Aftermath

By: Peter Robinson

Narrated by: Ron Keith

When Inspector Banks of Yorkshire investigates whether an abusive husband might be guilty of an unsolved string of murders, his suspicions are aroused by the details of the man's marriage. Is the suspect's wife a victim or could she be his accomplice? Popular with fans of P.D. James and Ruth Rendell, Edgar Award-winning author Peter Robinson has earned honors and critical praise for his Inspector Banks novels.©2001 Peter Robinson (P)2002 Recorded Books

Critic reviews

"A proven master of the British police procedural, Robinson should find a large audience for this gripping, psychologically astute tale." (Publishers Weekly)
"This multilayered novel puts Banks firmly in the upper echelon of British mystery writers." (Library Journal)
"A devilishly good plotter...[Robinson's] characterizations are so subtle that even the psychological profiler is stumped." (New York Times Book Review)

twists and turns. .

Surprising but frighteningly real. I was disappointed when it was over and am looking forward to the next in series.

wrong narrator

this is a good story read by a man with a deep voice. the problem is that most of the characters are female. with only 1 semi-female register it becomes a little difficult to follow

Could have been better

Warning - a little spoiler-y

As the title suggests, this book is all about what happens after a gruesome crime is discovered. We know who the guilty party is, but was his wife an accomplice or another victim? In a more skilled storyteller's hands, this could have been a real psychological stunner. However, there's never really any doubt how the question will be answered - it's just a matter of proof, and, rather than unraveling the whole truth, the wife manages to out herself. If there had been more doubt built into it, the big reveal would have been a lot bigger.

The side stories were interesting, and they did add to the exploration of what a crime like this leaves in its wake.

I felt the narrator could have done more to differentiate among the women's voices and not sound so whiny when he read their dialogue.

In Defense of Ron Keith

After some previous comments regarding the narrative abilities of Ron Keith, I feel the need to stick up for the man a bit. It is true that his accent is pretty much a one noter, even Canadians and Americans sound like they're from Yorkshire. And most of his women, not all, tend to sound a little Pythonesque. I find that amusing more than annoying though. He does do justice to the story, he doesn't rush, he sounds as though he is really enjoying himself, I feel that the main characters gain personality through Mr. Keith. I have a distinct image and flavor now of Alan Banks and Annie Cabbot. So while he does not dramatize the reading, he lends it a lot of character. Aftermath is as good as any Peter Robinson book, if you like P.D. James and Elizabeth George, you will appreciate Peter Robinson.

Good book, but too gory

This book is well written and well read. The story is interesting with good characters. My only problem was the graphic descriptions of violence; I thought they were way too detailed. This book would have been a solid four-star except for that.