Peter Robinson, who wrote the Inspector Banks series, passed away last week at the age of 72. He died in Toronto following a brief illness.
The author began his career as an author with Inspector Banks’ own debut, Gallows View, in 1987. In total, he has written 29 Inspector Banks novels (including 2023’s Standing in the Shadows) as well as multiple short stories. He has also published a handful of standalone novels and collections, and has several non-Inspector Banks short stories as well.
The Inspector Bank series was adapted into a television series in the UK, entitled “DCI Banks.” It starred Stephen Tompkinson as DCI Alan Banks and ran from 2010 to 2016.
Peter was born in Leeds, England. He earned a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Leeds before moving to Canada and earning his Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor. He ended up settling in Toronto, teaching at various colleges.
He won several Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence awards (formerly known as the Arthur Ellis Award) for his Inspector Banks novels. He also won the CWA Dagger in the Library Award, an Anthony Award, a Barry Award, and more. He was also shortlisted for a plethora of major awards throughout his career.