Standing In The Shadows

I just finished reading Standing in the Shadows, Peter Robinson's latest Inspector Banks novel, which takes place in Yorkshire, in the north of England. The story centers around a skeleton that is found at an archeological site, which turns out to be a murder victim buried there about five years earlier, and is connected to another murder from 40 years ago. I enjoyed this book very much, and can heartily recommend it. However, when I read the fly leaf, I was shocked to find that they referred to Robinson in the past tense. A quick check on the internet found that Robinson died last year, and on the publication date for Standing in the Shadows, Michael Connelly, Ian Rankin, and Louise Penny hosted an online tribute to him. In addition to the tragedy of Robinson's death, it appears that many of my favorite literary characters are disappearing. There will be no more Inspector Banks novels, and Michael Connelly is thinking of killing off Harry Bosch, my all-time favorite homicide detective. In addition to that, Ian Rankin, in his latest book, has left Edinburgh police Inspector Rebus, his title character, on trial for murder. And John Straley has put Sitka, Alaska private investigator Cecil Younger in jail, where he has been languishing for several years now. This is indeed a sad state of affairs. Why do these writers not consult me before they make these stupid decisions? It defies explanation.