Final Account

From Booklist
In the Yorkshire countryside, middle-aged accountant and financial consultant Keith Rothwell is murdered while his wife and daughter are forced to watch. Detective Inspector Alan Banks and his assistant, Constable Susan Gay, are the lead investigators on the case. As Banks and Gay investigate, they reveal the victim to have been a conservative, quiet man virtually devoid of personality and style. But then a beautiful young musician sees Rothwell's picture in the paper and reveals that he had a secret life: as Robert Calvert, the musician's former lover. Meanwhile, Rothwell's financial dealings are coming into focus: he was skimming from one of his clients, a drug-dealing Caribbean dictator, and may have been murdered for his transgressions. The few loose ends to the case trouble Banks, and he pursues them until he draws a surprising conclusion. Tremendous plotting and solid characters make this a superior British procedural from the critically acclaimed author of Wednesday's Child. Wes Lukowsky --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Mild-mannered accountant Keith Rothwell has had his head blown off with a shotgun as he knelt in his barn. His wife and daughter know only that two masked men tied them up before marching him out of the farmhouse. Chief Inspector Banks has seen professional hits before, but when his old sparring partner Detective Superintendent Richard Burgess descends from Scotland Yard, it soon becomes clear that some very major players have an interest in the police investigation and that this is not the only life which Rothwell has left behind. This is the seventh of the popular and widely acclaimed Inspector Banks series of novels by Peter Robinson, who has been shortlisted twice for the Edgar Allan Poe Award and won numerous awards in the USA, Britain and Canada. The reason for this success, as with all long-running mystery series, is that readers like the detective, that all the characters are vivid and true to life, and that the mystery itself is well plotted with many layers of red herrings. This book fulfils all these expectations: there are mistresses, missing former colleagues, international connections, dysfunctional family members with grudges to bear, and so on. But at the heart of it all is Alan Banks, a man approaching middle age whose experience of life has honed his intuition without leaving his attitude too sharp for comfort. There's no great flaw to his character and although he does have his own personal battles, they are such that readers of all ages can empathize with him. He's the perfect focus for an excellent series. (Kirkus UK) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
There's more than blood and bone beneath the skin ...

The victim, a nondescript "numbers cruncher," died horribly just yards away from his terrified wife and daughter, murdered by men who clearly enjoyed their work. The crime scene is one that could chill the blood of even the most seasoned police officer. But the strange revelations about an ordinary accountant's extraordinary secret life are what truly set Chief Inspector Alan Banks off -- as lies breed further deceptions and blood begets blood, unleashing a policeman's dark passions ... and a violent rage that, when freed, might be impossible to control.

About the Author
Peter Robinson grew up in Yorkshire, England. His previous Inspector Banks novels include In a Dry Season, which was nominated for the Edgar and won the Anthony Award, and was named a New York Times Notable Book. His most recent Inspector Banks novel, Aftermath, was an international bestseller.