Penzler Pick, October 2001: The mystery novels of Peter Robinson (Aftermath is his 12th) are of increasing power and intensified intelligence. It's a dirty little secret of the crime-fiction genre that many of its writers simply spin their wheels, repeating over and over those old tricks which always have worked for them. They coast on past successes and repeat the formula 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 novels of character and novels of crime, equally, and now Aftermath is here to reward his fans and new readers alike.

Like recent books by fellow English writers Reginald Hill, Val McDermid, and Stephen Booth, Aftermath centers 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 separated wife, Sandra, is pregnant by her lover, Sean, and wanting the divorce he's been dragging his heels over.

There is nothing cozy about the kind of English mysteries written by Peter Robinson, even if they do take place where picturesque rural villages make up the landscape. He's not afraid of gore or deviance, of violence, or of 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 soon are hooked on the work of one of today's most accomplished practitioners of detective fiction. --Otto Penzler


From Publishers Weekly
Dark, darker, darkest endless shades of ebony seem to envelop Acting Det. Superintendent Alan Banks in this grim, compelling, character-driven mystery (after 2000's Cold Is the Grave). As the head of the North Yorkshire half of a two-county joint task force, Banks is helping look into the disappearances of five young girls. As the title implies, the answer comes early on in an explosive scene where the girls' grisly fate is discovered. But Banks is left with the aftermath: a cop facing possible charges for excessive force, a woman who may be a victim or may be guilty of monstrous crimes, an "extra" body and one that isn't where it ought to be. Banks also faces plenty of personal challenges as his wife, Sandra, still pressing for divorce, finds a new way to shock him, while sometime girlfriend and colleague, Annie Cabbot, seeks to change their relationship. Robinson's never tackled darker themes: child abuse, sexual abuse, domestic violence, torture and murder. And while he never indulges in needlessly graphic descriptions, it is still horrific stuff. Introspective, thoughtful and plagued by uncertainties, Banks battles to maintain focus as the investigation plods on. As always, the author scrupulously details the police work, from the forensics to the efforts of a consultant psychologist (i.e., a profiler), who delves into a past case that may be related. A proven master of the British police procedural, Robinson should find a large audience for this gripping, psychologically astute tale. Agent, Dominick Abel. (Oct. 9)Forecast: Stronger than Cold Is the Grave, which won the Anthony and the Ellis awards, this novel stands to rack up even bigger sales, fueled by a five-city author tour and 25-city national radio campaign.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Robinson, author of In a Dry Season and ten other novels featuring British Inspector Alan Banks, returns again to contemporary crime in his latest Yorkshire mystery, which traces the evildoing of a serial rapist and murderer who preys on young women. No Robinson tale is ever clear-cut, however, and this one is complicated by issues of child abuse (the murderer's wife was the subject of brutal sexual victimization and abuse as a child), spousal abuse (the murderer is alleged to have terrorized his wife), and police brutality (the arresting officer hit the murderer so many times after he killed her partner that she is brought up on charges herself). For Robinson, hidden in the past is the answer to his suspicion that the murderer's wife was not only a participant in the assaults on these young women but an instigator. Meanwhile, Banks's personal life continues on its convoluted way: his ex-wife of 20-odd years is pregnant by her husband-to-be and waiting for Banks to sign the divorce papers, and his relationship with Detective Annie Cabot is complicated by the job. Some readers may wish that the inspector's personal life were less muted here; others may long for the simpler days of less violent, non-serial murder mysteries. Nonetheless, this multilayered novel puts Banks firmly in the upper echelon of British mystery writers. [Mystery Guild featured alternate.] Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal.- Francine Fialkoff, "Library Journal" Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Detective Chief Inspector Alan Banks of Yorkshire returns in a complex mystery that stretches his powers to the utmost--first, for the scope of the evil that a discovery in one cellar reveals, and, second, for the complexity of the case he oversees. A domestic disturbance call brings police to a middle-class home. The husband, who apparently has beaten the wife, kills one of the responding officers when he ventures into the cellar. More police arrive and discover two bodies in the cellar: the young cop and a 14-year-old girl, who has been systematically tortured and newly murdered. The crawl space beyond is a burial ground of young girls gone missing in the past year. The case keeps opening onto new perspectives of horror--this serial killer has an ally. This latest in Robinson's celebrated series is a very creepy, atmospheric Jekyll and Hyde suspense tale. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


New York Times Book Review
A devilishly good plotter...[Robinson's] characterizations are so subtle that even the psychological profiler is stumped.


Boston Globe
A winner....Returning to the world of Alan Banks is, as always, a pleasure.


Orlando Sentinel
Aftermath casts [a] spell... Robinson continues to stretch the boundaries of the standard procedural.


Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
Seamlessly plotted...The tenacious, thoughtful Banks is even fresher than when Robinson began this series...


Dallas Morning News
A shocking suspense story that gives the reader a glimpse of the darker side of life.


Tampa Tribune
Highly textured... Banks is a multidimensional figure struggling to cope with his private demons while directing murder investigations.


Kirkus Reviews (*Starred Review*)
Mystery-mongering at once as sensitive and grandly-scaled as P.D. James.


Publishers Weekly (*Starred Review*)
A proven master...Robinson should find a large audience for this gripping, psychologically astute tale.


Library Journal
This multi-layered novel puts Robinson firmly in the upper-echelon of British mystery writers.


Dennis Lehane
The novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art.


Book Description
One phone call from a concerned neighbor has inadvertently led police to Terence Payne, the elusive serial killer known only as "Chameleon." Now the fiend is in custody, perhaps dying, and a long nightmare appears to be over at last. But is it? In Acting Detective Superintendent Alan Banks's mind too many questions remain unanswered at the chamber of horrors the press will dub the "House of Payne." Because the darkness has not yet lifted, the casualties are still mounting...and there are still monsters loose in the world.


Download Description
PerfectBound e-book extra: Enter the World of Peter Robinson. The crime scene awaiting Acting Detective Superintendent Alan Banks is among the worst he has ever encountered. The assailant, Terence Payne, hovers close to death himself. And Payne's brutalized wife, Lucy -- whose overheard screams prompted the original call -- has already been moved to a local hospital for treatment. But these sins and tragedies pale before what else has transpired in a dank basement the press will soon dub the "House of Payne." Now that the fiend is in custody, the long nightmare appears over at last. But is it? In Alan Banks's mind too many questions need to be answered before he can rest easy. How could the heinous crimes of a popular teacher like Payne have so completely escaped the notice of his peers, his neighbors...his wife? And was fragile, abused Lucy Payne a victim or a reluctant accomplice? Despite the strain on his own personal life and relationships, Banks refuses to ease up on his investigation. Buried deep in the past are shards of irony, pity, and horror almost too painful to bear, and unspeakable betrayals that deformed more than one childhood. For Banks, for his lover, Annie Cabot -- who suspects heartless political forces are setting her up to destroy a life -- and for the beautiful consulting psychologist Dr. Jenny Fuller, there is much more that must be unearthed in the aftermath of abomination. Because the darkness has not yet lifted, and new casualties are mounting. And there are still monsters loose in the world...

FROM OUR EDITORS

Inspector Alan Banks uncovers family secrets and sins that have wreaked havoc on an unsuspecting town when he digs deep into the disappearance and murders of innocent Yorkshire girls.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Yorkshire is rocked when several girls disappear. Before Inspector Banks can find them, though, their bodies are discovered by two policemen answering a domestic disturbance call. To find the truth, Banks will be forced to confront the darkest side of human nature, where family secrets and past sins have spread through generations and wreaked havoc on an unsuspecting town.

SYNOPSIS

The crime scene awaiting Acting Detective Superintendent Alan Banks is among the worst he has ever encountered. The assailant, Terence Payne, hovers close to death himself. And Payne's brutalized wife, Lucy -- whose overheard screams prompted the original call -- has already been moved to a local hospital for treatment.

FROM THE CRITICS

Dennis Lehane

The novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art.

Boston Globe

Each of [Robinson's] books takes me deeper into Banks's internal and external world.

Houston Chronicle

A winner....Returning to the world of Alan Banks is, as always, a pleasure.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer

He creates a suspense story with many of the dynamic qualities of literary fiction.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer