Reading order · 28 books · 1987 to 2023 · Set in the fictional Eastvale, Yorkshire
Inspector Banks Books in Order
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks moves from London to the town of Eastvale in the Yorkshire Dales, hoping for a quieter life, and finds anything but. He loves music and whisky, and his cases reach into the history of the north of England. Detective Annie Cabbot becomes his partner, on and off the job.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Series facts
- Books
- 28
- Published
- 1987 to 2023
- First book
- Gallows View
- Latest
- Standing in the Shadows (2023)
- Setting
- Set in the fictional Eastvale, Yorkshire
The reading order
Every Inspector Banks book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
28 books · Set in the fictional Eastvale, Yorkshire
- 1Gallows View1987With Alan BanksDetective Chief Inspector Alan Banks, newly arrived in Eastvale from London, investigates a peeping Tom and a series of burglaries that turn to murder.Buy on Amazon
- 2A Dedicated Man1988With Alan BanksA local historian is found dead under a drystone wall in the Dales.Buy on Amazon
- 3A Necessary End1989With Alan BanksA police officer is stabbed to death during an anti-nuclear demonstration in Eastvale.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Hanging Valley1989With Alan BanksA hiker finds a badly decomposed body in a remote valley.Buy on Amazon
- 5Past Reason Hated1991With Alan BanksA young woman is found dead in her cottage just before Christmas.Buy on Amazon
- 6Wednesday’s Child1992With Alan BanksA seven-year-old girl is taken from her mother by a couple pretending to be social workers.Buy on Amazon
- 7Dry Bones That Dream1994With Alan BanksA quiet accountant is shot dead by masked men on his farm.Buy on Amazon
- 8Innocent Graves1996With Alan BanksThe daughter of a vicar is found murdered in a churchyard.Buy on Amazon
- 9Dead Right1997With Alan BanksA young man is found beaten to death in an alley, and the case leads Banks into the world of racist gangs.Buy on Amazon
- 10In a Dry Season1999With Alan BanksA drought empties a reservoir, revealing a drowned village and a skeleton hidden since the Second World War.Buy on Amazon
- 11Cold Is the Grave2000With Alan BanksBanks is asked by the Chief Constable to find his missing teenage daughter in London.Buy on Amazon
- 12Aftermath2001With Alan BanksPolice called to a domestic dispute find the remains of missing girls in a cellar, and the aftermath touches everyone.Buy on Amazon
- 13The Summer That Never Was2003With Alan BanksBones found in Suffolk are those of a friend of Banks who vanished in the summer of 1965.Buy on Amazon
- 14Playing with Fire2004With Alan BanksTwo narrowboats burn on a canal, and the bodies inside lead Banks to the world of art forgery.Buy on Amazon
- 15Strange Affair2005With Alan BanksBanks’s brother leaves a strange message and disappears, and a young woman is found shot dead with Banks’s address in her pocket.Buy on Amazon
- 16Piece of My Heart2006With Alan BanksIn 1969, a young woman is murdered at a rock festival in the Dales.Buy on Amazon
- 17Friend of the Devil2007With Alan BanksA woman in a wheelchair is found dead on a cliff top.Buy on Amazon
- 18All the Colours of Darkness2008With Alan BanksA man is found hanging in the woods, and the case leads Banks into the world of the security services.Buy on Amazon
- 19Bad Boy2010With Alan BanksA woman comes to the police station to report that she has found a gun in her daughter’s bedroom, and Banks’s own daughter is drawn in.Buy on Amazon
- 20Watching the Dark2012With Alan BanksA police inspector is killed with a crossbow at a convalescent home for police officers.Buy on Amazon
- 21Children of the Revolution2013With Alan BanksA disgraced former lecturer is found dead on a disused railway line.Buy on Amazon
- 22Abattoir Blues2014With Alan BanksThe theft of a tractor and the discovery of blood in an aircraft hangar lead to murder.Buy on Amazon
- 23When the Music’s Over2016With Alan BanksBanks investigates old allegations against a famous entertainer, while Annie investigates the death of a young girl found by a road.Buy on Amazon
- 24Sleeping in the Ground2017With Alan BanksA gunman opens fire at a country wedding.Buy on Amazon
- 25Careless Love2018With Alan BanksA young woman is found dead in an abandoned car, and a man in a gully.Buy on Amazon
- 26Many Rivers to Cross2019With Alan BanksThe body of a teenage boy is found in a wheelie bin on a housing estate.Buy on Amazon
- 27Not Dark Yet2021With Alan BanksAn estate agent is murdered, and hidden recordings reveal something terrible.Buy on Amazon
- 28Standing in the Shadows2023With Alan BanksBones found at an archaeological dig are linked to the murder of a student in 1980.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read in order, starting with Gallows View. In a Dry Season, where Annie Cabbot first appears, is often recommended as a first read too.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Alan Banks | Brian Banks | Tracy Banks | Annie Cabbot | Winsome Jackman | Gristhorpe | Sandra Banks | Jenny Fuller |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Gallows View | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 2 A Dedicated Man | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 3 A Necessary End | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 4 The Hanging Valley | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 5 Past Reason Hated | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 6 Wednesday’s Child | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 7 Dry Bones That Dream | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 8 Innocent Graves | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 9 Dead Right | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ·Minor | |||
| 10 In a Dry Season | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 11 Cold Is the Grave | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | ·Minor | ||
| 12 Aftermath | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 13 The Summer That Never Was | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 14 Playing with Fire | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 15 Strange Affair | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 16 Piece of My Heart | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 17 Friend of the Devil | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 18 All the Colours of Darkness | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 19 Bad Boy | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 20 Watching the Dark | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 21 Children of the Revolution | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 22 Abattoir Blues | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 23 When the Music’s Over | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 24 Sleeping in the Ground | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 25 Careless Love | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 26 Many Rivers to Cross | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 27 Not Dark Yet | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor | |||
| 28 Standing in the Shadows | LLead | ·Minor | ·Minor | MMajor | ·Minor |
Characters in the Inspector Banks books
9 characters from Peter Robinson’s chart, with the number of Inspector Banks books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Alan BanksDetective Chief Inspector, later Superintendent | 28 | Gallows View 1987 |
| Brian BanksBanks’s son, a musician | 28 | Gallows View 1987 |
| Tracy BanksBanks’s daughter | 28 | Gallows View 1987 |
| Annie CabbotDetective Sergeant, later Inspector, and Banks’s partner | 19 | In a Dry Season 1999 |
| Winsome JackmanDetective constable, later sergeant | 17 | Aftermath 2001 |
| GristhorpeBanks’s first superintendent | 11 | Gallows View 1987 |
| Sandra BanksBanks’s wife | 9 | Gallows View 1987 |
| Jenny FullerPsychologist and Banks’s friend | 5 | Gallows View 1987 |
| Phil KeaneAnnie’s boyfriend, a conman | 2 | Playing with Fire 2004 |