Aftermath: An Inspector Banks Mystery (The Inspector Banks series) [Paperback]

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

'It demonstrates how the crime novel, when done right, can reach parts that other books can't... A considerable achievement' GUARDIAN 'Move over Ian Rankin - there's a new gunslinger in town looking to take over your role as top British police procedural author. With AFTERMATH, Chief Inspector Alan Banks emerges as a definite contender for fiction's new top cop...' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

... a leap into a rarefied sphere in which characterisation, mood, dark realism and suspense... deliver an unmistakably British, nigh-perfect tale. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The latest Inspector Banks paperback is set to follow the success of the hardback, taking Peter Robinson into the best-seller list.

Number 35 The Hill is an ordinary house in an ordinary street. But it is about to become infamous. When two police constables are sent to the house following a report of a domestic disturbance, they stumble upon a truly horrific scene. A scene which leaves one of them dead and the other fighting for her life and career.The identity of a serial killer, the Chameleon, has finally been revealed. But his capture is only the beginning of a shocking investigation that will test Inspector Alan Banks to the absolute limit. 'It demonstrates how the crime novel, when done right, can reach parts that other books can't . . . A considerable achievement' GUARDIAN 'Move over Ian Rankin - there's a new gunslinger in town looking to take over your role as top British police procedural author. With AFTERMATH, Chief Inspector Alan Banks emerges as a definite contender for fiction's new top cop . . .' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Peter Robinson grew up in Yorkshire but now spends most of his time in Canada. His Inspector Banks series has been awarded numerous prizes in the United States, Britain and Canada.