Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante
IT'S NOT JUST MURDER THAT IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT . . .
The blinding new Detective Jane Tennison thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante.
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Things can't get much worse for detective Jane Tennison.
Unceremoniously kicked off the adrenaline-fuelled Flying Squad, she's been relegated to Gerald Road, a small and sleepy police station in the heart of London's affluent Knightsbridge.
With only petty crime to sink her teeth into, Tennison can feel her career slowly flatlining. That is until the discovery of the most brutal murder Jane has ever seen: Charlie Foxley has been found viciously beaten to death, his body dismembered and disembowelled.
As a big-time showbiz agent, Foxley had a lot of powerful friends - but even more enemies. And alongside her old friend DS Spencer Gibbs, Tennison must journey into the salacious world of show business to find the killer, before they strike again . . .
In Lynda La Plante's most gripping thriller yet, Tennison discovers that the brightest lights hide the darkest secrets - and the killer doesn't always hide in the shadows . . .
About the author
Lynda La Plante was born in Liverpool. She trained for the stage at RADA and worked with the National Theatre and RDC before becoming a television actress. She then turned to writing - and made her breakthrough with the phenomenally successful TV series WIDOWS.
Her novels have all been international bestsellers. Her original script for the much-acclaimed PRIME SUSPECT won awards from BAFTA, Emmys, British Broadcasting and Royal Television Society as well as the 1993 Edgar Allan Poe Writer's Award.
Since 1993 Lynda has spearheaded La Plante Productions. In that time the company has produced a stunning slate of innovative dramas with proven success and enduring international appeal.
Based on Lynda's best selling series of Anna Travis novels, Above Suspicion, Silent Scream, Deadly Intent and Silent Scream have all adapted into TV scripts and received impressive viewing figures.
Lynda has been made honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter Writer's Award 2000.
On 14th June 2008 Lynda was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List (Writer and Producer for services to Literature, Drama and to Charity).
On 3rd October 2009, Lynda was honoured at the Cologne Conference International Film and Television Festival with the prestigious TV Spielfilm Award for her television adaptation of her novel, Above Suspicion.
Books penned by Lynda La Plante include: The Legacy, The Talisman, Bella Mafia, Entwined, Cold Shoulder, Cold Blood, Cold Heart, Sleeping Cruelty, Royal Flush, Above Suspicion, The Red Dahlia, Clean Cut, Deadly Intent and Silent Scream, Blind Fury (this entered the UK Sunday Times Bestsellers List at number 1 having sold 9,500 copies in its first two weeks), Blood Line, Backlash, Wrongful Death, and Twisted, which have all been international best-sellers.
In Feb 2012 Lynda's chilling tale of THE LITTLE ONE was published in conjunction with Quick Reads through Simon & Schuster UK.
Lynda's latest book, Tennison, was published on 24th September 2015 and is the prequel the highly acclaimed Prime Suspect. The story charts Jane Tennison's entry into the police force as a 22 year old Probationary Officer at Hackney Police Station in 1973.
Review
‘Blunt Force’ is the sixth book in the Tennison series and is just as jam packed with tension as the previous five! Once again the author has written a brilliant addition to this series and despite being book six I think this one is very easily read as a stand-alone novel. I do recommend reading the whole series though as they are cracking reads!
Jane has unceremoniously been kicked off the Flying Squad as she froze during a raid, which when there are bullets flying around is a very dangerous thing. But she feels like she is being punished and that her career has taken a nose dive. She is now based out of Belgravia and is mainly dealing with pickpockets and shoplifting from Harrods. She is back with colleague DS Spencer Gibbs as he has also been demoted and left in this backwater station! When the body of a theatrical agent is found butchered in his flat Jane and the team are called out to investigate it. It turns out that Mr Foxley is highly unliked in the industry and also in his private life! He is also mixed up with drugs and other nefarious activities so there is a lot of suspects to make their way through.
Jane is desperately trying to make her way in a profession that seems stacked against her. Punished for freezing in an armed raid, despite not being trained in firearms and now she finds herself in a station where she is relegated to menial crimes and making the tea! But she is determined and this leads her to taking firearms training privately so make sure she is never placed in that situation again. If you cut Jane down the middle I think you would find pure determination as that is what really drives her. That and empathy for those victims she is trying to help. Plus she always find that tiny overlooked detail in a case that turns out to be the breakthrough!
A wonderfully nuanced and complex mystery that dealt with a lot of social issues and it was intricately plotted. I wish there has been a bit more development on where a witness might have vanished to as I felt that would have been an interesting topic to delve into! There is always a great cast of characters in this series and it was great to learn a bit more about Spencer this time round. But Jane is the star and she should be - highly relatable and full of spunk!
Let me know if you pick it up!
