After That, the Dark

After That, the Dark by Andrew Klavan
10/28/25; 336 pages
Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press
Cameron Winter #5 

After That, the Dark by Andrew Klavan is an excellent, very highly recommended investigative mystery and a love story. This is the fifth novel in the series featuring Cameron Winter, the ex-spy turned English professor who has a “strange habit of mind.” Those following the series will be richly rewarded with this exceptional addition to it, however, it can also be enjoyed as a standalone novel - although you'll then want to go back and read the whole series. 

Cameron Winter takes a risk asking out Gwendolyn Lord, while also continuing to share trauma from his violent past with therapist Margaret Whitaker. The two immediately connect and after Winter shares some of his background with her, Gwendolyn tells him a story she’s just heard from her friend forensic psychologist Livy Swain. It is a true locked room mystery. Apparently Owen McKay, arrested six months ago in Tulsa, Oklahoma, for killing his wife and son was shot to death with a nail gun inside his closely watched padded, unfurnished prison cell. McKay was crying, “It’s still there! Still there!,” when arrested. 

Winter has what he calls "a strange habit of mind." He is able to look at a situation from all angles, deduce how the complicated clues fit together, and reach a clear understanding of what actually happened. He decides to look into McKay's case which leads him to discover officials being intimidated by a killer Winter knows as Tat Man, another similar case in another state, and into a tangled connection of the present with his past.

The novel is extremely well-written, fast paced, and well plotted. Clues are logically followed and Winter uses his abilities and connections to discover information and leads others might miss. He faces several intense, violent, aggressive situations, including encounters with Tat Man, a sleazy lawyer, and a corrupt billionaire. Along the way he has some humorous encounters with his nemesis, university diversity officer Lori Lesser, and meetings with undercover operator, Stan-Stan Stankowski. The Recruiter also makes an appearance.

This is a marvelous continuation of Cameron Winter's story arch. Winter is a poet and a cerebral man who just happens to also have the skills of a trained assassin. Following his new burgeoning relationship with Gwendolyn was something new, but welcome for the continuing series. At this point Winter is a complex, fully realized character and his strengths and weaknesses are well known. The Cameron Winter series consists of When Christmas Comes, A Strange Habit of Mind, The House of Love and Death, A Woman Underground, and After That, the Dark.

After That, the Dark is a wonderful choice for anyone who enjoys investigative mysteries and for those already following the series. Thanks to Penzler Publishing/Mysterious Press for providing me with an advance reader's copy. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.