Peter Robinson (17 March 1950 – 4 October 2022) was a British-born Canadian crime writer who was best known for his crime novels set in Yorkshire featuring Inspector Alan Banks. He also published a number of other novels and short stories, as well as some poems and two articles on writing.

Early life Robinson was born in Armley, Leeds, on 17 March 1950. His father, Clifford, worked as a photographer; his mother, Miriam (Jarvis), was a homemaker. Robinson studied English literature at the University of Leeds, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours. He then emigrated to Canada in 1974 to continue his studies, obtaining a Master of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Windsor, with Joyce Carol Oates as his tutor. He was later awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in English at York University in 1983.

Career Robinson taught at several colleges and universities in Toronto, and the University of Windsor (his alma mater) as writer-in-residence from 1992 to 1993. He was best known for the Inspector Banks series of novels set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale. His first novel, Gallows View, was published in 1987. It garnered him the Crime Writers of Canada Arthur Ellis Award, which he went on to win six more times during his career. The series was eventually translated into twenty languages by the time of his death. He also wrote two collections of short stories – Not Safe After Dark (1998) and The Price of Love (2009) – as well as another novel, Caedmon's Song, released in 1990.

Personal life Robinson resided in the Beaches area of Toronto with his wife, Sheila Halladay, and he occasionally taught crime writing at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. He also taught at a number of Toronto colleges and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor, 1992–1993. Robinson and his wife had a holiday cottage in Richmond, North Yorkshire. He died on 4 October 2022, at the age of 72.

Awards and honours In 2002 Robison was awarded the Dagger in the Library by the Crime Writers' Association.

In 2020, Robinson received the Grand Master Award from Crime Writers of Canada, and in 2010, he received their Derrick Murdoch Award. Two years prior, he had been honoured with the Toronto Public Library Celebrates Reading Award. +Awards and honours for Robinson's writingYearTitleAwardResultRef.1988Gallows ViewArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalist1989A Dedicated ManArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalist1990The Hanging ValleyArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalist1990"Innocence"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short StoryWinner1991Caedmon's Song (The First Cut)Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalist1991"Innocence"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short StoryWinner1991Past Reason HatedArthur Ellis Award for Best NovelWinner1992Past Reason HatedArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelWinner1993Wednesday's ChildArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalist1994TORGI Talking Book Award1995Final AccountAuthor's Award, Foundation for the Advancement of Canadian Letters"Lawn Sale"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short StoryFinalist"Summer Rain"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short StoryFinalistWednesday's ChildEdgar Award for Best NovelFinalist1996"Carrion"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short StoryFinalist1997Innocent GravesArthur Ellis Award for Best NovelWinner1998Dead Right (Blood at the Root)Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalist"The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short StoryFinalistMacavity Award for Best Short StoryWinner1999Anthony Award for Best Short StoryNominee2000In a Dry SeasonAnthony Award for Best NovelWinnerArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalistBarry Award for Best NovelWinnerEdgar Award for Best NovelFinalistMacavity Award for Best Mystery NovelFinalist"Missing in Action"Edgar Award for Best Short StoryWinner2001Cold is the GraveArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelWinnerIn a Dry SeasonLe Grand Prix de Littérature PolicièreMartin Beck AwardWinner"Missing In Action"Anthony Award for Best Short StoryNominee"Murder in Utopia"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short StoryWinner2002AftermathArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalistThe Hanging ValleySpoken Word Bronze Award2004The Summer That Never Was (Close To Home)Anthony Award for Best NovelNomineeArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalist2005Playing with FireArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalistMacavity Award for Best Mystery NovelFinalist2006Cold is the GravePalle Rosenkrantz AwardStrange AffairArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalistMacavity Award for Best Mystery NovelFinalist2007Piece of My HeartArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelFinalistMacavity Award for Best Mystery NovelFinalist2009"Walking the Dog"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Short StoryFinalist2012Before the PoisonArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelWinnerMartin Beck AwardWinner2017"The Village That Lost Its Head"Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovellaFinalist2018Sleeping in the GroundArthur Ellis Award for Best Crime NovelWinner

Publications

Inspector Banks series The novels are set in the fictional English town of Eastvale in the Yorkshire Dales. Robinson has stated that Eastvale is modelled on Ripon and Richmond and is somewhere north of Ripon, close to the A1 road. A former member of the London Metropolitan Police, Inspector Alan Banks leaves the capital for a quieter life in the Dales. Since 2010 several of the novels have been adapted for television under the series title DCI Banks with Stephen Tompkinson in the title role.

Gallows View (1987), A Dedicated Man (1988), A Necessary End (1989), The Hanging Valley (1989), Past Reason Hated (1991), Wednesday's Child (1992), Dry Bones That Dream (1994), (published in the United States as Final Account) Innocent Graves (1996), Dead Right (1997), (published in the United States as Blood at the Root) In a Dry Season (1999), Cold Is the Grave (2000), Aftermath (2001), The Summer that Never Was (2003), (published in the United States as Close to Home) Playing with Fire (2004), Strange Affair (2005), Piece of My Heart (2006), Friend of the Devil (2007), All the Colours of Darkness (2008), Bad Boy (2010), Watching the Dark (2012), Children of the Revolution (2013), Abattoir Blues (2014), (published in the United States as In the Dark Places) When the Music's Over (2016), Sleeping in the Ground (2017), Careless Love (2018), Many Rivers to Cross (2019), Not Dark Yet (2021), Standing in the Shadows (2023),

Other works Although Caedmon's Song is a standalone novella, it is related to Friend of the Devil, which is also related to Aftermath. Caedmon's Song (1990), The First Cut – American edition of Caedmon's Song (1993), No Cure for Love (1995), Not Safe After Dark (Crippen & Landru, 1998 & Macmillan Publishers, 2004), (Short stories; includes three Inspector Banks stories) The Price of Love (2009), (Short stories; includes an Inspector Banks novella and three Banks stories) Before the Poison (2011),

References

External links Peter Robinson's official website Interview with Peter Robinson at www.TheCrimeHouse.com 2009