A Dedicated Man

This second book in the Alan Banks series finds the detective chief investigator getting used to his new locale, the Yorkshire village of Swainsdale. When a wealthy archeologist and historian is fatally bludgeoned and Banks begins his investigation, James Langton, who has chosen a thoughtful, middle-class London accent for the hero, is allowed the opportunity of displaying a variety of local dialects. Robinson's plot, as well crafted as always, is rife with suspects, including a melancholy village beauty whose success as a singer did not keep her from returning home, a smarmy writer of popular thrillers, a curious young teenager, and the victim's weary widow. Robinson clearly takes great pains to present them all in full and Langton's vocal interpretation makes them even more multidimensional. An Avon paperback. (Apr.)