A NECESSARY END: AN INSPECTOR BANKS MYSTERY Peter Robinson Markham (Ont.), Penguin Books Canada, 1989. 317pp, cloth, $22.95 ISBN 0-670-82478-X. (A Viking Book). CIP Adult Reviewed by Ted Monkhouse. Volume 17 Number 4 1989 July I see in Canadian Books in Print that Robinson has also written A Dedicated Man (Viking, 1988) and Gallows View. I'll be getting copies of those to read within the week. For the whodunit fan this is a winner. A police officer is stabbed to death during a peace demonstration in the Yorkshire dales. The peaceniks, flower children and societal misfits who live at Maggie's farm are immediate suspects. The story revolves around these characters and a Scotland Yard inspector who himself is a "character." Not an easy mystery for the reader to solve but there's enjoyment in the reading. The characters are well drawn and well rounded. Conflicting empathy is felt for everyone in the mystery. Those familiar with this part of England will recognize all the familiar features as the story unravels around the countryside. The language and descriptions are realistic and natural but may be a bit too much so for a school library serving those under eighteen years of age. It is not sensational or titallating, just a picture of normal events in the lives of normal people. Highly recommended for public libraries. Ted Monkhouse, Wellington County Board of Education, Guelph, Ont.