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Above Suspicion by Lynda La Plante

I have just finished the first book in the Anna Travis series, Above Suspicion by Lynda La Plante. I loved the TV series Prime Suspect but had never read any Lynda La Plante books - until now. I thought I'd give it a chance and rather than cover the Tennison era I figured I'd give the Anna Travis series a go.





About Above Suspicion



Young Anna Travis has been assigned to her first murder case - a series of killings that has shocked even the most hardened of detectives. They started eight years ago - now the body count is up to six. The method of killing is identical, the backgrounds of the girls identical - all drug-users and prostitutes. Then a seventh body is found. The modus operandi is the same - but the victim is a young student with the 'face of an angel'. The profile of the murderer has changed dramatically.



Determined to earn the respect of her male colleagues, Anna stumbles on a vital piece of information which links one man to the killings, a much-loved actor on the brink of international stardom. His arrest would create a media frenzy. But if he were found innocent, his wouldn't be the only career over - Anna's hard fought for reputation would be destroyed once and for all.



My thoughts on Above Suspicion


First of all I think the synopsis is a little misleading, it gives you the idea that Anna Travis is the one who works out that this much-loved actor is their suspect but that's not the impression I got when reading. It's more of a team effort.

I did enjoy reading Above Suspicion, but there were a few things that annoyed me. The book is set in London, but more than once there were terms that we would never use here in the UK. Just one example is referring to the outside temperature in Fahrenheit rather than Celcius, but there were other americanisms too. It bothered me because it's not authentic, if you're setting a book in the UK surely there shouldn't be any terms we don't use?

It might just be me being pedantic but when you're reading a book set in a certain place you expect it all to fit, and when you're reading about a London police station and the author uses American terms that would never be heard in a real Police Station, it jars. It doesn't feel right.

Apart from my little annoyances I enjoyed the book. The story itself is good, there aren't really any surprises and the timeline is fairly predictable. But it was a good read. I enjoyed the story and hoped for the best ending. I wasn't disappointed and will be trying out more books in the Anna Travis series soon.



Have you read any Lynda La Plante books?



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4 comments

  1. I like the sound of this book, but yes I would get irritated by the little inconsistent terms too #readwithme

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    1. It's a good book despite the inconsistencies. But it's a little irritating that they're there - and I think any British reader would probably feel the same way. :)
      Thanks for stopping by. x

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  2. I'd agree with you on those annoyances. I like the details to be right because ultimately they add to the atmosphere and depth of the story. Thank you for sharing with #readwithme

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    1. Exactly that! If it's meant to be set in England then the details should be right - right? Thanks for hosting, and for stopping by. x

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