Peter Robinson Books in Order

49 books are credited to Peter Robinson, published between 1987 and 2023; 1 of them appeared after Peter Robinson's death in 2022. The first book is Gallows View (1987) and the newest is Standing in the Shadows (2023). Publication order is the reading order below. 28 of the 49 books listed here are in the Inspector Banks series, which has its own page: Inspector Banks books in order.

Books
49
Published
1987–2023
Confirmed
49 of 49 titles
Pages on record
11,814 in 30 of 49 books
Reading time
197–295 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 11,814 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200300 words a minute, covering the 30 of 49 titles with a page count on record.

Photo of Peter Robinson, author

Born in Britain on 17 March 1950 and later a Canadian, Peter Robinson wrote crime novels featuring Inspector Alan Banks and set in Yorkshire, and died on 4 October 2022. Robinson's catalogue opens with Gallows View (1987), followed by A Dedicated Man (1988), A Necessary End (1989) and The Hanging Valley (1989), and lists 49 books through Standing in the Shadows (2023). Beyond the Banks series, the output includes standalone novels, short stories and novellas, along with some poems and two articles on writing. Police procedure, murder investigation and England are recorded subjects.

How many Peter Robinson books are there?

Peter Robinson has 49 books, released between 1987 and 2023. 1 of them were published after Peter Robinson's death in 2022. 28 of them belong to the Inspector Banks series.

Peter Robinson Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 49 Peter Robinson books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. 1
    Gallows ViewInspector Banks #11987 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1987256
  2. 2
    A Dedicated ManInspector Banks #21988 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1988352
  3. 3
    A Necessary EndInspector Banks #31989 · 416 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1989416
  4. 4
    The Hanging ValleyInspector Banks #41989 · 324 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1989324
  5. 5
    Caedmon's Song / The First CutPeter Robinson Standalone Novels #11990 · 336 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1990336
  6. 6
    Past Reason HatedInspector Banks #51992 · 384 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992384
  7. 7
    Wednesday's ChildInspector Banks #61992 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992352
  8. 8
    Dry Bones That Dream/ Final AccountInspector Banks #71994 · 320 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1994320
  9. 9
    No Cure For LovePeter Robinson Standalone Novels #21995 · 343 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1995343
  10. 10
    Innocent GravesInspector Banks #81996 · 400 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1996400
  11. 11
    Dead Right / Blood at the RootInspector Banks #91997 · 368 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1997368
  12. 12
    Not Safe After DarkPeter Robinson Short Story #11998 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1998352
  13. 13
    In a Dry SeasonInspector Banks #101999 · 468 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1999468
  14. 14
    Missing in ActionPeter Robinson Short Stories/Novellas #22000 · confirmed 3/4
    2000
  15. 15
    Cold is the GraveInspector Banks #112000 · 435 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2000435
  16. 16
    AftermathInspector Banks #122001 · 502 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2001502
  17. 17
    The Summer That Never Was / Close to HomeInspector Banks #132002 · 451 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002451
  18. 18
    Playing with FireInspector Banks #142003 · 354 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2003354
  19. 19
    Strange AffairInspector Banks #152004 · 396 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2004396
  20. 20
    Piece of My HeartInspector Banks #162006 · 430 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2006430
  21. 21
    Friend of the DevilInspector Banks #172007 · 424 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2007424
  22. 222008
  23. 23
    Going BackInspector Banks Short Stories/Novellas #12009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009
  24. 24
    Like a VirginInspector Banks Short Stories/Novellas #22009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009
  25. 25
    Birthday DancePeter Robinson Short Stories/Novellas #32009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009
  26. 27
    Blue ChristmasInspector Banks Short Stories/Novellas #42009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009
  27. 28
    The Eastvale Ladies' Poker CirclePeter Robinson Short Stories/Novellas #42009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009
  28. 29
    The Ferryman's Beautiful DaughterPeter Robinson Short Stories/Novellas #52009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009
  29. 30
    Walking the DogInspector Banks Short Stories/Novellas #52009 · confirmed 3/4
    2009

Peter Robinson series and characters in order

The character linked below has its own reading-order page.

Peter Robinson books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.

Inspector Banks books in order

28 books by Peter Robinson
  1. 1. Gallows View
  2. 2. A Dedicated Man
  3. 3. A Necessary End
  4. 4. The Hanging Valley
  5. 5. Past Reason Hated
  6. 6. Wednesday's Child
  7. 7. Dry Bones That Dream/ Final Account
  8. 8. Innocent Graves
  9. 9. Dead Right / Blood at the Root
  10. 10. In a Dry Season
  11. 11. Cold is the Grave
  12. 12. Aftermath
  13. and 16 more in the table above

Peter Robinson Short Stories/Novellas

10 books

10 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Inspector Banks Short Stories/Novellas

6 books

6 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Peter Robinson Standalone Novels

3 books

3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Peter Robinson Short Story

1 book

1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Bibliomysteries in order

1 book
  1. 33. Seven Years

Peter Robinson Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Peter Robinson books run from Gallows View (1987) to Standing in the Shadows (2023), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Peter Robinson in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Peter Robinson books in order?

You only need to read Peter Robinson books in order within the Inspector Banks series, which holds 28 of the 49 Peter Robinson books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Peter Robinson

Start with Gallows View (1987), the first Inspector Banks book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.

What is the newest Peter Robinson book?

Standing in the Shadows (2023) is the newest Peter Robinson book released so far.

Is there a new Peter Robinson book coming?

No next Peter Robinson book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Peter Robinson has won

Wikidata records 8 awards and 6 nominations for Peter Robinson. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Palle Rosenkrantz Prize2006Won
  • Dagger in the Library2002Won
  • Best Crime Novel in Swedish Translation2001Wonfor In a Dry Season
  • Grand Prix de Littérature Policière2001Wonfor In a Dry Season
  • Anthony Award for Best Novel2000Wonfor In a Dry Season
  • Barry Award for Best Novel2000Wonfor In a Dry Season
  • Macavity Awards1998Won
  • Edgar Awards1995Won
  • Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2009Shortlistedfor Friend of the Devil
  • Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2008Shortlistedfor Piece of My Heart
  • Hammett Prize2004Shortlistedfor Playing with Fire
  • Dagger in the Library2002Shortlisted

Peter Robinson at a glance

Died
Peter Robinson died in 2022, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Peter Robinson are still being published after Peter Robinson's death in 2022; the newest appeared in 2023.
Release pace
Peter Robinson books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
11,814 pages across the 30 of 49 books with a recorded length, a median of 390 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Peter Robinson books, 20 of 49, were published in the 2000s.

What the Peter Robinson books are about

29 of the 49 Peter Robinson books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: banks, alan (fictitious character) is tagged on 18 of 29. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.