Rating: 
Summary: Here's to you Mr. Robinson!
Review: "Aftermath" is the most recent entry in the British police procedural featuring Superintendent Alan Banks. For those of you who have followed this series, you are in for quite a surprise. Peter Robinson has done what very few authors of a series have been able to accomplish. He has taken a very popular series of books that were on the cozy side and with each succeeding book made the stories deeper and more meaningful and the characters richer and more complex. With this book, he has passed over from the rather mild British police procedural into the realm of Val McDermid land. In a brutally graphic manner, Mr. Robinson tells his story about a serial rapist and murderer while exploring child abuse, sexual exploitation, espousal abuse and the very dark side of the human psyche. Along the way, Mr. Robinson adds more layers to the straight forward Alan Banks we met in the earlier books. We have come to discover that this is a complicated man who is in conflict about his broken marriage and the demands of his job. Mr. Robinson has paid the same attention to each character in this book, creating a rich and multi-dimensional cast of players. One can only applaud him for taking this series in a totally new direction. I imagine it is not that easy for an author to fiddle with a wildly popular series. Mr. Robinson took that chance and we, the readers, are the beneficiaries of his willingness to explore new vistas.
Rating:
Summary: an exceptional novel
Review: "Aftermath" by Peter Robinson is an excellent and precise look at police procedure. More accurately, it is a look at what happens after the police have 'nabbed' the wrongdoer, but when there are still loose ends and niggling doubts about the case at hand. As usual Peter Robinson has written a wonderfully crafted novel that is an absolutely compelling and absorbing read. When probationary PC Janet Taylor and PC Dennis Morrisey respond to the call to checkout the Payne residence because of a report of suspected domestic abuse, they little expect the horror that awaits them. They find Lucy Payne, badly beaten up in the hallway, and a crazed Terry Payne in the basement, armed with a machete. He attacks them, and mortally wounds PC Morrisey; and while PC Taylor does manage to subdue him, she has to use extreme force in order to do so. For the paramedics and the police who respond to the 'officer down' call, the sight of a badly beaten and concussed Terry Payne, and that of Taylor drenched in Morrisey's blood is horrendous enough, however a further grisly find also awaits them in the basement: the body of a young dead girl, tied to a bed. It looks as if unwittingly, Taylor and Morrisey had stumbled onto the lair of the Chameleon, a sadistic serial murderer and rapist who, magically, over a period of months was able to kidnap young teenage girls off the streets, without ever having been seen or detected. Acting Detective Superintendent Alan Banks has been in on the case from the very beginning, and is jubilant that Payne has finally been apprehended (even if he is currently in a coma). However, a few things niggle at Banks. The biggest being exactly what role Payne's wife, Lucy, played in this horrifying crime. Was she, as she claims, the extremely fragile and abused wife who knew nothing of her husband's exploits? Or was she a reluctant accomplice? Or was she something much, much more? Banks cannot shake the conviction that Lucy was a lot more involved in the crimes than she is letting on. But evidence is in short supply. With time running out, Banks enlists the help of an old friend, forensic psychologist Jenny Fuller, to help unravel the enigma of Lucy Payne. Once I started reading "Aftermath" I simply could not put it down. With each new chapter, fresh horrors were revealed, that kept me absolutely riveted to the page. "Aftermath" is not really an armchair detecting kind of mystery novel. It's more of a look at the truly dark and horrendous side of the human psyche. It is also a look at police procedure -- the never-ending interviews with suspects and potential witnesses, the collating of facts and forensic evidence, and the politics that dictates how an investigation will go. The pacing of the book was brilliant: Robinson juxtaposed the subplots that dealt with Dr. Fuller's investigation into Lucy's past, with those that dealt with Banks's private life, his tying up of loose ends in the case and the subplot that dealt with the police investigation into PC Taylor's excessive assault on Payne, and her spiraling descent into the depths of depression seamlessly. And each subplot was explored and developed beautifully. "Aftermath" is a dark and disturbing novel but a truly exceptional read.
Rating:
Summary: Here's to you Mr. Robinson!
Review: "Aftermath" is the most recent entry in the British police procedural featuring Superintendent Alan Banks. For those of you who have followed this series, you are in for quite a surprise. Peter Robinson has done what very few authors of a series have been able to accomplish. He has taken a very popular series of books that were on the cozy side and with each succeeding book made the stories deeper and more meaningful and the characters richer and more complex. With this book, he has passed over from the rather mild British police procedural into the realm of Val McDermid land. In a brutally graphic manner, Mr. Robinson tells his story about a serial rapist and murderer while exploring child abuse, sexual exploitation, espousal abuse and the very dark side of the human psyche. Along the way, Mr. Robinson adds more layers to the straight forward Alan Banks we met in the earlier books. We have come to discover that this is a complicated man who is in conflict about his broken marriage and the demands of his job. Mr. Robinson has paid the same attention to each character in this book, creating a rich and multi-dimensional cast of players. One can only applaud him for taking this series in a totally new direction. I imagine it is not that easy for an author to fiddle with a wildly popular series. Mr. Robinson took that chance and we, the readers, are the beneficiaries of his willingness to explore new vistas.
Rating:
Summary: Award-Winning Robinson Comes Back Even Darker
Review: ...Peter Robinson's new mystery AFTERMATH not only succeeds--it succeeds masterfully. Alan Banks is back on the scene, doing his job. Robinson who could be basking in the glow from his recents awards instead tackles his most serious themes ever--domestic abuse, child abuse, torture, and sexual manipulation as well as murder. The crimes in the plot grow increasingly complicated as the book progresses, and Banks has his share of problems with the women in his life. AFTERMATH is dark. It is gritty. It may take place in the English countryside, but it ain't no cozy.
Rating: 
Summary: A Very Human Story
Review: Acting Detective Superintendent Alan Banks has the challenge of his career with the discovery of a serial killer. It appears at first that the only thing that remains is to gather evidence and to determine if PC Janet Taylor used excessive force in subduing the apparent killer. Several difficult areas are explored: the serial murders around which the story is centered, together with child abuse, torture, domestic violence, and the excesive force question which might be worth a book on its own. Aftermath is as much the story of PC Taylor, Lucy Payne, and Maggie Forrest as it is of Banks. What happens to these three women is the "aftermath" of the title and stems from the abuse suffered years earlier by Lucy. How Robinson handles the issues and their fates is the true indicator of his mastery of the police procedural. Robinson does not ask the reader to suspend disbelief; his novels are firmly grounded in reality with believable, all-too-human characters and events which are, unfortunately, all to familiar to our world. (Didn't we in my neck of the woods just go through the Sniper Case?) The impact Robinson's books have on the reader come from the way he handles these characters and events. In the hands of another writer Banks' problems with his divorce from Sandra, his tenuous relationship with Annie Cabbot and the ambivilence he feels toward Jenny Fuller, not to mention his own professional stresses, would be a big bore. Here each character is developed and displayed with mastery. A growing mastery as Robinson has (to borrow from the editorial review) grown before the reader's eyes from the first Banks novel, Gallows View. I disagree with those who find this book boring, although I did find a few pages with what seemed to be padding, as with Maggie and her shrink. However, the other complaint, that Banks' personal life and relationships are irrelevant, misses the point: Banks the private man cannot be separated from Banks the investigator; these interpersonal relationships define him as much as his work defines him. Altogether a rewarding read and I look forward to the next installment.
Rating:
Summary: A Very Human Story
Review: Acting Detective Superintendent Alan Banks has the challenge of his career with the discovery of a serial killer. It appears at first that the only thing that remains is to gather evidence and to determine if PC Janet Taylor used excessive force in subduing the apparent killer. Several difficult areas are explored: the serial murders around which the story is centered, together with child abuse, torture, domestic violence, and the excesive force question which might be worth a book on its own. Aftermath is as much the story of PC Taylor, Lucy Payne, and Maggie Forrest as it is of Banks. What happens to these three women is the "aftermath" of the title and stems from the abuse suffered years earlier by Lucy. How Robinson handles the issues and their fates is the true indicator of his mastery of the police procedural. Robinson does not ask the reader to suspend disbelief; his novels are firmly grounded in reality with believable, all-too-human characters and events which are, unfortunately, all to familiar to our world. (Didn't we in my neck of the woods just go through the Sniper Case?) The impact Robinson's books have on the reader come from the way he handles these characters and events. In the hands of another writer Banks' problems with his divorce from Sandra, his tenuous relationship with Annie Cabbot and the ambivilence he feels toward Jenny Fuller, not to mention his own professional stresses, would be a big bore. Here each character is developed and displayed with mastery. A growing mastery as Robinson has (to borrow from the editorial review) grown before the reader's eyes from the first Banks novel, Gallows View. I disagree with those who find this book boring, although I did find a few pages with what seemed to be padding, as with Maggie and her shrink. However, the other complaint, that Banks' personal life and relationships are irrelevant, misses the point: Banks the private man cannot be separated from Banks the investigator; these interpersonal relationships define him as much as his work defines him. Altogether a rewarding read and I look forward to the next installment.
Rating: 
Summary: Standard police thriller
Review: I found this book exciting and readable but never thought that I was reading more than an average serial killer story.
Rating:
Summary: so glad I discovered him
Review: I have always avoided British mystery writers (my problem!)because of the difficulty with "flow", whatever that means! I am so glad I persevered. This was an excellent book, complex enough, frustrating enough; a good mystery with good character development. I wish there was glossary of terms however as one misses some of the subtle nuances. I will now read the previous books. Look forward to his next one!
Rating:
Summary: so glad I discovered him
Review: I have always avoided British mystery writers (my problem!)because of the difficulty with "flow", whatever that means! I am so glad I persevered. This was an excellent book, complex enough, frustrating enough; a good mystery with good character development. I wish there was glossary of terms however as one misses some of the subtle nuances. I will now read the previous books. Look forward to his next one!
Rating:
Summary: A Novel that Transforms the Reader into a Better Person
Review: I have followed Robinson's Alan Banks through his entire Eastvale career in the previous books, and this current look into his life reassures me that Banks is continuing to mature in his profession and his private life. As with all good mysteries, the plot is engaging, the story line compelling, and the suspense keeps the reader turning page after page, chapter after chapter long past the sensible time to turn off the light and catch a little bit of sleep before work the next day. But in my estimation, a great novel's true value is not in its ability to entertain with the imagination, but instead to enrich with reality. That's what Aftermath does. Through the characters and events of this wonderfully crafted world, the introspective reader can learn and grow about self-destructiveness, noble character, honesty, duplicity, deadly misperceptions, kindness . . . . A truly rich mine of personal discovery and awareness that affects not only the lives of Robinson's characters, but also the lives of attentive readers. I had a special interest in the aspect of the story dealing with satanic ritual abuse of children (SRA) since as an investigative journalist I was one of the first (in 1989)to uncover evidence that the almost fad-like scare was almost entirely urban legend fomented by irresponsible therapy and the completely unscientifically supported theory that SRA could be validated through "recovered memories" hidden by "robust repression." While my articles were vilified as satanic disinformation at the time, the tide has turned and most of the scientific, philosophy of religion, therapeutic, and media circles now concur with my initial findings (and those of other careful researchers). Unfortunately, many novelists haven't kept current nor thought critically about the issue and simply use it as a literary device, a convenient paradigm for grisly crimes and emotions of terror. By buying into such non-truth, their novels immediately throw the knowledgable reader like me into complete awareness that I'm not viewing a corner of reality put to paper but a "made up story." Thankfully, Robinson rises to the occasion and treats the issue with a sensitivity, thoughtfulness, and complexity that does justice to the truth without didactic preaching, black-and-white polarization, or cheap sensationalism. Does anyone know Robinson's E-mail address or author's Web site? I would love to thank him for an excellent book that has made me a better person for having viewed the world of Eastvale and Inspector Banks through Robinson's eyes.
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