Originally Posted by
PurpleGlovez
I highly recommend Detective Comics volumes 3 through 5, John Layman's run. It's my favorite Batman of The New 52. If you have the extra cash, and there's nothing else you're set on buying, maybe pick up Batman: The Dark Knight vol. 4 - Clay as well. It contains a collection of mostly standalone stories that feels like a volume of Legends of the Dark Knight, but is technically in continuity, and also ties into/references stuff from Snyder's and Layman's runs - plus, it's... kind of good, I guess? I don't know, the Dark Knight series is really weird.
EDIT: What happened to Bruce Wayne is explained in Scott Snyder's Endgame storyline in Batman #35-40. Damian was recently returned to life in the pages of the now-cancelled Batman and Robin series, but we don't really know how the events of Robin, Son of Batman are going to be set up yet.