Dark Rooms by Lynda La Plante

Dark Rooms by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - < 3 days

Pages - 336

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

Helena Lanark is the only one who knows about the horrors which once occurred in her family's house. The heiress of an immense family fortune, she now resides in a luxurious care home; her mind and memory fading fast. Jane Tennison is leading a murder investigation into the recent brutal death of a young girl, her decomposed, starved body discovered in an old air raid shelter in the garden of the Lanark's now derelict house. Initially the focus is on identifying the victim, until another body is found hidden in the walls of the shelter. As the investigation and search for answers intensifies, Jane travels to Australia. There she discovers the dark secret that the Lanark family has kept hidden for decades. A secret that not only threatens to bring down a family dynasty, but also places Jane Tennison in mortal danger . . .


My Review

Welcome to book eight in the Tennison series, you can read it as a standalone but the series is so fab and you would miss so much backstory/character development if you start here. Jane is into yet another new team but this time she will be the lead on a case her superiors aren't enthusiastic about. During work being done on an older wealthy owned estate a body is found chained up in an air raid shelter not on the building plans. Jane being the lead heads down and uncovers another body, this one causing more annoyance from Janes "superiors". Jane is like a dog with a bone and will stop at nothing to find out what happened and get justice and as always to the truth.

This book is really busy, it has a lot going on, the investigations, dealing with the original owners - the attitudes, more inappropriate attitudes, sexism, abuse of position, inappropriate conduct from Janes male counterparts. Honestly I feel in this one we see a different side to Jane, we get the usual where she is absolutely dedicated to the job and victims and regardless of who she may annoy or upset she is getting to the bottom of her case(s). I feel she was a bit more almost wreckless this time, in some of her behaviours, speaking freely about her case to the guy she has in doing work on the house.

We also see Jane dabbling with a relationship and maybe it was ripples from her previous relationships and why she is a bit different/guarded this time. Yet that being said there was also an incident within her home and something she did that I was shocked. Nothing overly major but just from what we know of Jane I felt it was so out of character, she seemed to have a different side showing this time. Not bad but just risks that I didn't expect from her, character development maybe, response to all she has been through, age, I don't know but it is certainly interesting to see her flash a bit off the straight and narrow so to speak.

Family secrets, scandals, touching on some horrific themes, SA, murder, abuse of power/status, police investigation and as always Janes metal at not being badgered or bullied into dropping something or behaving a certain way. I think that is why we are big Tennison fans, she has some flaws (don't we all) but she comes from a good place and always an advocate for the victims who can no longer speak for themselves, 4/5 from me.

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The Dirty Dozen by Lynda La Plante

Carrying on the #TeamTennison tour, we have my review for book five of the series "The Dirty Dozen" enjoy.

The Dirty Dozen by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out as able over a week

Pages - 490

Publisher - Zaffre

Source - Review copy

Blurb from Goodreads

April 1980 and Jane is the first female detective to be posted to the Met’s renowned Flying Squad, commonly known as the ‘Sweeney’. Based at Rigg Approach in East London, they investigate armed robberies on banks, cash in transit and other business premises.

Jane thinks her transfer is on merit and is surprised to discover she is actually part of a short-term internal experiment, intended to have a calming influence on a team that likes to dub themselves as the ‘Dirty Dozen’.

The men on the squad don’t think a woman is up to the dangers they face when dealing with some of London’s most ruthless armed criminals, who think the only ‘good cop’ is a dead cop. Determined to prove she’s as good as the men, Jane discovers from a reliable witness that a gang is going to carry out a massive robbery involving millions of pounds.

But she doesn’t know who they are, or where and when they will strike...


My Review

Book five in the Tennison series, Jane is doing well and now made it onto the Mets Flying Squad, the first female to do so. It is the 1980s so be ready for sexist, racist, chauvinistic, offensive language from the police and the bad guys. A gang are committing robberies, scoring big and the team are investigating. Jane is quite confident in her abilities and why she got onto the team, through her hard work, merit and record. She finds herself met with hostility both with some of her new team mates and the only other female in the office (not an officer).

The thing I like about Jane is she is almost always counted out and she brings it although admittedly she does have a few lapses in judgement at times. The other thing I really like is when they palm her off with nonsense or what they think is insubstantial she treats every job with the same level of efficiency - usually to her advantage.

As well as the investigation we get a bit as usual from Jane's private life, her family this time, a bit of office shenanigans, a rough estate and some shady characters/behaviours. Threats, violence, murder and all the things we have come to know/love and expect in the Tennison series, page turner, shocking turns of events and enough variety to keep it fresh even though we are five books into the series, here is to number six, 4.5/5.

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Tennison - Prime Suspect 1973 by Lynda La Plante

Celebrating #TeamTennison all of the Tennison books in prep for the tenth which is yet to be published. Over the next ten months we will be reading/reviewing all the Jane Tennison books (I also aim to watch the tv show). Thanks to Tracy from Compulsive Readers for getting me on board for the tours.

Tennison: Prime Suspect 1973 by Lynda La Plante
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 7 days

Pages - 624

Publisher - Simon and Schuster

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

In 1973 Jane Tennison, aged 22, leaves the Metropolitan Police Training Academy to be placed on probationary exercise in Hackney where criminality thrives. We witness her struggle to cope in a male-dominated, chauvinistic environment, learning fast to deal with shocking situations with no help or sympathy from her superiors. Then comes her involvement in her first murder case.


My Review

Book one of the series and whilst I have read La Plante before this is my first of this series. Jane Tennison is a rookie and in her probationary period in Hackney, it is the early 1970s so it is a very heavily male environment. There is sexism, racism, chauvinistic, jealousy, hierarchy, prostitution, murder, drugs and homophobic tones in interactions. I think it brings the reality of the times in that profession/time and it is set in a high crime area.

There is a lot going on, we get the dynamics of the officers, the way the police works, how women were viewed and the metal of Jane's character. Starting a new job in that type of environment, that time period women where expected to be more about settling down. Even Jane's family expect the job to be backseat to what they deem high importance ie rehearsal dinners or family dinners, inviting people around.

There are a lot of shady characters within the book and like or loathe them they do make for compelling reading. I would have gotten through this quicker if not for work/life, it is a chunky book, over 600 pages and I am looking forward to reading the rest in the series. I have book two ready and waiting and looking forward to seeing what Jane and co are facing next, 4/5.

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The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton

The Craftsman by Sharon J. Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time Taken to Read - 1 day

Pages - 352

Publisher - Trapeze

Source - TBConFB

Blurb from Goodreads

August, 1999
On the hottest day of the year, Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady attends the funeral of Larry Glassbrook, the convicted murderer she arrested thirty years earlier. A master carpenter and funeral director, Larry imprisoned his victims, alive, in the caskets he made himself. Clay effigies found entombed with their bodies suggested a motive beyond the worst human depravity.
June, 1969
13-year- old Patsy Wood has been missing for two days, the third teenager to disappear in as many months. New to the Lancashire police force and struggling to fit in, WPC Lovelady is sent to investigate an unlikely report from school children claiming to have heard a voice calling for help. A voice from deep within a recent grave.
August, 1999
As she tries to lay her ghosts to rest, Florence is drawn back to the Glassbrooks' old house, in the shadow of Pendle Hill, where she once lodged with the family. She is chilled by the discovery of another effigy - one bearing a remarkable resemblance to herself. Is the killer still at large? Is Florence once again in terrible danger? Or, this time, could the fate in store be worse than even her darkest imaginings?

My Review

Florence Lovelady is a police officer, we open with her at a funeral, the funeral of a killer, 1999. We head back to 1969 when Florence was new to the area and just a WPC, not only having the difficulty of working a case with missing kids but trying to carve her place in the team, being a woman! As another child goes missing, this one closer to home, more pressure mounts on the team and Florence is more and more a likely target for the fall guy. All eyes are on Florence, the cops, the townsfolk and even the killer!

There is a lot going on in this book, child murder, kidnap, small town, sexism, inequality, bitchiness, police investigation, relationships, due timeline and witchcraft! I would have LOVED to have seen a lot more dedicated to the craft, in the throwback time period we do have some. When we flip to the present again we have some but for me, for one character there is a huge chunk missing from A to B. I know that is a bit vague but I don’t do spoilers, I just felt there was a fantastic opportunity to give us more on the how people came to get into the craft. I did love the history parts and they say an author is doing their job when they leave you wanting more. I do find witchcraft and anything of that ilk, when done right, can make a great thread in a story, what I did get here I thought was great.

There are atmospheric scenes, the killer buries them alive - can you think of anything worse! Bolton does fantastic scenes with realism to have the reader holding their breath, heart pausing and the hairs on the back of your neck standing!

Emotions were high, the treatment of the young Florence at the hands of the other officers, sexism, bullying, complete disregard for valid points purely because she was a woman. The level of hatred and nastiness really ripped my knittin. I suppose for the time period it would probably be commonplace but I was absolutely infuriated.

The book has a good pace, grabs you pretty much from the beginning. The timelines are easy enough to follow as it starts in the 90s, heads back to the 60s and highlights when you are back to the 90s. Whilst we know early on who the bad guy is there is plenty of intrigue and mystery to keep you going with sidelines supplying surprises as you get into it. Sure I have read Bolton before, I know I have some of hers on my shelves, I will need to dig them out for sure, ⅘ for me this time.

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Nailing Jess by Triona Scully - Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Nailing Jess by Triona Scully, her debut novel. Welcome Triona and thanks so much for taking the time to do a wee Q&A with me. Guys you can read my review for Nailing Jess by clicking HERE.


Before we get into it, if you haven't already seen it, this is the cover for Nailing Jess. I am not normally one to comment on covers but it does strike you doesn't it? If I was walking by it in a bookshop I would absolutely be drawn to pick this up!






1. What was the idea behind the book?

- Nailing Jess is a perfectly functional serial killer novel. It is also a satire on perfectly functional serial killer novels, and the raw deal women often get in this genre. Rather than victimised, women are the perpetrators of sexual and violent crime. The results ain’t pretty, but at least they are, in the main, still alive.


2. Feminism is a huge theme in the book what made you want to go this route?

I’m a feminist Lainy, so it seemed like the obvious route. I OD’d on feminist writers after a gruesome break up, a long time ago. On the one hand, it’s was a powerful thing to do, providing me with the language and science to explain what all women instinctively know – they get a raw deal. On the other hand, it was mind-blowingly dis-empowering ‘coz I came out the other side, with all this knowledge that I can’t unlearn, and the world remains indifferent. Everything I write these days is from a feminist perspective, because it is what I now know.


3. There is swearing galore, you chose “suck” and “sucking” in place of “f*ck” why?

F*** is a male verb, for a male act. At the core of heterosexual mating rituals, men are the active participant, women the passive receiver. Suck is the verb we might use, if women defined the sex act, as something they initiated.


4. I found that really hard to read because I am so familiar with the F word in those exchanges, do you think it was a bold move changing it up like that?

I don’t know if I thought it was bold, but I was certain in had to be done. As a society, we wantonly use the word ‘F***’ to define some of our most intimate actions and some of our most violent ones. The same word - to say ‘I love you’ and ‘I want to cause you harm’. That’s f***ed!


5. Even the mention of Hansel and Gretel the names where changed for the female listing first, what made you do that?

Because that’s how inequality is created and maintained. Through the little things like men (Hansel) always being put first. And the big things, like domestic homicide being downplayed to a ‘family tragedy’, in terms of how the media portray it, and how the courts sanction it, and ultimately, how society perceives it.


6. I picked up the book expecting the crimes to be the main focus, reading the book the strong female theme was, for me, the main focus. Even the males wardrobe choices are very different! Was this your intent/goal?

It was fifty-fifty. Having a core story to tell, with a start, middle, end, and a shedload of bodies was really important to me. I’m a huge crime fan, and I’ve always wanted to write a crime novel. I’m intrigued how thrillers like ‘Gone Girl’ are perceived as feminist, because whilst that book undoubtedly has a strong female lead, it also perpetrates many tired, old stereotypes about how untrustworthy and unhinged women are. I wanted my crime novel to be unambiguously feminist.


7. The main character is different from any I have read, even her name, what was your vision when you created her?

Absolutely! I wanted to create a woman, like no other. I wanted the reader to focus on what she says and what she does, not how she looks, and I think I’ve achieved that with Wayne.


8. With all the swearing, sexism and questionable behaviour from our DCI and overall theme I think this will be a marmite book. How do you feel about your debut being a marmite read?

It’s impossible to describe how surreal it is, to put something out there, and then read reactions to it. I have had to very quickly come to terms with the fact that my work is done, give or take the never-ending marketing drive. There is nothing I can do or say to alter how people perceive the Nailing Jess. Do I want everyone to love it? Absolutely. Is that likely to happen? It would appear not. So, I will settle for the next best thing. As many people as possible to love it.


9. I think this would make for a great reading group book as there is so much to debate/discuss. Which aspect of the book would you like to see most argued over?

I would feel so honoured to have any people debate any of the number of issues it raises from misogyny and violent crime, to drug use, to the lot of single mothers, to everyday sexism.


10. What is next for Triona Scully?

I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you! I never talk about unfinished work. I’ve written a play called ‘The Contact Killer’ and I’m looking to produce it in the next year. So, if you know any wealthy art enthusiasts…


And if we aren't spoiling you enough with a Q&A I am also offering up my copy as a giveaway, UK only this time guys sorry. Please keep in mind this is an ARC so any errors (I can't say I noticed any) are because this was an advanced copy. To be in with a chance just enter by using the Rafflecopter below. Open until the end of the month. You can buy your own copy now and the e book is only 99p at time of posting.





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