Backlash

In this novel, the suspense is not built around the chase of the murderer but rather the careful reconstruction of events as the culprit leads the detectives down various leads. It doesn't have the same panache as other books with sensational revelations, but the careful investigation holds enough surprises to string the reader along. The ending is rather exaggerated in an attempt to finish with a flourish, but LaPlante's attention to detail and well-developed characters give her book substance.

Lynda La Plante's name was always one I recognized, but until last year I hadn't read any of her books. That quickly changed and I've added her to my list of favourite British mystery authors. La Plante writes a number of series and many have been adapted for television, such as Above Suspicion and Prime Suspect. (These are incredibly popular at the library.)

Bourbon Street Books latest La Plante release is Backlash, the eighth book in the series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Anna Travis.

A late night traffic stop on a van advertising clowns and kid's parties yields one surprise the uniformed officers didn't expect - the body of a woman hidden in back. The driver, Henry Oates, claims that she wasn't the first - and mentions two show more other young women who have been missing for years. One of the missing is a thirteen year old girl. Her case is one that Detective Chief Superintendent James Langton never solved and it haunts him. But then Oates recants.....Still recovering from surgery that has immobilized him, Langton is forced to let Anna and her team work the case without him.

I was eager to reconnect with Travis and the rest of the team. Anna has still never really dealt with the death of her fiancée and drives herself to keep her mind and body occupied. She's a character I really like - she's smart, tough and driven. My opinion of Langton is ever-changing - he's rude, brusque, opinionated, but just when I think he has no redeeming qualities, he surprises me. Travis is quickly catching up to her superior in leadership and deductive skills. Familiar supporting characters provided a comfortable home base.

"She was gaining a reputation as a very dedicated officer with her tough no -nonsense attitude and almost obsessive attention to detail."

As always, La Plante has crafted a wonderfully involved plot that was a treat to read. We have the guilty party right at the beginning, but it's up to the team to prove their case. And this is where La Plante shines. I really enjoy the pacing of British mysteries - the careful, methodical piecing together of information obtained through painstaking legwork. The case builds layer upon layer, but La Plante has more than one twist up her sleeve before the final reveal.

La Plante has a screenwriting background and some of the descriptions, action and dialogue read like a screenplay - short and to the point, at times pointedly directional. But, I stopped noticing this about fifty pages in and became engrossed in the case. Backlash kept me interested right 'til the last pages. Fans of police procedurals - this one's for you. Those that haven't read previous Travis books would be able to jump in and enjoy this book, but I always enjoy starting a series from book one. (Above Suspicion) Definitely a recommended read. show less

Fantastic read if murder mysteries are your thing! I didn't want to put it down! My only regret is starting this series with this book as it's #8 in the series. I've already searched out #1 and planning to catch up. Great characters and great writing!

I guess it's a 2.5 stars book. It went on and on, and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Lacking in real suspense throughout the middle. This is a series, book 6 or 7. I haven't read any of the others, so I don't have the emotional background on the players and that contributed to my lack of engagement. I would say " start at the beginning of the series!" I think this is one of those books that just doesn't stand alone.

It's been a few years since I'd read any of Ms La Plante's books but this felt like she had given up and just phoned in the story.

The text read like a list of events being recited by a narrator and the characters' voices were artificial, as if it were robots reading lines.

And the story ... very weak. The only reason the cops had any suspect was because he was found with one body then bragged about his kill list in the first few pages. Yet the whole way through Anna Travis is congratulating herself on her great police work.

Nah, waste of time, this.

BACKLASH is an Anna Travis Mystery (Book #8) written by Lynda La Plante.
A chance ‘pull over’ of an erratically driven van leads to the discovery of a brutally murdered woman and a full investigation by the Murder Squad. What they uncover leads to the opening of several ‘Cold Case’ Missing Persons Files.
A very suspenseful crime drama and police procedural, I couldn’t put it down.
James Langton continues to be an insufferable jerk, however, and Anna Travis’s expertise is seldom appreciated or acknowledged.

Somewhere under the excessive handwringing and redundant summarization of evidence in this book there was a solid police procedural but getting to it was a struggle. Could have benefited from severe editing. There are fun reads, then there are reads like this - agonizingly dense. Full review will be posted once published in Deadly Pleasures.