Aftermath: A Novel of Suspense (Inspector Banks Novels)

Robinson, Peter

ISBN 10: 0380811812 / ISBN 13: 9780380811816

Published by Avon, 2002

Seller Inventory # 0380811812-4-20331114

Synopsis:

Inspector Banks takes a journey into the dark side of human nature when he is called in to investigate the disappearance of several girls in Yorkshire, a crime that takes a deadly turn when their bodies are discovered by two police officers answering a domestic disturbance call. Reprint.

Review: The mystery novels of Peter Robinson (Aftermath is his 12th) have only increased with power and intelligence. It's a dirty little secret of the crime-fiction genre that many of its writers simply spin their wheels, repeating a successful formula and hoping, if not assuming, that their fans won't notice. Writers like Robinson, however, actually seem to grow in front of our eyes, delivering books of greater complexity each time. His previous two books, Cold Is the Grave and In a Dry Season, were equally novels of character and novels of crime and Aftermath is no exception.

Like recent books by fellow English writers Reginald Hill, Val McDermid and Stephen Booth, Aftermath centres upon a grim case in which attractive young girls have disappeared, victims of a cunning psychotic killer whose identity is well concealed behind a façade of respectability. Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks of the Yorkshire Police is in charge of the case, but he's also got unavoidable personal distractions. His estranged wife is pregnant by her lover and wants the divorce he's been dragging his heels over.

There is nothing cosy about the kind of English mysteries written by Peter Robinson, even if they do take place in picturesque rural villages. He's not afraid of gore, deviance, violence or any of the baser emotions and it's a raw old world behind the hedgerows and cottage walls. If Aftermath is your first taste of his tough-tender sensibility, it won't be surprising if you are soon hooked on the work of one of today's most accomplished practitioners of detective fiction. --Otto Penzler

Bibliographic Details

Title: Aftermath: A Novel of Suspense (Inspector ...
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: 2002
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Condition: Fair