Order of Inspector Banks Books
Inspector Alan Banks is a fictional character featured in a series of novels as well as short stories by English-Canadian author Peter Robinson. After working in the Unsolved Crime Squad for the Metropolitan Police in London, Banks got sick and tired of the materialism of the big city, packed his bags and left for the (fictional) town of Eastvale near Yorkshire. He works there as Detective Chief Inspector. The series has been adapted into a television series by ITV called DCI Banks, with the title character played by Stephen Tompkinson.
The Inspector Banks series began in 1987 with the novel Gallows View. Ever since then, Robinson has written approximately one new book per year in the series. Below is a list of Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks books in order of when they were originally published (and in chronological order):
Publication Order of Inspector Banks Books
| Gallows View | (1987) |    |
| A Dedicated Man | (1988) | |
| A Necessary End | (1989) | |
| The Hanging Valley | (1989) | |
| Past Reason Hated | (1992) | |
| Wednesday's Child | (1992) | |
| Dry Bones That Dream/ Final Account | (1994) | |
| Innocent Graves | (1996) | |
| Dead Right / Blood at the Root | (1997) | |
| In a Dry Season | (1999) | |
| Cold is the Grave | (2000) | |
| Aftermath | (2001) | |
| The Summer That Never Was / Close to Home | (2002) | |
| Playing with Fire | (2003) | |
| Strange Affair | (2004) | |
| Piece of My Heart | (2006) | |
| Friend of the Devil | (2007) | |
| All the Colors of Darkness | (2008) | |
| The Price of Love: And Other Stories | (2009) | |
| Bad Boy | (2010) | |
| Watching the Dark | (2012) | |
| Children of the Revolution | (2013) | |
| Abattoir Blues / In the Dark Places | (2014) | |
| 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) | |
Publication Order of Inspector Banks Short Stories/Novellas
| Going Back | (2009) | |
| Like a Virgin | (2009) | |
| Blue Christmas | (2009) | |
| Walking the Dog | (2009) | |
| Summer Rain | (2015) | |
Notes: Dry Bones That Dream is also known as Final Account. Dead Right was also published as Blood at the Root. The Summer That Never Was is also known as Close To Home. Caedmon’s Song is also known as The First Cut.
Over half way through the Peter Robinson’s DCI Banks series and I’m really enjoying the books. Some are better than others. I have also run into the name change on books which make it a little confusing. Not sure why they have to that.
Hi Thanks for making the lists. I find so many book series here 🙂 There’s one correction for this one. In Dark Places is the US name of the book Abattoir Blues according to Robinson’s website. http://www.inspectorbanks.com/books/
And there are two new books
When the Music’s Over – 2016
No Cure for Love – 2015
Abattoir Blues – 2014 (US title, In the Dark Places)
Ah, thank you for clarifying. I have just discovered the series and couldn’t understand why I kept finding different titles. Much appreciated!
I apologize! I am in error (not for the first time). “Before the Poison” is a stand-alone novel by Peter Robinson.
A novel in the DCI Alan Banks series has been omitted! The novel in the series following “Bad Boy” is “Before the Poison.”
couple of errors here – Blood Right was not also published as Dead at the Root, it should be Dead Right was also published as Blood at the Root. Also Caedmon’s Song does not appear in the List though I suppose it is not strictly an Inspector Banks novel, though it is a precursor to Friend of the Devil.