Peter Robinson (17 March 1950–4 October 2022) was a British-born Canadian crime writer best known for the Inspector Alan Banks novels. Born in Yorkshire, he studied English literature at the University of Leeds before moving to Canada for graduate work at the University of Windsor and York University. He later taught at Toronto-area colleges and universities and served as Writer-in-Residence at the University of Windsor.
His first novel, Gallows View (1987), introduced Banks, a detective whose cases are largely set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Eastvale. Robinson developed the series across more than three decades, combining police investigation with an interest in place, social change, and the personal lives of recurring characters. The novels were adapted for the ITV drama DCI Banks. He also wrote standalone fiction, including the catalogued No Cure for Love, as well as short stories and the anthology The Penguin Book of Crime Stories.
Robinson received major recognition in British, Canadian, American, and European crime writing. His final Inspector Banks novel, Standing in the Shadows, was published posthumously in 2023. In tribute to his contribution to Canadian crime fiction, Crime Writers of Canada renamed its Best Crime Novel prize the Peter Robinson Award for Best Crime Novel beginning in 2024. His official site remains maintained as a record of his books, archive, and commemorative events.
This profile is awaiting source review; collected books are already linked below.
