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Cover of In a Dry Season by Peter RobinsonIn a Dry Season
Modern · Fiction, Mystery

In a Dry Season

by Peter Robinson
1999 · 480 pages · Fiction
Critics' pick
≈ 12 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

In a blistering summer, Thornfield Reservoir's waters fall to reveal the ruins of Hobb's End, a Yorkshire village drowned decades ago, and the bones of a murdered young woman. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks must unmask a killer who has escaped detection for half a century.

Why it's worth reading

It was an Edgar Award finalist. Many readers consider it Peter Robinson's best Inspector Banks novel.

You'll love it if you liked

Good to know

It moves between the 1940s and the present. It stands alone.

By the numbers

65.3Must-Read Score
  • Readers63 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics21 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller2 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Shortlisted
Edgar Award finalist (2000)

Reads as

Gripping

How we rank

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Explore the best-of lists

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Quick answers

Is In a Dry Season worth reading?

Yes. It was an Edgar Award finalist. It ranks #1,840 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 65.3 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is In a Dry Season about?

In a blistering summer, Thornfield Reservoir's waters fall to reveal the ruins of Hobb's End, a Yorkshire village drowned decades ago, and the bones of a murdered young woman. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks must unmask a killer who has escaped detection for half a century.

How long does it take to read In a Dry Season?

About 12 hours (480 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after In a Dry Season?

If you liked it, try Black and Blue by Ian Rankin, Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin or How the Light Gets In by Louise Penny.