The eighth instalment in a series featuring detective Jane Tennison, the prolific Lynda La Plante’s latest Dark Rooms is an absorbing read. Its familiar formula focuses on life within the Met Police, as the award-winning author continues with the character behind the Prime Suspect television series.
In this case, protagonist Jane Tennison – who begins the story as a newly promoted detective – investigates an historic case where a body has been found during a planned redevelopment of a derelict house once owned by the Lanark family. When Tennison discovers another body hidden in the same shelter, a complex case involving a trip to Australia to visit Lanark family members unearths many family secrets in the process.
The story itself details an intriguing case while offering a strong focus on Tennison’s personal and professional life alike. The formulaic narrative and over-referencing certain aspects of the era did prove too prominent at times.
If you’ve followed this series from the start, Dark Rooms will doubtless prove a satisfying chapter in the detective’s career. Knowing I was going to read this instalment I referred to the first Tennison book with a view to drawing on some background information about the characters; that said, I don’t think this is essential for understanding if you’re planning to embark on this particular novel.
Dark Rooms, Lynda La Plante (Zaffre)
Price: ÂŁ20. Info: here
words RHIANON HOLLEY
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