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The Red Dahlia was the first time I had read Lynda La Plante. Hers is a big name in the world of British crime fiction. Her Prime Suspect series starring Helen Mirren was a riveting production. A friend threw a bag of books over to the house a month or two back and before donating them to one of the local charity outlets I held onto this particular one for some reason. Not as deep or methodical as some of the Scandinavian crime literature, it is not lacking in appeal, probably because of the fluid style to the writing and the economy of words used to say what needs said.

A newspaper delivery boy discovers a body at the side of the River Thames in London. Louise Pennel has been cut in half with great surgical precision. The country cannot be teeming with people of that degree of proficiency.  Detective Inspector Anna Travis is brought into investigate and her former lover Chief Inspector James Langdon later joins the team to take charge. He, a great investigator, has a drink problem: as much an alcoholic as a workaholic. She has a boyfriend problem – a journalist Dick Reynolds who is prepared to burn sources.   In a sense she is caught between two dicks: one in the sense of an investigator, the other a dickhead.
The investigating foray starts out as a hunt for clues. Nothing seems to take the team of detectives close to any potential suspect. Frustration kicks in. The killer starts playing mind games with the cops, and draws comparisons between himself and the Black Dahlia killer who tortured and murdered Elizabeth Short in 1940s Los Angeles in a case that became a cause macabre. It was an ill omen for the police because Elizabeth Short’s killer had never been apprehended. Then a phone call from a frightened woman claiming to know the identity of the killer.
A second murder occurs and the heat is on. So too is the hunt. From the midst of the horsey set the call of Tallyho goes up as the police think they might be closing in on their main suspect.
La Plante takes the reader inside the twisted world of the wealthy weird; the exclusive set of horsey people determined to ride anything, two legs or four. Their sleazy lifestyle and arrogance is laid bare.  The sordid abuse is rampant and its impact on the mental health of the abused is chillingly illustrated. Sadism and domination saturate lives to the point of suffocation.
Most of the characters are run of the mill, stirring no great feeling one way or the other. Travis is the easiest to warm to. Disappointingly the prime suspect, arguably the one person with potential for the greatest character development, is too one dimensional and flat. He is ascribed too much power and is given an ability to evade just about anything.
An ideal book for a holiday or prison cell, it is easy to read, uncomplicated, and the plot digestible even with a bevy or two guzzled.

 Lynda La Plante, 2010, The Red Dahlia. Pocket: London. ISBN 978-1-84739-983-0

Red Dahlia

The Red Dahlia was the first time I had read Lynda La Plante. Hers is a big name in the world of British crime fiction. Her Prime Suspect series starring Helen Mirren was a riveting production. A friend threw a bag of books over to the house a month or two back and before donating them to one of the local charity outlets I held onto this particular one for some reason. Not as deep or methodical as some of the Scandinavian crime literature, it is not lacking in appeal, probably because of the fluid style to the writing and the economy of words used to say what needs said.

A newspaper delivery boy discovers a body at the side of the River Thames in London. Louise Pennel has been cut in half with great surgical precision. The country cannot be teeming with people of that degree of proficiency.  Detective Inspector Anna Travis is brought into investigate and her former lover Chief Inspector James Langdon later joins the team to take charge. He, a great investigator, has a drink problem: as much an alcoholic as a workaholic. She has a boyfriend problem – a journalist Dick Reynolds who is prepared to burn sources.   In a sense she is caught between two dicks: one in the sense of an investigator, the other a dickhead.
The investigating foray starts out as a hunt for clues. Nothing seems to take the team of detectives close to any potential suspect. Frustration kicks in. The killer starts playing mind games with the cops, and draws comparisons between himself and the Black Dahlia killer who tortured and murdered Elizabeth Short in 1940s Los Angeles in a case that became a cause macabre. It was an ill omen for the police because Elizabeth Short’s killer had never been apprehended. Then a phone call from a frightened woman claiming to know the identity of the killer.
A second murder occurs and the heat is on. So too is the hunt. From the midst of the horsey set the call of Tallyho goes up as the police think they might be closing in on their main suspect.
La Plante takes the reader inside the twisted world of the wealthy weird; the exclusive set of horsey people determined to ride anything, two legs or four. Their sleazy lifestyle and arrogance is laid bare.  The sordid abuse is rampant and its impact on the mental health of the abused is chillingly illustrated. Sadism and domination saturate lives to the point of suffocation.
Most of the characters are run of the mill, stirring no great feeling one way or the other. Travis is the easiest to warm to. Disappointingly the prime suspect, arguably the one person with potential for the greatest character development, is too one dimensional and flat. He is ascribed too much power and is given an ability to evade just about anything.
An ideal book for a holiday or prison cell, it is easy to read, uncomplicated, and the plot digestible even with a bevy or two guzzled.

 Lynda La Plante, 2010, The Red Dahlia. Pocket: London. ISBN 978-1-84739-983-0
Anthony McIntyre Book Reviews

8 comments:

  1. Simon7:52 PM, June 01, 2014

    This sort of popular crime fiction wouldn't be my cup of tea as although I find the best examples real page turners they are instantly forgettable in a way which is an anticlimax.

    The closest I get is John Banville when he writes as Benjamin Black. I find the Quirke series memorable as well as enjoyable. They don't feel like a waste of time.

    Just noticed on your profile AM that three of your favourite films are three of mine too. Heat, Once Upon a Time in America and The Departed. I watch Heat and the Departed every six months (the Departed only last night). Sergio Leone's film was watched so often as a youngster that it is hard to watch now. Was my all-time favourite for twenty years.

    Back to books, James Ellroy is one of my favourites. You should check him out if you like LA Confidential.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AM1:06 PM, June 02, 2014

    Simon,

    pure escapism.

    Films - the Usual Suspects is the all time favourite. Loved LA Confidential.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Simon7:44 PM, June 02, 2014

    I appreciate a little escapism myself and when I do I go for a bit of P.G. Wodehouse.

    Spoiler alert!

    Did you know none of the cast of The Usual Suspects knew who Kaiser Sose was until after filming was complete?
    Kevin Spacey tweeted that.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AM8:36 PM, June 02, 2014

    Didn't know that Simon. Thought Spacey played a great role in that and in LA Confidential. Trying to read a Norwegian one at the minute - The Water's Edge by Karin Fossum. Really good but concentration is eluding me

    ReplyDelete
  5. Simon10:33 PM, June 02, 2014

    I find screenplays are great when my concentration goes. Quentin Tarantino's are great, Taxi Driver that sort of thing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AM10:55 AM, June 03, 2014

    Reservoir Dogs is my favourite from QT

    ReplyDelete
  7. frankie4:00 PM, June 03, 2014

    As you are talking about movies, here is an alternative ending to Batman. Not for kids..

    ReplyDelete
  8. Simon1:56 AM, June 04, 2014

    The Tarantino screenplays are great. Very light with scenes not included in the movies. I prefer Pulp Fiction but may be sliding towards Django Unchained as it seems like a movie I was waiting for all my life. (I hate racism and like to see baddies get their comeuppence!)

    I read a pile of screenplays years ago when convalescing. I didn't have the concentration for books...

    ReplyDelete

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