BLUNT FORCE – Lynda La Plante
Jane Tennison Series – Book 6
Zaffre Books
ISBN-10: 1499862474
ISBN-13: 978-1499862478
ASIN: B083STRTQQ
August 25, 2020
Mystery-Thriller

London – The Present

DS (Detective Sergeant) Jane Tennison and DS Spencer Gibbs are partners, both of whom have been sidelined from higher levels in their jobs. Tennison was dismissed from the prestigious Flying Squad when a fellow officer is wounded protecting her. She is now taking lessons on using firearms at a high security private shooting club. Spencer made a mistake. They now work out of the Gerald Road police station in the Knightsbridge area, one of the more affluent areas in London where mostly minor crimes take place. 

A neighbor upset by a constantly barking dog in an expensive basement suite calls the police. Inside, Spencer finds the beaten and disemboweled body of Charles Foxley, a well-known and very rich and powerful theatrical agent. While the police are in his dwelling, Foxley’s hysterical ex-wife shows up. His murder will not be an easy case to solve.
 
Charles Foxley is an important theatrical agent and partner at the Foxley and Myers agency. While those remaining at the agency answer the officer’s questions, they are cautious in their responses and are not only dismissive of some of the company’s employees, but also of some of their clients. 

The story exposes the undesirable behavior of wealthy and influential people. The more the reader learns about Foxley and his ex-wife, the more this becomes apparent. But did his ex murder him? Or perhaps a work rival or a dissatisfied client? A convoluted trail with many dead ends hinders the investigation, but Jane and Spencer’s dogged determination eventually discovers the truth and may have exposed another crime. In a secondary storyline, Jane plays an important part in exposing a corrupt cop. 

Robin Lee

It was an ok book, it just wasn’t my kind of book............................................................

I've really enjoyed getting to know Jane in her early days with this series of pre-Tennison books. This one especially put an emphasis on her determination for self-preservation and advancement.

The book opens with the savage murder of a well known theatrical agent in London’s West End. Detective Jane Tennison (who you later learn has been recently kicked off a special crime detail- the Flying Squad) hopes to solve this case quickly, looking for redemption.
She is teamed up with DS Spencer Gibbs and together they navigate the politics of a corrupt supervisor in the police department, schizophrenic aging actresses, underage young girls presented like bonbons to the show biz elite and all while trying to quickly solve this horrendous murder.
I wanted to like this book. I especially love British mysteries. All the makings of some great storylines we’re there, I just didn’t feel the book pulled it all together.  Jane needed more substance. She comes off as too meek and clumsy for a seasoned police officer. When she finally stands up for herself it is late in the book and nearly lost in the story. Maybe if I had read the prior books that introduce her character I would feel differently.
The ending is so abrupt I checked to make sure the entire book downloaded. I did not care for how the storylines were supposedly  wrapped up at all. Too many questions left unanswered.
I rated this book 3 stars and feel that is generous.

I was provided an electronic Advance Readers Copy (ARC) by Netgalley for my unbiased review. The above review is my honest review and is not influenced in any way.

Blunt Force is Lynda La Plante's sixth book in a series about Detective Sergeant Jane Tennison. In this thriller, Jane is a driven-to-discover-the truth, work-obsessed detective who’s been kicked off the “Flying Squad” and now works in a quiet police station, relegated to solving petty crimes. When a well-known theatrical agent is brutally murdered, Jane and her friend DS Spencer Gibbs must find the killer. I enjoyed reading this book and plan to read the author’s other novels with the same character. I appreciated Jane's dogged determination and how she persevered in a male-dominated field as she solved the crime. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

A gritty British Police Procedural story that takes you into the murder of a prominent show business executive. During the course of the investigation you, the reader, will be be taken down several unsavory paths as justice is seen to be done and the killer identified and arrested. But during this time you will be exposed to other possible crimes, two of which, I feel were clearly unraveled and solved satisfactorily. However, it is the third crime(?) Which will leave you wondering what is the complete story and was justice done. I have my opinion and I will leave it to you the reader to reach your own conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have rated it 4 stars.

I was provided an electronic Advance Readers Copy (ARC) by Netgalley for my unbiased review. The above review is my honest review and is not influenced in any way.

Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante is a murder mystery and a perfect alternative for a modern Agatha Christie.

Our main character, Detective Jane Tennison investigates the brutal murder of Charles Foxley and Blunt Force is the story of how Jane discovers the truth behind his murder. Jane is a determined detective and as one of the few female detectives, she needs to fight her way for the other officers in the force to see her true potential.

I rated Blunt Force two stars because I did not enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I am a huge fan of murder mystery so when I got the ARC for this book I was originally very excited to read this. There were somethings I enjoyed, like the detail behind the murder and the process that Jane had to do in order to investigate Charles’ murder, as well as the plot. I think the murder behind Charles Foxley was well thought out and in depth and that was one of the things I did enjoy while reading this.

But, I’m going to be honest, there were quite a lot of things I did not enjoy. In the beginning the pace was very slow and I nearly put this down and marked it as ‘did not finish’ but I decided to stick through this story in case there would be more excitement throughout the book. The beginning was boring and that is what nearly made me put this down. When I start the book I would want it to start off interesting and really pull me in. Blunt Force did not do this for me.

And while this is my first book by Lynda La Plante as well as the first book I’m reading in the Tennison series, I wanted to give this an open mind as I knew this was my first book by her. But, for a starter, I was not a big fan of Jane. For a woman who wants to succeed in her career I just found some of her actions quite dumb. Sometimes it was as if she was just a normal girl who came into a murder mystery rather than a detective.

Along with characters, the way some of the characters that appeared in this investigation were absolutely difficult to read. I realize this is reasonable and sometimes witnesses and suspects do act somewhat similar, I felt uncomfortable and irritated while reading about them and when they made appearances. One of the characters I was not a fan of made frequent appearance throughout the story that made me nearly stop reading this. His actions were completely unnecessary and I sometimes found his attitude was completely unnecessary and I felt angry at some times with him.

While these were some of my irritating moments that I did not like, I did enjoy the story behind the murder and quite enjoyed some of the processes that Jane had to go through.

Thank you again to NetGalley for an eARC for an honest review

True police procedural. Though I was a fan of the tv series starring Helen Mirren years ago, this is the first book I've read in this series. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd read the previous novels ans they do reference previous events quite often.

#BluntForce #NetGalley

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.   I have read all this authors books and she never ever fails to disappoint.   This had a great storyline,  lots of twists and good characters.   I loved it.

Realizing that I came into this series a total newbie, puts me at a disadvantage. It's obvious from other reviewers that this character has built up a fanbase but it was very difficult to connect to her or Spencer in this book, as their characterizations were all over the place. They at once seemed like good friends/partners but then there would be a shift in tone (esp Spencer at the end had me completely confused) and at least 2 plot lines could've either been dropped or shortened to give the meat of the story more room to breathe. In fact the real victim of this story I feel is shuffled off to the side, forgotten once that glass of whiskey and an old lover calls , which was really disappointing. It's a decent police procedural, but is a bit long and at times I had trouble knowing who was talking. I guess I'm mostly worried about who has the 3 dogs now?

I loved the prime suspect series and am now reading the early tennison novels. I was excited to receive an advance reader's copy of blunt force.  Once again tennison has to deal with male police officers  who ignore and disrespect her abilities.  Tennison prevails however and has  a hand in solving the murder which is the center of the story and also assists with an investigation    linked to her prior assignment with the flying squad. Another solid effort in the continuing story of tennison.

I had not read the first five books in this series, so I was going into this one a little bit blind. That said it was still a satisfying police procedural and I'd be interested to read the earlier books in the series. It felt like it started a little slow for me (which could very well be because I jumped into the middle of a series), but once this book gets moving it's full of little details that keep you guessing and trying to solve the case right along with Jane.

Another great read from Lynda La Plante.

This is the sixth book in the Jane Tennison series.

I love Jane Tennison. This is another brilliant outing for her.

In this book Jane Tennison has been moved off the flying squad after committing an unforgivable error.

She's atough, determined woman trying to succeed in a very male dominated environment.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this pre-publication

I haven’t read a Lynda Lapland in years and I wasn’t disappointed! This was a great read and I’m so glad I’ve discovered her again. 
A fantastically well thought out plot and great character depth. I would definitely recommend.

Another great Lynda LaPlante police procedural. Follows Jane Tennison in her younger days with the police. I was a little put off by the sexist way she was treated but it did not take away from the story and was a sign of the times. I did enjoy the story line. I am a great LaPlante fan.

This is a police procedural, the 6th book in a series.  I felt like it could be read as a stand alone.   I had a lot of trouble getting into this book. The plot was good but the pace was way too slow for me, I had trouble finishing it.   The ending was also a problem. It was very abrupt and left some unanswered questions.  Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

This is the second book in the Jane Tennison. I read the one right before this when she was with the Flying Squad.  
This one is particularly good.  Jane is in a mundane police station and nothing seems to ever happen.  Then comes a big case which she and her old friend Spencer try to solve.  
I really enjoyed the way the book is written.  The slow beginning, Janes life outside of work.  The second thread where she is approached by an old friend to join a shooting club.  
There are so many people who would kill the victim, it was interesting to watch them sift through them and find the motive and killer.   

I have a few of her earlier books in this series which I plan to read.  Thank you, Net Galley, for an advance copy for an honest review

This was an excellent book!  I am a fan of the Prime Suspect series, starring Helen Miren, who portrayed the protagonist detective of this book, Detective Jane Tennison on Masterpiece Theater .  In this book, we see a younger 30 year old Jane and her fellow detectives call to the scene of the gruesome murder of theatrical agent, Charles Foxley, beaten with a cricket bat and tortured.  The investigation takes them into the world of drugs, solicitation of minors, and a dominatrix.  There is a side story at the same time of a previous case Jane was involved in.  This story is well written, deep, dark, intricate , characters with many layers , and a strong woman surviving in a man s world.  #Blunt force

This book is a slow burn with a long build that doesn't quite lead to any original plot twists or turns.  Possibly a good book for fans of the author's previous works or those who enjoy police procedure detail.  I am grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

If you are a murder mystery fan, there is no group of writers that can match the Brits. LaPlante is one of the gems. Her recurring character Jane Tennison is one of my favorites. So, this I guess when I began reading,  I was going to love the novel. I did. The cast of characters LaPlante creates are so vivid and interesting. The plot is so detailed driven and keeps you hanging on for the final denouement. It is surprising and revealing  at times to realize how difficult the unsolved cases  were without cell phones and computers. It is sheer grinding legwork and diligence that solves the case. Another wonderful addition to the police procedural dramas ... read it and enjoy.