In a Dry Season
 | |
| Author | Peter Robinson |
|---|---|
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
| Series | Inspector Alan Banks, #10 |
| Genre | Crime novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | 1999 |
| Media type | Print (hardback, paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-330-39201-8 |
| OCLC | 50877992 |
| Preceded by | Dead Right |
| Followed by | Cold is the Grave |
In a Dry Season is the tenth novel by Canadian detective fiction writer Peter Robinson in the Inspector Banks series of novels. The novel was first printed in 1999, but has been reprinted a number of times since. The novel is widely acclaimed as Robinson's best, a large step forward in ambition from previous books, and this was reflected in its critical and commercial response. The novel was nominated for the 1999 Hammett Prize,[1] was shortlisted for the American Edgar Award and won the 2000 Anthony Award for 'Best Novel'.[2]
Plot
The novel concerns the unearthing of a skeleton from the sunken village of Hobb's End, which was turned into a reservoir during the war and now, due to severe dry weather, has been revealed again. The novel is told in two strands, one in the present, and one in the 1940s from the time just before the reservoir was created.
Research on the period
After researching the Second World War for In a Dry Season, Robinson wrote two short stories set in wartime (1940s) Yorkshire involving Frank Bascombe a "special constable in the war" and veteran of the First World War: Missing in Action and In Flanders Fields, which were published in Not Safe After Dark.[3] A third story "Cornelius Jubb" in The Price of Love involves "Constable Bascombe", although he could not use the full name "Frank Bascombe" in the collection for copyright reasons; see Introduction and Afternotes to the collections.
Location of setting
With its setting in Yorkshire, England, the name of the lost village "Hobb's End" and other local references, it is highly possible that Robinson based the location on the real life lost village of "West End", the ruins of which lie under Thruscross reservoir (also in Yorkshire). During exceptionally dry summers, the remains of West End have been exposed as the reservoir dries up, just as the fictional Hobb's End is in this novel.
References
- ↑ "The Hammett Prize: Past Winners, Nominees, and Judges". www.crimewritersna.org. International Association of Crime Writers, North American Branch. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ↑ "Winners and Nominees 2000s". www.bouchercon.com. Bouchercon. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
- ↑ Robinson, Peter (2014). "Introduction". Not safe after dark and other works. London: Pan MacMillan. p. 4. ISBN 9781447225515.