DCI Banks (TV Series) Piece of My Heart: Part 1 (2014) User Reviews

Piece of My Heart: Part 1

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 3 August 2021]

DCI Banks gets all moony eyed with DS Cabot. The go to the movies.

They end up taking a detour to investigate the murder of investigative journalist Matt Barber in a chalet in Yorkshire. The chalet is owned by former pop star Liz Forbes.

The victim's father Jack is a former police officer who is standing for election as a Police Commissioner.

Forbes once belonged to a band that had an acrimonious split. One of the band members was killed accidentally. Fellow band member Martin Soames did time for manslaughter. He was the caretaker of the chalet.

Banks reckons that Matt's death is somehow linked to the demise of the band or the testy argument he had with his dad.

Banks is a fan of Liz Forbes so you sense she is going to be a suspect. Meanwhile Jack Barber is standing as a Tory and threatens the police what he will do to them one he becomes a commissioner. I reckon he will turn out to be bent.

Who is John Gaunt? Who's your daddy?

[safenoe · 10/10 · 14 November 2016]

This review relates to parts 1 and 2. Another impressive instalment of DCI Banks, one of my favorite British police/detective dramas (along with Rosemary and Thyme, The Last Detective, Inspector Lynley). Here the main plot line is the mysterious murder of investigative journalist Matt Barber in a Yorkshire chalet, whose father happens to be Jack Barber who is a police officer running for election as Police Commissioner.

One humorous moment is when DCI Banks gets all starry-eyed when he meets his music idol Liz Forbes, who happened to own the chalet that Matt was renting at the time of his murder. Anyway, Liz was the lead singer of 80s band Crystal Kiss, which had a one hit wonder. To add to the intrigue, the caretaker of the chalet was Martin Soames, who was also a member of Crystal Kiss, and who served time for manslaughter of a fellow Crystal Kiss member John Gaunt a few years back.

One motif of DCI Banks is a fancy Yorkshire house at the center of the storyline, usually in the Dales somewhere. Here it's the house of Liz.

Who's your daddy...wow...we learn who is father of DS Cabbot's daughter. It was a surprise to me and also to the father himself, who had no idea! DS Cabbot and the lawyer father had an affair (he was married with kids at the time). Also, we are introduced to Tracy, DCI Banks' daughter (played by Lily Loveless).

DC Tariq Lang (Danny Rahim) makes his debut appearance and I think he appeared until the end of season. In the wake of Brexit hopefully he can make a comeback so the producers can make a point.

That Old Time Rock and Roll

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 11 January 2019]

A journalist is murdered, his head bashed in in a chalet. It would seem that he had a connection with a band that had a couple of hits. The lead singer is one of Banks' favorite performers (he is a real music fan, especially the jazz-rock stuff. There is a scene where he is interviewing her and he is star-struck. The father of the murder victim is a man who is running for police commissioner. At first he is amenable to the investigation but we quickly see his temper when his motivations come into question. Also, one of the former band members who spent a few years in prison for a manslaughter conviction (he pushed one of his bandmates down the stairs, accidentally killing him). So the plot thickens as we move to the second episode.