In fact he has a conversation with Veronica Shildon about her and their marriage. He said "I suppose my wife and I are still together because she has always been determined and independent. She'd hate to be a housewife worrying about meals and three-pence-off coupons in the papers. Some people might see that as a fault but I don't. It's what she is and I wouldn't want to turn her into some sort of chattel or slave. And she wouldn't want to depend on me to entertain her or keep her happy. Oh, we've had some dull patches and a few close shaves on both sides, but I think we do pretty well." So it makes me very curious to read more of these books to see why their marriage fell apart.
    • 4/5
      Past Reason Hated, published in 1991, is Peter Robinson’s fifth Inspector Banks book. By this point in the series, even though Robinson is not an author prone to using much of a subplot to explore the personal life of his main character, Inspector Banks is better known to series readers. He is now 39 years old, his wife Sandra is probably about the same age, his son is 17, and his daughter is a preteen with a rapidly expanding interest in boys, make-up, and what her friends think. The man absolutely loves to drink and smoke, preferably at the same time, and he still seldom passes up the chance to do either even when on the job. Interestingly, too, he does not seem to be particularly empathetic when encountering homosexuals of either sex during an investigation – even when, as in his current case, the victim turns out to have been a lesbian. (Was 1991 really that long ago?)Banks left the London crime scene behind a few years earlier hoping to be able to do his crime-solving at a much slower pace, but so far the citizens of Eastvale, the North Yorkshire town that became his new home, have not much cooperated. Instead, Eastvale and its surrounding suburbs have supplied Banks with a rather steady supply of murders to investigate. In Past Reason Hated, the murder victim is a young lesbian whose bloody corpse is found on her couch just three days before Christmas. Poignantly, the room is well-lit by a decorated Christmas tree, and an album of classical music is playing over and over on the stereo. Caroline Hartley was a new member of a community theater group on the verge of opening a timely production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, so Banks and his team begin their murder investigation with an immediate abundance of suspects. But, starting with the fact that no one else in the group even suspected that Caroline was gay, Banks and his investigators will soon learn that the real Caroline Hartley hardly resembled the woman she presented herself to the world to be. Banks keeps pulling on threads, the number of suspects grows longer and longer, and Banks even finds himself following leads all the way to the strip clubs in London’s SoHo district and back before he identifies the murderer.This is one of the more complicated plots of the early Inspector Banks novels, but ironically, it is also one that seems easier for the reader to solve than it is for Banks and his whole crew to figure out. It is a case of “one of these things is not like the others” that will give many readers a solid hunch about the murderer’s identity some 60% or so of the way through Past Reason Hated. And if those readers are like me, they will be disappointed in just how predictable this makes the book’s entire climax. This is one of those times I would have really preferred to be wrong because a surprise at the end would have been a whole lot more fun. Bottom Line: Past Reason Hated is a well-written literary murder mystery that fails to completely satisfy the veteran mystery reader because it is a little too solvable. That does not mean that fans of the Inspector Banks series should skip this one, though – not at all - because it does add a few details to the Banks character, especially as it relates to the detective’s past, that fans are sure to appreciate.
    • 4/5
      A lesbian woman who was in an amateur production of Twelfth Night is murdered. Does the motive lie in the present or in the past? Chief Inspector Banks and his team, which now includes Inspector Susan Gay, must puzzle it out. Everyone seems to be hiding something. Sergeant Hatchley married and received a promotion, moving to a coastal town, but still serving under Banks. The murder takes place just before Christmas. Most seasoned mystery readers will determine the perpetrator early, but the pacing of the investigation keeps readers interested regardless. I listened to the audio version read by James Langton who does a good job as usual.
    • 3/5
      As with many of Robinson's books, this felt familiar all the way through, like I'd read it before... or maybe it's his knack, for making things seem plausible... a cosy end to this years reading.
    • 4/5
      The more of Peter Robinson's work that I read, the more that I admire the man. Follow almost any series of stories about the same group of characters and one finds that the tales get more and more far fetched. If, as in this case, one is dealing with crime fiction, then one can expect more and more gruesome murders and plots that one could not possibly unravel because they are like nothing that could happen in real life. Robinson is different: a single murder, concern for his dramatis personae that does not verge upon soap opera, and that pleasant feeling of arriving at the solution just before the hero - what more could the reader ask of a whodunnit? Robinson does also manage to tackle issues but, without proselytising. This book was written in 1991 when a lot of us (notice that whilst I do not want to take the rap alone, I cannot deny my culpability!) held decidedly dubious views upon homosexuality. It would have been easy to fill the story with self-righteous characters who spouted anti-gay lines but that is not the author's way. He presents us with a middle-class lesbian set up, which is shattered by a murder; I will not spoil the denouement, but as the reason becomes apparent, the waste of life screams at the reader. Had I found thisbook at the time, I am sure that my acceptance of the rights of homosexual and lesbian couples would have been at least less tardy.I do not wish to push the morality tale argument too far because, in truth, this is simply a cracking crime thriller which gives the reader a couple of hours of pleasure; and who can wish for more from this type of novel? I enjoy reading the DCI Banks series so much, that I have to ration myself,or I would sit and read one after another until the series were complete and, rather like a naughty child (or me!), after too many sweeties, the result may be to spoil the delight.
    • 3/5
      Nice read and friendly as usual. Great in-car read on a long drive. Ending weak.
    • 5/5
      Past Reason Hated is another Inspector Banks mysteries that delivers surprising endings. Peter Robinson has me eager to read more of his Inspector Banks series. I made a purchase of 7 more of his paperbacks based on the few books I have already read.Have you ever read a series where you can picture the main characters in such detail they become real people to you? I can almost smell that cigarette Alan Banks sneaks now and then; I can see him slide from his Cortina after popping out the latest music cassette, ready for business.This novel is sets us up in Yorkshire just before Christmas. Caroline Hartley is found dead in her home, naked on the sofa, her throat cut by a cake knife. Gruesome scene to come upon and the main suspect is of course, the person who finds the victim. In this case it’s Caroline’s lesbian lover, Veronica Sheldon and Veronica’s ex-husband. Seems the ex was at the scene delivering a Vivaldi recording to Caroline earlier in the evening. (Now, wouldn’t your ex partner be upset if you left him/her for another?)We have a new character introduced here, Inspector Susan Gay. She assists in the investigation. In addition to Veronica and her ex, other suspects include the cast and crew of Caroline’ theater group and her disgruntled brother who evidently had sole charge of caring for their sick father. This is a good mystery, watching Banks and newcomer Susan Gay work with multiple suspects and scenarios, methodically eliminating the growing mysteries with each character.Banks makes his usual stops for pints and pub meals while sorting this out, blasting and enjoying his music in his old Cortina. One of Peter Robinson’s best, so far, in the series. I look forward to following Chief Inspector banks on more cases.Lamb is one thing I enjoy and associate with English pub meals. Let’s share a meal of grilled lamb chops, vegetables and an earthy Zinfandel to celebrate this book.
    • 4/5
      When an actress with a mysterious past is murdered, Inspector Banks and his team must sort out which of the many suspects, most of which feel guilty about her death, actually is the perpetrator. This installment in the series is slightly meandering with a huge amount of suspects, all of which are likely, but which are ruled out one by one through clever interviews, so since it's not an action-packed story, the tension comes from the puzzle which is slowly put together. There are more red herrings than you can shake a stick at, which gets a little frustrating, but it should do the job of keeping you from figuring out who really dunnit. The story takes place at Christmas and the cold weather creates a nice mood, but I did miss the regular descriptions of the lovely Yorkshire landscape.
    • 3/5
      After a disappointing fourth book in the Alan Banks series, Peter Robinson makes a great comeback with the fifth novel: “Past Reason Hated”.Just before Christmas, Caroline Hartley is found dead by in her house by her lover, Veronica Sheldon. Lying naked on the sofa, with her throat slashed open by a cake knife, the gruesome scene is accompanied by the sound of a Vivaldi record playing an infinite loop on the stereo. The first policewoman on the scene, Susan Gay, is a new character introduced in this book: a young detective working under our old friend, Chief Inspector Banks.One of the suspects is Veronica’s ex-husband, a known composer. Betrayed by the discovery that his ex-wife prefers women to men, and known to have visited the scene of crime the same evening to deliver the Vivaldi record as a gift to Veronica, police suspect this might have led to a spur-of-the-moment emotional murder. Other suspects are the cast and crew of a local amateur theatre group to which Caroline belonged, complete with their intrapersonal intrigues and dislikes. Finally, Caroline’s estranged brother, abandoned by her to take care on his own of their ageing and ill father, seems to bear a grudge big enough to have driven him to murder.Banks is at his best in this confusing multi-suspect setting, trying to weed out the obvious, but innocent, suspects and lure out the less obvious, but guilty, ones. Over his customary pints at the local pub and during the short, music-filled drives in his beloved Cortina, Banks gradually figures out who the mystery woman, witnessed by neighbours to have visited Caroline’s place at the estimated time of murder, is. Another masterpiece plot by Peter Robinson.
    • 4/5
      A decent police procedural with lots of suspects and red herrings. It's quaint reading because it's dated: written in the early 1990's it reflects the England of that time. Despite that it's a good detective story, one of Robinson's better books.
    • 4/5
      Nice, well-made, sensitive detective story, the first of Robinson's that I've tried. Nothing extraordinary: the cultural references are all carefully picked to be non-threatening for Classic-FM listeners (Vivaldi, Larkin, Twelfth Night); the plot is a Simenon-style single murder solved by careful teasing out of the victim's background; the mood and setting are maybe a shade too close to Reginald Hill for comfort, but there's no copyright on Yorkshire or on Guardian-reading detectives. From what others here say, this is an early story, so maybe the later ones are a bit more challenging.
    • 5/5
      An early Banks (first published 1991), but which is nonetheless a strong story about the apparently unexplained murder of a lesbian. As usual several red herrings before the guilty culprit is revealed.
    • 4/5
      This book explores all sorts of issues. The issue of family violence, the issue of sexuality, the issue of a troubled psyche. And we have the wonderful Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks trying to find his way through the minefield. Inspector Banks is a wonderful character. He is very real, and he is such an ordinary guy. That is part of his appeal. This book is set around the Christmas season in the northern part of England (Yorkshire) where Banks has taken up residence. A young woman is found dead in her flat. She has been brutally stabbed to death and Banks and his team try to find the murderer. There are far too many suspects, and far too many motives for Banks' liking, but he does manage to get to the answer in the end. Mr. Robinson knows how to write a British procedural, and I really am enjoying this series.
    • 2/5
      I really enjoyed this book. What I have discovered about Peter Robinson, is even though the books are a series, they are not all the same. For instance in this book, you learn about DC Susan Gay, who up to this point has just been mentioned, and that by other characters, you don't really see her. She is very smart but very insecure for lack of a better word. She is always questioning herself, and worried that others are looking at her critically and reporting on her to her superiors. One of those people who blames themselves when things go wrong, or if they make a mistake, feel they shouldn't have made it, even if it was their inexperience that caused it. Considering she is a female in a male dominated profession it is very understandable and Peter Robinson makes it very believable.
    • 4/5
      This book really leaves you guessing right to the end. I like the way the author is developing his characters into people the reader can empathise with. A murder has been committed on a young and attractive aspiring actress who was not what she seemed on the surface. Inspector Banks is confronted with more suspects than he could imagine and by interesting and sometimes amusing methods he begins to cross people off his list.Yet another book in this series which is entertaining, easy to read and attention holding.
    • 4/5
      Chief Inspector Alan Banks pairs up with newly promoted detective Susan Gay to investigate a picture-perfect Yuletide murder of a victim with a secret, violent past.
    • 3/5
      This is the 5th Inspector Banks novel by Canadian author Peter Robinson. Set in the English village of Swainshead, where Banks uncovers the unusual and disturbing past of Caroline Hartley, a victim for whom secrecy was a way of life. As the number of suspects builds, a shocking portrait of family secrets, hidden passions and desperate violence emerges. This is a very good series, growing more fascinating and richly detailed with each book.