Aftermath

The elusive serial killer "Chameleon" is caught, but for DCI Banks, it's not the end of the mystery because he needs to figure out if the killer had accomplices or if there may be a copycat on the loose. This is another great installment in a really solid mystery series; the plot is good, the crime gruesome, and the characters are probable, likable, and annoying all in one package. I do enjoy following along in the continuing saga that is Banks' personal life - this installment has a huge twist for him and it was funny to see how he handled it. The audio reader for this one is not my favorite, but he is annoying me less and less, so I guess I'm getting used to him making Banks sound like some gruff Yorkshire farmer.

This is the third Inspector Banks book that I'd read and this one is by far the most disturbing. The subject matter: serial killers is not a pleasant one and will elicit the prurient interest of some. Robinson flexes his writing muscle quite a bit in this book. This is the third approach to telling the murder mystery story in as many books that I have read by him. I must say this is quite impressive.

In this case, Robinson's deft touch with details generates a disturbing book, a book that tries to tell the story of a series of teenage kidnapping. It is obvious that a serial killer is involved but Robinson doesn't start in the middle of the series of abductions and try to raise the tempo by describing the action as it happens. Instead, show more he tells the story at the discovery of the bodies in the killer's house and then he moves on from there, building his case slowly and at times,unexpectedly. The fact that the reader thinks they have an idea as to who is guilty raises the tension even more. The small bursts of information jolted me into places I didn't think the story would end up going.

Robinson also continues to weave the story of Banks and Annie in and out of the narrative to provide brief respites to the reader, and with this story, the brief breaks are quite welcomed. The story is way too intense and the details too gruesome for a straight reading. I can't say I "enjoyed" the book. I will say that it kept me at the edge of my seat and it kept me quessing until the very end, which is what one would expect from a good murder mystery.

I have come to enjoy reading about Alan Banks life, both professionally and personally, heck, I have even come to want to try Laphroig some time. The musical references are also quite appreciated too. It fulfills the meandering soul of an autodidact.

Unlike the previous Banks books, I would take a deep breath before plunging in, but plunge in you must if you wish to be thoroughly absorbed into a great writer's work. show less

This story starts where the average detective story finishes. The first chapter sees a raid on a house in which young women are being held, tortured and murdered. The main culprit is killed and there is a question as to whether his wife was a victim or compatriot.

Of course, crime fiction is never going to mirror real life: real detective work is, I would imagine, mostly quite boring and consists of lots of doing the prerequisite steps. Banks is allowed to be a rebel and go his own way. The tension between Banks and his bosses provides a large part of the entertainment. This work does, however, get as near as I have experienced, to real police work. Peter Robinson still manages to retain a sense of suspense and, even as the question of show more the victim/torturer becomes more evident, the question as to whether our hero will get to the correct solution hangs until the very last pages.

It is only reading books by authors of this calibre, that shows one the heights to which a good whodunnit may attain.

First class entertainment. show less

Peter Robinson has outdone himself with this complex and often brooding, police procedural series. His character of Alan Banks is exceptionally complex but so very human. He is what makes this series so outstanding. As the bodies keep piling up, the mystery keeps the reader guessing right to very end. Robinson has thrown in some very clever twists to help in confusing us but then that is the fun of the entire adventure isn't it?

Aftermath is the 12th book in the DCI Banks series. As a big fan of this series and of police procedurals I have to say this one was grittier than most of his previous books. Obviously there is a murder to investigate in the Yorkshire Dales setting, that’s a standard, but the crimes in this book were horrendous. We are looking at a serial killer and the victims are young women, all in their late teens. The story is unfolded in graphic detail manner, focusing on a serial killer, a rapist all the while linking in sub stories about child abuse, sexual exploitation and domestic violence. As I said, this book was darker than any of the others but in my opinion, well written.

One of the sub plots is about Detective Sargent Janet Taylor. She show more and her partner Dennis respond to a domestic violence call. It is here the story begins when they enter a home, find Lucy Payne, the wife, knocked out, splayed out on the floor with blood on her head. The detectives proceed to check the house, head into the basement where they find a naked girl tied to a bed, strangled and quite dead. At that point they are attacked by the abusive husband, Terry Payne. As he wields a machete and cuts Dennis down, Janet thrashes him with her police baton, finally subduing him and handcuffing him to a handrail in the basement. As you read on there is an excessive violence case considered on DS Taylor. She was defending her partner, defending her own life – but she must have brought that baton down on Payne one too many times. As someone who works in law enforcement I did not like the way that story line was heading but, that is my personal opinion.

Another sub plot revolves around Maggie Forest. She is the one who called the police when she heard Lucy Payne scream. She is also a victim of domestic violence, living temporarily in England while she escapes her abusive husband back in Toronto. Her point of view is to protect Lucy from the press as she sees her as a victim. But could Lucy have been living in that house and not know her husband was keeping young women captive? Is she part of the killings too?

From the start of this series I have watched Alan Banks grow in his job, watched his children grew up, his wife becoming distant and how our committed copper handled his professional and personal life. This is by far his most salacious book in the series.

Now, I have my opinions about things that I felt were not resolved but those will be spoilers if you have not read this book. If you have read it please write me so I can share a few of those unresolved storylines and get your opinion.

Will I read more? Absolutely! I love Alan Banks and enjoy all the musical references as well as food references in the books. As a matter of fact I have already downloaded book 13 to my Kindle. More later……………… show less

Had I known that this novel was inspired by an infamous Canadian crime from the 1990s I would not have read it. It annoys me when authors create stories (and make money) from recent real life crimes where individuals are still suffering. Robinson even mentions that horrific crime on more than one occasion. For this reason I find it difficult to rate this book rationally, or even more irrationally, to think kindly of Banks.

Cheap shot, Robinson.

This is the twelfth book in the crime series set in Eastvale, North Yorkshire, England, featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks.

Banks is heading a task force looking into the disappearances of five young women from the area. By responding to a complaint of a domestic disturbance, they stumble upon the serial killer almost at the beginning of the story, but Banks still felt disquieted:

“The elation he had expected to feel on finding the killer somehow eluded him. He had no sense of an ending, of an evil purged. In some odd way, he felt, the evil was just beginning.”

And right he is. The mystery isn’t totally solved, and in addition to finding out more about the demise of the victims, who were sexually assaulted before their show more murders, we get to know others involved, or possibly involved. And none of them elicit much sympathy. Moreover, Banks himself isn’t acting at his best, being worn down, overstressed, and thinking seriously of quitting the profession.

Evaluation: Some scary moments await readers, but most of the narrative is an unfolding of pretty horrible events perpetrated by truly evil people. While Robinson is a good story-teller, and his characters are well-drawn, this particular book in the series may have you turning to some “cozy” mysteries for a break! show less