whilst reading the latest Peter Robinson Inspector Banks novel “When the music’s over” brought to mind an article I had read in the daily mail a few weeks back concerning the crime novelist Peter James’s Roy Grace novel “Want You Dead”. The article see here discusses the concern of a victim of a heinous crime that the James novels plot fully explores her ordeal and there are concerns that the police force that dealt with her case had provided too much insight into her case. It is no secret that James has connections with Sussex Police as he acknowledges the support of various current and former members of the force he also acknowledges he has based Roy Grace on a former Detective Chief Superintendent .
Robinson’s latest Inspector Banks novel has two stories. These stories draw heavily from the very recent public cases surrounding historic celebrity abuse and of child exploitation think savil and rotherham. Both stories actually mention the stories in context. Robinson does not tend to acknowledge sources for his work though this books does acknowledge works by others as his reference.
James has written since 2005 to date 12 novels surrounding his character Roy Grace the books have been published yearly without break. Robinson has written since 1987 24 novels surrounding Inspector Banks with the odd year or so of breaks. It must be very difficult to come up with unique ideas for each book that can be researched and written within set timescales for a yearly release given that today authors are expected to travel the country and world promoting their novels and quite often are producing a second unrelated book or advising on television adaptation during that year. It there therefore little wonder that they draw their ideas from real life events. The question is how far should the story follow fully the real life event. One has to sympathize with the victims of crime that recognize fully/partially their story in fiction. Unlike television no warnings are provided upfront about content or help organisations are mentioned at any point if you have been affected.
James in the main sets his Roy Grace novels in Sussex specifically Brighton whilst Robinson in the main sets his Inspector Banks novels in Yorkshire though Eastvale is his own creation modeled on Ripon and Richmond.
Robinson often mentions the local Black Sheep brewery plus various music album and artist references . James mentions actual hotel and businesses within the sussex area. This must be a good source of advertising for the companies mentioned.