Bulls on a sad parade

Either you like police procedurals or you don't. These sorts of mysteries put as much emphasis on the lives and jobs of the cops as they do on whatever crimes or sets of crimes define the plot. For my money Peter Robinson writes some of the best. His Alan Banks novels follow the rise and fall of Yorkshire police careers and the (generally negative) impact on family life. I just read his Aftermath and quite liked it.

The book starts where many a novel would end, with the capture of a serial killer. Two cops investigating a domestic disturbance report run into a killing chamber and in the process capture a serial killer. From this a number of question arise, did the arresting officers apply too much force? What was the role of the serial killer's wife? The woman who reported the disturbance causes problems for the investigation by intervening with the media and the wife.

The storyline progressions are excellent, with good surprises. Long time readers will appreciate the waxing and waning fortunes of the police officers. Robinson has created a realistic, evolving set of characters that rarely see a happy day. Throw in a plot about dead teenagers and you don't have a terribly uplifting book.

As I said, if you tend to look askance at the mystery section, you will not like this book. If you have been trying to find a good series, this is it.