I really had an issue with the Jason Thorpe character, particularly at the end as the events reached their anti climactic climax. He is portrayed throughout as a sort of brutish, somewhat threatening thug, with his own successful business but almost certainly a fair amount of dodgy dealings in both that and the affairs of his aunt/the house. Then at the climactic ending his character is completely switched up and he’s suddenly some kind of simpleton we should pity? It’s absolutely bizarre. I thought Detective Warr was a great main character, he is determined and a intelligent person. I liked reading about his family life as well. We got to read about a variety of different characters in this book, some were criminals who I wasn’t sure who I wanted Detective Warr to trust.

Her first book went over extremely well, and other famous novels came to follow. One of her best known stories is The Talisman, published in 1987, closely followed by Bella Mafia in 1990. Soon afterward, she began work on Prime Suspect, which starred Helen Mirren. This opened the door for La Plante to win an Edgar-Award from the Mystery-Writers of America for her impressive work on the show. She must decide if she will risk her life to bring the killer to justice simply to claim the reward, or if she should leave the task to someone more experience, more willing, and more trusting than she will ever be able to trust herself after her difficult and harrowing past. Dark Rooms by Lynda LaPlante is the eighth in the series featuring 'young' Jane Tennison, although we've slowing been working our way from naïve constable to the kinda scary Detective Chief Inspector readers (and viewers) meet in Prime Suspect.

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Lynda has received a huge amount of awards over her time in the field, including becoming an honorary-member of both the Liverpool John Moores University and British Film Institute. She was also awarded with the Dennis-Potter Writers-Award from the British-Academy of Film and Television Arts, and she received the Edgar-Allan Poe Writer’s Award (not to mention an Emmy) for her mini-series Prime Suspect. The brief storyline with the weed was so so so unneeded and began with ooh whats Eddie hiding and ended abruptly a chapter later, why? I have not read a book by Lynda La Plante before, and in fact, I don’t think I’ve read many murder/crime novels by women authors. I quite enjoyed that aspect, and felt like she is, as you might imagine, just as good (if not better) at delivering “the goods” as all her male counterparts. I did enjoy that although there was some discussion of murder and violence of that sort (because this is the type of book I was reading, ya know), it didn’t seem gratuitous nor overly graphic. I mean, yes, there was graphic violence, but sometimes I feel like I can’t even handle the level of violence that some of the male authors go into. Scandinavian crime authors are their own sort when it comes to this, and I feel like La Plante is nowhere near that level. If you’re into crime and murder mysteries, this is a good one because she does a good job of competing with those modern murder mystery and crime novel types but does it in a way that is good clean fun. The more I write things like “good clean fun” in regard to murder mysteries the more I think maybe I’m digging myself into a hole here…wait. There I go again. Speaking of, since when is it ok to discuss the minutiae of your case with non police, Jane? Extremely unprofessional, and for an obnoxious, overbearing, pompous character like our “heroine”, I would have expected professionalism. How is a main character so awful?? Genuine question because I as the reader should surely be on her side? But she is impatient, irritable, downright rude a lot of the time, pompous, judgemental, and snobby. I don’t think I’ve ever read a character I disliked as much.

Laced with gothic undertones in the centrepiece of the decaying Victorian mansion and the horrors hiding within, once home to an eccentric family with a long history of tragedy, this is a tightly plotted police procedural featuring realistic forensic science of the time period, and even a touch of romance for Jane, as well as trips to the coast and as far as Australia, exploring some dark and disturbing themes and complex characters through every navigation of the twisting plot. Throughout the series, discrimination - and specifically misogyny - within the police has been a running theme, once more explored in this novel alongside other abuses of power and the elusiveness of long-buried secrets. Blake Brooks, Brand and Marketing Manager at Bonnier Books UK, promised, “Lynda La Plante is writing at the top of her game, and Vanished is a masterclass. Fans are going to be delighted.” Who lies at the heart of this gripping new murder investigation? A compelling, clever plot with a brilliant cast of diverse characters. Utterly riveting' - RACHEL ABBOTT, million-selling author of ONLY THE INNOCENT DI Jane Tennison is part of the team investigating the crime. On visiting the crime scene, Jane discovers the house has more horrors to reveal - in the form of a mummified baby who was buried alive. The characters were all, ALL, incredibly unlikeable. Eddie was probably the least unlikeable and seemed mostly ok, except for some reason seemed to hate everything about Jane’s job and automatically disagreed with her and put her down when she tried to talk about it with him. Red flag there, Jane!

Publication Order of DC Jack Warr Books

The mystery was a good one, and in fact there were several going on at once that were connected. It made for an interesting brain twister, trying to figure out how everything went together. I’ve said before that I don’t try to figure out the mystery ahead of time, I just like to let the story take me where it will. Sometimes I can guess right away what happened, but sometimes I can’t. This time I couldn’t, and I enjoyed the surprise and the suspense right to the end. Relentless in her pursuit of the truth, Jane finds herself ostracised, but remains determined to solve the mystery of the baby’s death.

Dark Rooms' is the eighth book in the Jane Tennison series, prequel to the 'Prime Suspect' TV series (and the novelisations of the first three seasons). Lynda La Plante presents an intricate case for the recently promoted Jane Tennison, her first investigation as a Detective Inspector following her required time spent in uniform. It is now the mid-80s, and we meet up with Jane as she's moved into her new home and is having it renovated. Jane continues to be somewhat a lone wolf, something that continues to cause her problems amongst the team. Yet her clashes with her DCI set the scene for her determination to resolve this case, even if it means working alone. None of it made sense, there were too many characters that appeared out of the blue and then seemingly never existed (where did tim go?) and by the end i’d practically forgotten what had happened at the beginning for them to even end up there. I always know what I am going to get from a Lynda La Plante novel, well written plots that are not rushed answering every question the readers wants answered. Good solid characters and plenty of intrigue made this a very good read. But, when he finally gets what he’s yearned for all these years, a political scandal erupts around him and he is shunned into the shadows once again with no shred of a positive reputation left. Sir William Benedict is left with no choice but to exact revenge on those who have sabotaged his dreams…and Justin Chalmers and his sister Laura are about to discover just how dark revenge can be when exacted by a man who has nothing left. What Kind of Awards has La Plante Earned? I also doubt this book was ever proof read considering the amount of mistakes i noticed while reading!

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Jane solves the original case involving a dead young woman in record time and it involves a tragic turn of events. Jane's given little (well, no) kudos for her work but having also uncovered a baby's bones during the investigation she's is keen to pursue it, particularly when she discovers the newborn was smothered. She's reminded however of her previous case that involved decades-old bones with no recourse for anyone still alive. Here however she's got her eye on the building's previous owner, Helena Lanark, and starts looking into the family. I haven't read anything by Lynda La Plante in a long time but she certainly haven't lost her touch. Eminently readable, fast paced and thrilling ~ what more could you ask for?? Believing that there’s much more to the story than the eye can meet, he starts an investigation that will bring a lot of his past secrets to surface.