I’m delighted to be part of Team Tennison, where, over the next few months, I’ll be reading and reviewing the books in the Tennison series, in the build up to the release of the tenth book later in the year. My review of the second book in the series, Hidden Killers, is written with thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to be part of Team Tennison.

Blurb:

From the BAFTA award-winning creator of Prime Suspect, starring Helen Mirren, comes the blistering follow-up to the best-selling Tennison.

Jane Tennison, a young, inexperienced WPC, learns the hard way never to take anyone – or anything – at face value, whether in her dealings with her police colleagues or when confronted by seemingly innocent suspects.

Hidden Killers sees Jane acting as a decoy prostitute, with the hope of capturing a suspect wanted for numerous sexual assaults. The attacker is drawn in and put under arrest. Commended for bravery in the case, Jane is given CID status and moves from Hackney to Bow Street Station as detective. Her first call-out is to a nonsuspicious death. The victim is a young mother drowned tragically in her bath, leaving a bereft and doting husband and a young child.

The two storylines interweave as Jane begins to doubt the evidence against her assailant in East London and becomes certain that the young woman in the bath did not drown in tragic circumstances. Two entirely different cases but one common thread – the lingering doubt in Jane’s mind around the evidence…and around her colleagues.

Review:

I really enjoyed the first instalment in this series, Tennison, so I was pleased to be back with Jane Tennison and her colleagues. Unlike many police procedural novels, Hidden Killers does not focus on one specific case. There are several cases in this novel and we learn about Jane Tennison’s role in solving each one. This really helps to build her character and demonstrate her determination, compassion and sense of humour, which are all attributes I love in a fictional detective and I grew to love Jane even more as the story gathered pace.

Like its prequel, Hidden Killers is set in the 1970s, and the attitudes of some of the characters reflect the views of the time, which are often discriminatory. However, I love that through the narrative, Lynda La Plante tries to challenge this in different ways. In doing so, she also shines a light on issues which still exist in contemporary society so that despite the setting, her novel remains relevant to modern readers.

Hidden Killers is incredibly well plotted and each investigation is crafted into a fast paced, exciting and thrilling narrative. There are several scenes which are fraught with danger and tension and I enjoyed reading these from the edge of my seat! Lynda La Plante does not shy away from gruesome descriptions, including some scenes of assault, and this makes the novel all the more engaging for me, although it may be upsetting for some people.

I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series!

Hidden Killers is available from Amazon.