Abattoir Blues: The 22nd DCI Banks novel from The Master of the Police Procedural

Peter Robinson

Jul 2014 · Hachette UK

About this ebook

The twenty-second instalment of the bestselling DCI Banks series, called 'Classic Robinson: labyrinthine plot merged with deft characterisation' by The Observer.

Two missing boys; a stolen bolt gun; one fatal shot.
Three ingredients for murder.

Misled from the start, DCI Banks and his team are far from enthusiastic when they're called to investigate the theft of a tractor. But this is no trivial case of rural crime. A blood stain is found in an abandoned hangar, two main suspects vanish without a trace, and events take a darkly sinister turn.

As each lead does little to unravel the mystery, Banks feels like the case is coming to a dead end. Until a road accident reveals some alarming evidence, which throws the investigation to a frightening new level.

Someone is trying to cover their tracks - someone with very deadly intent . . .

The final novel in the DCI Banks series, STANDING IN THE SHADOWS, is available now.

Ratings and reviews

Struggled to finish this book. not very exciting, disappointed

Loved every line of it. Peter Robinson is a great writer.

Another compelling read.

About the author

Peter Robinson's DCI Banks became a major ITV1 drama starring Stephen Tompkinson (Wild at Heart, Ballykissangel) as Inspector Banks, and Andrea Lowe (The Bill, Murphy's Law) 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.