So Book Number Two in the #TeamTennison challenge…how is Jane’s career progressing?
When we left her towards the end of book one, Jane had seen various areas of the police service at work and had her heart set on becoming a detective in the CID. At the start of this book she’s about to begin her secondment to CID when they approach her early, asking her to join them then, as it turns out they need a female for an undercover assignment and Jane fits the bill. To be honest, it’s a wee bit scary, as they’re trying to catch a man who’s indecently assaulting girls around London Fields. I’ll say no more, other than that Jane acquits herself admirably – it’s pretty exciting stuff, and undoubtedly will be good for her career.
How is she coping with how Tennison, book one, ended?
She has a new boss at Bow Street, who has, of course, a different way of working. Jane misses her previous boss and the closeness they shared, as well as Kath, her sparky female mentor. But Jane notices a few things under DI Moran that don’t seem quite – by the book, shall we say? But all she can do is tuck everything she sees away for future reference – she’s learning fast!
And there are lots of investigations going on in CID…
Definitely! Jane’s cut a bit more slack as a detective. She has a case of a woman drowned in a bath which, at first glance, is written of as a straightforward accident, but a few things niggle at Jane as not quite right, and she manages to get DS Lawrence, a forensics specialist, on side – the other detectives are dismissive of Jane’s suspicions. All the possible suspects seem to have alibis – but are any of them breakable? Tennison and Lawrence make a formidable team he’s an intriguing character, who I hope we see more of – but as the investigation heats up, Jane’s disappointed to be left on the sidelines. Edith, the office manager, reminds her that women take second place in the Met, but Jane hates the idea of that glass ceiling holding her down.
How do they do with the indecent assault case?
The man ends up being charged with not only the indecent assaults but a rape too – and this is one occasion where Jane is suspicious of Moran’s way of working (he tells her a few blatant lies, but due to his position she’s unable to question them.) She’s desperate to dig into the rape charge and find out more, but has very little power – she’s becoming aware of how much of an underdog she is, despite having made it into the CID.
So is this book as good as Tennison? Does it look like being a good series?
I wouldn’t say good – I’d say absolutely superb! Jane’s whole life is being well portrayed, including her relationship with her parents and sister, as well as her colleagues. As she’d moved stations it did take me a bit of time to figure out who all the new officers were, but as the series progresses, I look forward to seeing Jane’s career develop and her confidence increase, and more fabulously intriguing cases from the pen of our author – she is, I must say, quite wonderful at creating crimes for the officers to solve. I think that’s the thing I most enjoy – so bring on book three!
Author Lynda La Plante
Another winner featuring Jane Tennison!
With thanks from Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers and Simon & Schuster for inviting me on this blog tour and for the ARCs. My opinions are not influenced in any way and are entirely my own.
crimeworm 