Peter Robinson

  • 71

    Catalog books

  • 25

    Works

  • 1985 to 2020

    Strongest span

Who This Author Is

Peter Robinson writes taut suspense that centers on domestic danger and moral choices. In Close to Home he tracks a family’s unraveling after a violent incident, using tight plotting and emotional pressure to examine how ordinary lives fracture under threat and suspicion.

Playing with Fire continues Robinson’s focus on personal stakes and escalating risk, pairing swift pacing with character-driven tension. The novel explores how past decisions flare into present peril, keeping readers focused on shifting loyalties and the cost of seeking truth.

Best Place To Start

Strange Affair

Harpercollins • 2006 • longer commitment

It helps anchor a specific period of this author’s publishing run instead of blending into the undated shelf clutter.

Author At A Glance

Best known for: Standalone suspense novels blending psychological tension and domestic peril • Taut plotting with escalating stakes • Focus on ordinary people in extraordinary danger

Genres and themes: Psychological suspense • Domestic thriller • Crime and danger

Who this author is best for: Readers who like tight, propulsive thrillers about ordinary lives upended by violence will find these compact, character-driven novels satisfying.

Start with Close to Home for a tense domestic setup, then read Playing with Fire for more of Robinson’s brisk suspense style.

Top Books To Start With

  1. Strange Affair

    Harpercollins • 2006 • longer commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 2006 • 396 pages.

  2. Playing with Fire: A Novel of Suspense (Alan Banks Series) by Robinson, Peter

    Harpercollins • 2005 • longer commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 2005 • 368 pages.

  3. Playing with Fire: A Novel of Suspense (Robinson, Peter)

    Harpercollins • 2004 • longer commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 2004 • 354 pages.

  4. How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life

    Harpercollins • 2003 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 2003 • 263 pages.

  5. Close to Home: A Novel of Suspense

    Harpercollins • 2002 • longer commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 2002 • 389 pages.

  6. Strange Affair: A Novel of Suspense (Inspector Banks Mysteries)

    Harpercollins • 2005 • longer commitment

    readers who want one of the clearer starting points on this page

  7. Final Account

    Harpercollins • 2004 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 2004 • 320 pages.

  8. A Necessary End [Mass Market Paperback]

    Harpercollins • 2000 • standard commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 2000 • 317 pages.

  9. A Dedicated Man

    Harpercollins • 1999 • longer commitment

    UPB note: one of the most common used-copy publishers for this author • year signal: 1999 • 352 pages.

  10. Children of the Revolution

    Hodder & Stoughton • 2013 • longer commitment

    UPB note: year signal: 2013 • 416 pages.

How The Picks Compare

  • Playing with Fire: A Novel of Suspense (Alan Banks Series) by Robinson, Peter is the easier short commitment, while Strange Affair asks for more reading time up front.
  • Playing with Fire: A Novel of Suspense (Alan Banks Series) by Robinson, Peter gives you an earlier look at this author’s shelf, while Strange Affair leans later in the catalog.

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