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 fourth book in the series, Murder Mile, is written with thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to be part of Team Tennison, and to the publisher for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

The fourth in the Sunday Times bestselling Jane Tennison thrillers, MURDER MILE is set at the height of the ‘Winter of Discontent’. Can Jane Tennison uncover a serial killer?

February, 1979, ‘The Winter of Discontent’. Economic chaos has led to widespread strikes across Britain.

Jane Tennison, now a Detective Sergeant, has been posted to Peckham CID, one of London’s toughest areas. As the rubbish on the streets begins to pile up, so does the murder count: two bodies in as many days.

There are no suspects and the manner of death is different in each case. The only link between the two victims is the location of the bodies, found within a short distance of each other near Rye Lane in Peckham. Three days later another murder occurs in the same area. Press headlines scream that a serial killer is loose on ‘Murder Mile’ and that police incompetence is hampering the investigation.

Jane is under immense pressure to catch the killer before they strike again.Working long hours with little sleep, what she uncovers leaves her doubting her own mind.

Review:

I’m really enjoying the Tennison project and I think Murder Mile is my favourite book in the series so far. In Murder Mile, Jane has been promoted to Detective Sergeant and the increase in responsibility has made her a much more mature character. She still has a tendency to do things that are not strictly “by the book” but she is gaining more respect from her colleagues and her determination to catch the murderer remains impressive.

Unlike some of the other books in the series, Murder Mile focuses on a single investigation. I preferred this as it means the author can explore the crime in more detail. I was completely immersed in the story from start to finish and I really wanted to know what had happened and how everything fit together. 

The Murder Mile is set in 1979 and Lynda La Plante does an impressive job of setting the scene. She refers frequently to the political environment, which is particularly interesting as it marks the start of Margaret Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister, and I also found it interesting to learn even more about the techniques that detectives used at that time.

As the novel reaches its ending, the tension really increases and it was really difficult for me to turn away. I did guess who the perpetrator was before it was revealed, but I really wanted to know how they would be caught.

I’m looking forward to continuing the series!

Murder Mile is available from Amazon.