The Hanging Valley

It began with a faceless, maggot-ridden corpse in a tranquil, hidden valley above the village of Swainshead. Or did it really begin with the unsolved murder in the same area over five years earlier? The villagers, especially those who frequent the White Rose, are annoyingly silent. Among the suspects are the Collier brothers, Stephen and Nicholas, from the wealthiest and most powerful family in Swainsdale; John Fletcher, a local farmer; Sam Greenock, owner of the village's best guest house; and his unhappy wife, Katie, who knows more than she realizes. When the Colliers use their influence to slow down the investigation and the others clam up, Inspector Banks heads for Toronto to track down the killer. He soon finds himself in a race against time as events rush towards the shocking conclusion. Peter Robinson is the recipient of numerous awards for his Inspector Banks novels, including the prestigious Grand Prix de Littérature Policière for the French translation of In a Dry Season, the Edgar Award for the short story "Missing in Action," Denmark's Palle Rosenkrantz Award, and several Arthur Ellis Awards for Best Novel. In 2002, he was awarded the Dagger in the Library by the British Crime Writers' Association. Robinson was born in Yorkshire, England, and immigrated to Canada after graduating from the University of Leeds. He now lives in Toronto.