She must decide if she will risk her life to bring the killer to justice simply to claim the reward, or if she should leave the task to someone more experience, more willing, and more trusting than she will ever be able to trust herself after her difficult and harrowing past. The brief storyline with the weed was so so so unneeded and began with ooh whats Eddie hiding and ended abruptly a chapter later, why? She phones the police constantly to give reports of the missing items, but the police are regarding her more as a nuisance because of the frequency of the calls. When they arrive to investigate, they never find anything to substantiate her claims. But all this changes when Avril is found savagely murdered and dismembered, DC Marr realizing that something definitely was happening in her world, and perhaps what she was reporting had some truth to it. I have read none of the previous books in the series, but I enjoyed this book with no problems regarding who the main characters are and what’s their part in the story is. Relentless in her pursuit of the truth, Jane finds herself ostracised, but remains determined to solve the mystery of the baby’s death.

Jane Tennison herself was an extremely unlikable character and i often found myself frustrated with how she treated practically everyone around her.I thought Detective Warr was a great main character, he is determined and a intelligent person. I liked reading about his family life as well. We got to read about a variety of different characters in this book, some were criminals who I wasn’t sure who I wanted Detective Warr to trust. A compelling, clever plot with a brilliant cast of diverse characters. Utterly riveting' - RACHEL ABBOTT, million-selling author of ONLY THE INNOCENT Speaking of, since when is it ok to discuss the minutiae of your case with non police, Jane? Extremely unprofessional, and for an obnoxious, overbearing, pompous character like our “heroine”, I would have expected professionalism. How is a main character so awful?? Genuine question because I as the reader should surely be on her side? But she is impatient, irritable, downright rude a lot of the time, pompous, judgemental, and snobby. I don’t think I’ve ever read a character I disliked as much. DI Jane Tennison is part of the team investigating the crime. On visiting the crime scene, Jane discovers the house has more horrors to reveal - in the form of a mummified baby who was buried alive.

Now the police will have to pay attention and the stakes are raised when the investigation uncovers an international drugs operation on the widow’s property. The police are searching for the widow’s lodger but it appears he has vanished. Featuring multiple characters that all have a vital role to play in the unfolding dramas, each is vividly well-developed, their individual stories cohesively driving the plot. With the surprise appearance of a face from the past also in the mix, the novel has everything you could want from an ongoing police procedural series and much more. I absolutely love these books; Lynda La Plante's novels (and TV dramas) are always pure escapism - each new release an event in itself and an indulgent, immersive delight. I cannot wait to be able to dive into the fourth in the series.I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve indulged in my love of crime books. I don’t know if I’ve just been living the easy life or what, but I always forget how much I enjoy them until I start reading them. Am I a violent person? No. Do I enjoy reading about crime and people solving murders and such? Yes. I know this is A Thing, so it’s not like I’m a total weirdo out here. The good news is that there are many of us who enjoy these types of books and so it’s fun to be able to share this one with you! Lynda La Plante (born Lynda Titchmarsh) is a British author, screenwriter, and erstwhile actress (her performances in Rentaghost and other programmes were under her stage name of Lynda Marchal), best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series. Dark Rooms by Lynda LaPlante is the eighth in the series featuring 'young' Jane Tennison, although we've slowing been working our way from naïve constable to the kinda scary Detective Chief Inspector readers (and viewers) meet in Prime Suspect. I have not read a book by Lynda La Plante before, and in fact, I don’t think I’ve read many murder/crime novels by women authors. I quite enjoyed that aspect, and felt like she is, as you might imagine, just as good (if not better) at delivering “the goods” as all her male counterparts. I did enjoy that although there was some discussion of murder and violence of that sort (because this is the type of book I was reading, ya know), it didn’t seem gratuitous nor overly graphic. I mean, yes, there was graphic violence, but sometimes I feel like I can’t even handle the level of violence that some of the male authors go into. Scandinavian crime authors are their own sort when it comes to this, and I feel like La Plante is nowhere near that level. If you’re into crime and murder mysteries, this is a good one because she does a good job of competing with those modern murder mystery and crime novel types but does it in a way that is good clean fun. The more I write things like “good clean fun” in regard to murder mysteries the more I think maybe I’m digging myself into a hole here…wait. There I go again.

I always know what I am going to get from a Lynda La Plante novel, well written plots that are not rushed answering every question the readers wants answered. Good solid characters and plenty of intrigue made this a very good read. Vanished follows on from Buried and Judas Horse, with the series’ origins in La Plante’s iconic bestselling Widows. The trip to Australia - how utterly utterly unnecessary. In the time period it’s set, surely this was a huge expense, and whilst international phone calls were expensive too, they would have been a damn sight cheaper than sending two coppers over for 36 hours. So so strange. On the upside we got to see loads more entitled and judgemental attitude from Jane, so that was delightful. However, and believe me I hate to leave a negative review, but wow; there was very little I enjoyed of this book. Her first book went over extremely well, and other famous novels came to follow. One of her best known stories is The Talisman, published in 1987, closely followed by Bella Mafia in 1990. Soon afterward, she began work on Prime Suspect, which starred Helen Mirren. This opened the door for La Plante to win an Edgar-Award from the Mystery-Writers of America for her impressive work on the show.When the investigation uncovers an international drugs operation on the widow's property, the case grows even more complex. And as the hunt for the widow's lodger hits dead end after dead end, it seems that the prime suspect has vanished without a trace. Buying this book, it was clear it was part of a series starring a detective, but in theory it was a standalone book. In that, I can say it was. I really had an issue with the Jason Thorpe character, particularly at the end as the events reached their anti climactic climax. He is portrayed throughout as a sort of brutish, somewhat threatening thug, with his own successful business but almost certainly a fair amount of dodgy dealings in both that and the affairs of his aunt/the house. Then at the climactic ending his character is completely switched up and he’s suddenly some kind of simpleton we should pity? It’s absolutely bizarre.