Occupations - Fiction, Police Stories
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Overview
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.
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.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
He creates a suspense story with many of the dynamic qualities of literary fiction.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
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.Dennis Lehane
"The novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art."Otto Penzler
"One of today’s most accomplished practitioners of detective fiction."Orlando Sentinel
"Aftermath casts [a] spell... Robinson continues to stretch the boundaries of the standard procedural."Boston Globe
"A winner....Returning to the world of Alan Banks is, as always, a pleasure."The San Diego Union Tribune
"[A] splendid series."New York Times Book Review
"A devilishly good plotter...[Robinson’s] characterizations are so subtle that even the psychological profiler is stumped."Tampa Tribune
"Highly textured... Banks is a multidimensional figure struggling to cope with his private demons while directing murder investigations."Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"Seamlessly plotted...The tenacious, thoughtful Banks is even fresher than when Robinson began this series..."Houston Chronicle
"A winner....Returning to the world of Alan Banks is, as always, a pleasure."Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
"Robinson spins and intricate web...an excellent crime novel."Dallas Morning News
"A shocking suspense story that gives the reader a glimpse of the darker side of life."Dallas Morning News
“A shocking suspense story that gives the reader a glimpse of the darker side of life.”Orlando Sentinel
“Robinson’s last two Banks books have been winners...and so is AFTERMATH.”Boston Globe
“A winner....Returning to the world of Alan Banks is, as always, a pleasure.”Houston Chronicle
“A winner....Returning to the world of Alan Banks is, as always, a pleasure.”New York Times Book Review
“A devilishly good plotter...[Robinson’s] characterizations are so subtle that even the psychological profiler is stumped.”Tampa Tribune
“Highly textured.”The San Diego Union Tribune
“[A] splendid series.”Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“Robinson spins and intricate web...an excellent crime novel.”Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
“Seamlessly plotted...The tenacious, thoughtful Banks is even fresher than when Robinson began this series...”Seattle Post-Intelligencer
He creates a suspense story with many of the dynamic qualities of literary fiction.St Louis Post-Dispatch
Superbly crafted.Dennis Lehane
The novels of Peter Robinson are chilling, evocative, deeply nuanced works of art.Seattle Post-Intelligencer
He creates a suspense story with many of the dynamic qualities of literary fiction.St Louis Post-Dispatch
Superbly crafted.Houston Chronicle
A winner....Returning to the world of Alan Banks is, as always, a pleasure.Boston Globe
Each of [Robinson's] books takes me deeper into Banks's internal and external world.New York Times Book Review
A devilishly good plotter...[Robinson's] characterizations are so subtle that even the psychological profiler is stumped.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 and25-city national radio campaign. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.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" Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.Book Details
Published
July 1, 2002
Publisher
HarperCollins Publishers
Pages
480
Format
Mass Market Paperback
ISBN
9780380811816