So it’s book number three in the #TeamTennison challenge, Good Friday, and I can only begin by saying – WOW! This is one of the most gripping police procedurals I’ve ever read (and I’ve read a ton!)
We’re in the mid-70s in London now, and the IRA are putting the fear of God into Londoners, with small cells of bombers leaving bombs in shops, train stations, pubs, the Underground – basically everywhere. They generally phone in a secret password and the bomb’s location to the police or the press so the area can be cleared of civilians, but little time is given for this, and of course it’s London – there’s people everywhere, at any hour of the day or night.
And it’s WDC Tennison now – Jane is a detective, as was her ambition!
Yup, and she also buys a flat near Baker Street at the beginning of the book, moving out of the police hostel. Things are going well professionally and personally, although there isn’t a man in her life – although plenty seem to be interested!
Jane’s first assignment as a Detective is to to the “Dip Squad”, whose job is catching and charging pickpockets.
LaPlante is great at describing all the different crimes that were particularly prevalent when each book is set – the pickpockets, for example, are often foreign, work in small teams, and use a variety of distraction techniques, sleight of hand, and passing anything they’ve nabbed to an accomplice immediately, so, if stopped, they have nothing on them.
But the bombing campaign enters Jane’s life, by sheer coincidence.
Using the Underground one day, she’s caught up right in the middle of a bomb, and is used by her superiors at Scotland Yard as the face of the attempt to flush out the bombers, as they announce to the media she can identify the man who left the device. Her face appears on the front pages too, and although she has round the clock protection she’s warned about “sleepers”, who may not appear to be Irish but are involved with the IRA…
This is where I really was on tenterhooks – not just at the conclusion, but throughout the book. I really raced through it, desperate to find out if my suspicions were right!
And apart from all the action…
Lynda expertly depicted the ’70s – the clothes, the shops, food, music, cars, the slang. She really is one of the best police procedural writers out there. We’re also starting to know the cast of returning police officers, forensic experts, bomb disposal experts and clerical officers -as well as some attractive men! And the detail was fascinating, particularly when Jane is seconded to the large department across the city which deals with the aftermath of a bomb, and we got some insight into how harrowing some of the work is, as well as dangerous, especially when it came to dealing with the myriad types of bombs they encountered. The entire book was hugely enjoyable, and seeing Jane learn and grow as a police officer makes this a simply wonderful series!
Cannot wait to read the next instalment!
With thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for inviting me on this tour, and Bonnier Books for the ARC. This has not affected my opinion and this is an honest review.
Author Lynda La Plante
BLURB: From the creator of the award-winning ITV series Prime Suspect, this is Jane Tennison’s story, from rookie police officer to fully fledged detective.
Every legend has a beginning….
During 1974 and 1975, the IRA subjected London to a terrifying bombing campaign. In one day alone, they planted seven bombs at locations across central London. Some were defused – some were not.
Jane Tennison is now a fully fledged detective. On the way to court one morning, Jane passes through Covent Garden Underground station and is caught up in a bomb blast that leaves several people dead and many horribly injured. Jane is a key witness but is adamant that she can’t identify the bomber. When a photograph appears in the newspapers showing Jane assisting the injured at the scene, it puts her and her family at risk from IRA retaliation.
Good Friday is the eagerly awaited date of the annual formal CID dinner, due to take place at St Ermin’s Hotel. Hundreds of detectives and their wives will be there. It’s the perfect target. As Jane arrives for the evening, she realises that she recognises the parking attendant as the bomber from Covent Garden. Can she convince her senior officers in time, or will another bomb destroy London’s entire detective force?
crimeworm 