Telemystery: DCI Banks, based on a Character by Peter Robinson, to Air on PBS in January 2013

Here's some telemystery news we missed from a few days ago: crime novelist Peter Robinson announced on his website that the ITV drama DCI Banks, based on his series character, will air on PBS in January 2013. (We can't find any mention of it on the PBS website, but we'll make a note to check back later this month.)

Stephen Tompkinson stars as Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks. A two-part pilot was originally filmed adapted from the twelfth book in the series, Aftermath (details below). Three additional two-part episodes comprise the first season: "Playing with Fire", "Friend of the Devil", and "Cold is the Grave", all based on existing books in the series. These episodes originally aired on ITV in late 2011.

A second season of three two-part episodes aired on ITV this fall, and a third season has been commissioned by the network.

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Aftermath
Peter Robinson
A DCI Alan Banks Mystery (12th in series)

The crime scene awaiting Acting Detective Superintendent Alan Banks is among the worst he has ever encountered. The assailant, Terence Payne, hovers close to death himself. And Payne's brutalized wife, Lucy — whose overheard screams prompted the original call — has already been moved to a local hospital for treatment. But these sins and tragedies pale before what else has transpired in a dank basement the press will soon dub the "House of Payne." Now that the fiend is in custody, the long nightmare appears over at last.

But is it? In Alan Banks's mind too many questions need to be answered before he can rest easy. How could the heinous crimes of a popular teacher like Payne have so completely escaped the notice of his peers, his neighbors … his wife? And was fragile, abused Lucy Payne a victim or a reluctant accomplice?

Despite the strain on his own personal life and relationships, Banks refuses to ease up on his investigation. Buried deep in the past are shards of irony, pity, and horror almost too painful to bear, and unspeakable betrayals that deformed more than one childhood. For Banks, for his lover, Annie Cabot — who suspects heartless political forces are setting her up to destroy a life — and for the beautiful consulting psychologist Dr. Jenny Fuller, there is much more that must be unearthed in the aftermath of abomination. Because the darkness has not yet lifted, and new casualties are mounting. And there are still monsters loose in the world …

      

Note: As of the date and time of this post, the publisher — William Morrow — is offering a copy of Aftermath with Bonus Material for just 99 cents. The links below are for this discounted version of the book, which will likely become inactive when the promotion ends.