Aftermath

Aftermath by Peter Robinson.

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: William Morrow(October 2, 2001)
ISBN-10: 0380978326

 

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 .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.

Wow!  Well I've read murders before and even books with more than one murder.. but this one goes from 1 to 2 to 3 to 4 to 5 to 6!  Gruesome, horrible teenage murders!

The author of this book I have read before (Close to Home) using the detective Alan Banks.  His writing is really good. His knowledge of forensics makes me think he should be working in them instead of writing about them.  

Although this series takes place in England (like most I read) the surroundings are not a major player in this particular book.  It could be anywhere that this story took place.  But Robinson's writing is compelling as he dribbles out a crumb at a time for you to try to piece together what happened and how and when.  He leads you down a number of roads with "possibilities" which sound logical.. but then the twists and turns enter.

Another good detective book.. I have one more by him I will read next called Strange Affair, before I head off to another author and another book.  I do wish I could find more gothic, family secrets, type books instead of the steadfast detectives.  Although I'll admit, many of the authors have really given their protagonists personalities and make you want to keep reading them.