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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
A murder investigation; no graphic violence
Language
Some
Some strong language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Adult romantic relationships including a lesbian couple; handled with respect
Substance Use
Barely any
Social drinking
Emotional Intensity
Some
The specific way that relationships that were already complicated become impossibly so when one person is murdered; Banks's instinct to protect people who don't want protecting
What this book is about
On Christmas evening, a woman is found stabbed in Eastvale — a piece of classical music still playing on the cassette player beside her. The investigation leads Banks into the world of a lesbian couple, a music teacher, and a circle of people whose relationships are more complicated than they first appear. Peter Robinson's fifth Inspector Banks novel is his first to deal explicitly with gay relationships — treated with careful respect — and one of the earliest in the series to show Banks's depth of feeling for classical music as a genuine element of his character rather than a detail.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
fifth of the Banks series
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