Terry Payne, the killer, is brain damaged and struggles for his life in hospital. Detective Superintendent Alan Banks is in charge of the investigation. For months, he had been on the track of the Chameleon, a serial killer responsible for the disappearance of several young girls, all blond and athletic. It seems that the Chameleon is now lying in hospital, but Banks feels that the investigation is far from over. First of all, it seems that the nightmarish cellar hasn't revealed all its secrets yet. Banks also wants to know more about Lucy Payne, Terry's wife whom the police found unconscious in her own house, beaten up by her husband. Was Lucy aware of her husband's criminal activities or was she one of his victims? Alan Banks, helped by psychologist Jenny Fuller, tries to beat the clock, finding the truth about Lucy before she gets on with her life...

Meanwhile, Annie Cabbot, Bank's girlfriend, has a difficult job to do: she must investigate the injuries PC Janet Taylor gave Terry Payne while saving her own life. The detective might be accused of overuse of force on a suspect, and her job is on the line...

Aftermath was my first novel by Peter Robinson, and even though it is part of a series featuring Detective Alan Banks, this didn't prevent me from enjoying both the plot and characters. Aftermath is an excellent detective story, and though it alternated between different parts of the investigation, none of them bored me. This novel is a real page turner, and is original in the way that it begins where most detective stories end. I will be looking for other novels by Peter Robinson, since I am always thrilled to discover a new mystery writer I really like...

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© Discussing Books, 02/17/2006