Such is the power of Peter Robinson’s prose that while reading his introduction to NOT SAFE AFTER DARK, I could almost visualize him modestly, even apologetically, pushing the book across the table to the reader.

At the beginning of this amazing collection, Robinson indicates that he finds shorter fiction more difficult to write than novels, where he has more room to explore topics. That may be, but anyone familiar with his long fiction --- particularly his much-heralded Inspector Banks series --- will be knocked off their pins by the 20 stories presented here, all of which are top-notch and perhaps show a darker side to his work than is illustrated in the Banks volumes. That is not to say that the Detective Inspector is unrepresented in NOT SAFE AFTER DARK; four stories featuring him are sprinkled throughout, including the novella “Going Back,” which clocks in at just under a hundred pages. But while Banks is welcome anywhere, and in any form, it is the stand-alone tales that truly shine here.

"If you are unfamiliar with Robinson’s work, you couldn’t ask for a better introduction. If you know his novels, his shorter work will show you a different side to him, and you will treasure it just as much as the Banks series."

I’m going to wax just a bit too long over “Fan Mail,” in which Robinson takes the theme of Patricia Highsmith’s STRANGERS ON A TRAIN, twists and turns it, and makes it his own within a few pages. It concerns a mystery writer who is approached by a reader for advice on how to murder his spouse. The author acquiesces, making only a modest request in return. There is more to all of this, though, with Robinson dropping surprise after surprise onto the page right up until the end. He also turns the concept into a horror story of sorts without a single drop of gore to be found. I had to suppress a scream at the end. Seriously.

“Some Land in Florida” pays homage, explicitly and implicitly, to Agatha Christie but also put me in the mind of the late Elmore Leonard, all while totally remaining a Peter Robinson story. It opens with what appears to be an accidental death involving Santa Claus, a keyboard and a pool. That’s all I’m going to tell you. I can’t think of another story I’ve ever read involving those elements, and I doubt you have, either.

Those of a certain age --- in their 60s and a bit older --- will recognize all of the principals in “April in Paris,” which is told through the eyes of a terminally ill man in his 70s who has returned to Paris, having taught university classes there during a time of social unrest in the 1960s. He recalls an ill-fated love affair that was set against the backdrop of an ill-fated cultural revolution. The story appears to be a character study until the protagonist inadvertently learns an uncomfortable truth that changes the entire tone of the tale. “April in Paris” may be fiction, but it has a ring of truth to it.

That said, if I had to pick a favorite, it might well be the aforementioned “Going Back.” Yes, Robinson gives himself some room to move here but accomplishes even more than one might expect, as Banks goes back to his familial home for the celebration of his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The story is close to perfect, given the way that it slices and dices through sibling rivalry, an adult’s relationship with aging parents, expectations and disappointments, demonstrating that (as Thomas Wolfe said) you can’t go home again, but you can’t ever really leave either. Banks also plausibly manages to bring down a couple of sets of criminals, one of which is right next door to his parents’ semi-detached house and the other of which is even closer. “Going Back” has everything you could reasonably want, and might even convince you that your holiday trip back to the family estates is somewhat ill-advised.

NOT SAFE AFTER DARK is wonderful. If you are unfamiliar with Robinson’s work, you couldn’t ask for a better introduction. If you know his novels, his shorter work will show you a different side to him, and you will treasure it just as much as the Banks series. What more could one want?