‘The Alan Banks mystery-suspense novels are the best series on the market. Try one and tell me I''m wrong’ - Stephen King.A dead body. Hidden secrets. Banks will find the truth.The brutally murdered body of a supposedly well-liked local historian is found half-buried under a dry stone wall. But who would kill such a thoughtful, dedicated man?Young Sally Lumb, locked in her lover''s arms on the night of the murder, tries to find the killer herself. But her good-intentions only leads to more danger. And when Chief Inspector Alan Banks is called to investigate and soon discovers that disturbing secrets lie behind the seemingly untroubled façade . . .From the master of police procedural and bestselling author of Standing in the Shadows comes A Dedicated Man, book two in Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks series. The next instalment in the series is A Necessary End.*****Critical acclaim for the Inspector Banks series, which became the major British ITV crime drama DCI Banks:''A powerfully moving work . . . watch out for those twists - they''ll get you every time'' – Ian Rankin, author of the Inspector Rebus series''Top-notch police procedure'' – Jeffery Deaver, author of the Lincoln Rhyme series''A wonderful novel'' – Michael Connelly, author of the Ballard & Bosch series''An addictive crime-novel series'' – New York Times''A guaranteed page-turner'' – Mirror''Demonstrates how the crime novel, when done right, can reach parts that other books can''t . . . A considerable achievement'' – Guardian''One of the most authentic and atmospheric of crime series'' – Independent''The master of police procedural'' – Mail on Sunday''Near, perhaps, even at the top of, the British crime writers'' league'' – The Times''Banks is genuinely human, rather than a hard man'' – ObserverAftermath was a Sunday Times bestseller when it first published in 2001.