A killer in London is imitating the famous Blue Dahlia case of Los Angeles in the 1940s. DI Anna Travis is assigned to the case. The lead investigator is replaced by her lover from the previous (and first) book of the series: James Langton. The plot hangs together nicely, the romantic element is not necessary, but is a nice touch. It's not Prime Suspect, Anna is not nearly as compelling as Jane Tennison, but it'll do. ( )

Usually when I finish reading a Crime Thriller the last thing I want to do is read another Crime book. It's not like I don't enjoy the genre, in fact if anything it is amongst my favourite genres, it is more about how draining they usually are. Nothing is more draining than hunting down a serial killer.

Surprisingly Lynda La Plante hasn't left me feeling drained. In fact I felt inspired to read another Crime genre novel. I think that says a lot about how skilled La Plante is as an crime writer. Red Dahlia was an interesting an involving story, without resorting to some of those annoying cliches (refreshing not to have the main character heading up the investigation). It was also realistic without becoming annoyingly mundane with needless exposition.

The only thing that stops me rating this book higher is that I'd already figured out the conclusion long before the end. While this isn't unusual for me, it is nice to not be wanting to grab the characters and point out the clues and their obvious conclusion. ( )

THE RED DAHLIA by Lynda La Plante is Book 2 of the Anna Travis Mysteries.
Anna is a very worthy successor to La Plante’s Jane Tennison series. I like the character.
The famous (unsolved) California Black Dahlia murder is replicated in London. DI Anna Travis and (the very unlikeable) DCI James Langton work together to try and solve this extremely gruesome and revolting murder case.
The characters are very real. I like the plot and the tension it creates. I like the police investigation and I even like the rather bizarre ending.
An excellent crime drama. ( )

A really good book. I loved it and I can't wait to read more from this author. ( )

A real page-turner of a story, but the graphic violence was occasionally over the top. Not recommended for the faint of heart. ( )