A brutal murder of a man whose life at the first glance is that of a dull and dutiful accountant and family man leads DCI Banks and other police officers to a tangle of leads that don't really seem to hang together. ( )

Accountants have a reputation for being boring. I actually have not found that to be so, at least not the accountants that I know. So, I wasn't surprised that the accountant who is murdered right at the beginning of this book turned out to have quite an interesting life. By the way, Robinson called this book Dry Bones that Dream but the title was changed to Final Account for US audiences. (VERY IRRITATING)

Keith Rothwell came home from an anniversary dinner with his wife to find his daughter had been tied to a chair in the living room and the men who did it were still there, waiting for Rothwell. They took him outside and shot him in the face while he was kneeling on the floor of the barn. The killers were gone when the Yorkshire police led by DCI Banks turn up to investigate. The daughter could only give a general description since they were masked. In the barn the evidence included a wadded up piece of paper, used for loading the shotgun shell, that was from a pornographic magazine. With that meagre evidence, Banks doesn't have much to go on. However, when a call comes into the station from a woman who knew the deceased but said he was called Robert Calvert, that puts a whole different twist on the investigation. Banks learns that Rothwell was leading a double life as Calvert. In addition, it turns out he was laundering money for a corrupt Caribbean politician together with solicitor Daniel Clegg. The pair may have been skimming money for themselves because Rothwell lived quite lavishly as Calvert and he also had a large country estate for his real family. Perhaps that was the motive for his killing but the killers must not have found what they were looking for because they have ransacked Calvert's apartment and his girlfriend's house. Interestingly, the girlfriend describes two men who do not fit the description that the daughter gave. Could one of them be lying? And what are the bad guys looking for? Never fear, DCI Banks will figure it all out but he may have to go to Greece to do so.

We perhaps see that there is more trouble in the Banks' marriage as Alan seems to be quite taken with Calvert's girlfriend. However, for now Alan and Sandra are still together. ( )

The popular genre of books featuring hit men and assassinations is just not my thing, and I didn't expect to find a book of that sort in this series. Liked the ending, but not much else; couldn't wait to finish it. ( )

A couple returns home following their anniversary dinner. Intruders tied up their daughter who was home alone. They tie up the wife when she arrives and force the man to the barn/garage. Soon two shots are heard. The daughter finally manages to free herself from the bonds and frees her mother. Inspector Banks finds the man's face blown up beyond recognition. It looks like an assassination. They find evidence he'd been laundering money. It begins to get interesting when a woman comes forward saying the man looks like someone she knew by another name. With characteristics of a cozy and a thriller, this installment may not completely satisfy readers of either genre by not being "cozy" enough for those wanting a little less blood and gruesomeness but being a little slower paced than most thrillers. Audio visits with James Langton narrating the Inspector Banks series always provide a few enjoyable listening hours. ( )

Another great detective story in a wonderful setting, with lots of characters, a rather convoluted mystery that appears to be very straight forward but which leaves the reader hanging until the very end. In fact, the ending left me hanging too much,hence the 1/2 star instead of 4 full ones. ( )