Detective Jane Tennyson's case, Unholy Murder, is more of a cozy, British historic mystery than thrilling and chilling. It could be read as a standalone. My only issue was having not read any of the other books in this series, I had to do some math to figure out what decade it was.
The plot is a police procedural inquiry into the death of a victim discovered in a casket at a construction site. Jane is new to this town and to the Bromley CID office. Her partner, Boon, is a rookie. There are many supporting characters with the police, suspects, priests, nuns, and the witnesses. They were all interesting and well developed.
There's a considerable amount of home improvement, decorating, architectural and building detail.
There's also an abundance of Catholic church history, information and facts. At times the entire premise of the book was an expose of Catholic child abuse, both sexual and physical, cover-ups, and pediphile priests. I was not offended and while the church was relevant to the investigation, part of the case, and appropriate to the time period, it almost overshadowed the murder itself. It was a little bit "preachy" (pun intended).
The romantic tryst was no surprise to me and it was somewhat questionable considering the police case.
I figured out the plot early on in the book. The story seemed be more about the how and why, than who committed the crime. Overall it was too pedestrian and predictable for me.
I have great respect for the author and have read the D C Jack Warr series. I really enjoyed them, so the Tennyson series is just not for me.
Thanks to Netgalley, Lynda La Plante and Zaffre publishing for the advance digital copy. These thoughts and opinions are mine alone given voluntarily.

This might be my favorite of the new prequel series starring Jane Tennison from the Prime Suspect series. The mystery revolves around the murder of a nun, whose grave is uncovered at a construction site after 25 years. . The story is set in the early 1980's, when Tennison was still early in her career. The list of suspects is long, and includes the Catholic church, who may have covered up the murder in order to avoid a scandal. We are also treated to some romance when Jane becomes involved with the son of one of the key suspects ... a relationship that quickly becomes complicated when she develops a friendship (or is it more than that?) with a priest.

While the dialogue and descriptions are occasionally stilted, the plot was interesting and kept me entertained for several night. I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

While this book made me want to find other ones written by Lynda La Plante, it did have some slightly cheesy parts to it. There were also a few parts where Tennison's choices that she made outside of work varied SO differently than what you would think (considering how cautious she is at work), that it really surprised me. I'll also absolutely be looking for other Tennison books!

Lynda La Plante is truly an exceptional writer. Beyond the twisty mystery plot she so seamlessly delivers, each and every one of her novels can be read just for its standout writing alone! Tennison is such a fantastic character, and I would follow her to the ends of the world!

Unholy Murder is book that will stay with me for a long time to come.

Jane Tennison and her partner Simon Boon discover a body of a woman dressed as a nun in a coffin that has been dug up on a construction site. It looks like she was alive when she was buried.

The trouble is the murder must have taken place over 20 years ago.

Unholy Murder delves into the Catholic church, the priests, the nuns and the orphanages that were run by the church. There is corruption and there is abuse. Not everyone is bad.

Who is covering up for who and why?

Who is the victim and why did no one report her missing.

Jane and her team work diligently to solve the case .

I can always get lost in a Lynda LaPlante book and Unholy Murder is no exception.

In Canada, this book is so timely as we are all mourning the gruesome discovery of children's bodies at residential schools run by the Catholic Church.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre USA. Zaffre for a compelling and page turning read.

After reading the overview of the book, I could not pass this up. It may have very few pages...416 to be exact... but it packs a punch. When a coffin is found by a construction company desecrating a grave at a former convent and the remains of a nun was found inside, I knew it would be a fun thriller. The autopsy indicated she was buried alive. 😳

This mystery is more than knee deep. The murder dates back to 25 years ago in the 60's and the current setting is in the 80's in London, England. Interesting enough.... when you take into consideration all of the detective work and police procedurals were done by pen and pad and not the intricate technology of today it made for some pretty good footwork of solving this rollercoaster and emotional crime. The detective behind it all is Jane Tennison. Fighting hard to make her place in a man's workplace during the 80's, but don't worry she can hold her own.

The convent was a home for many orphans and unfortunately, child abuse scandals, but the records were destroyed. Many of the people that lived and worked there have already died, but the ones living have some dark secrets hiding in their closets....shady people... I enjoyed the research involved finding these people.

At the end of the book, the author Lynda La Plante, gives a website for information and thrilling true stories behind the books. This is also 7th in a series, but can be read as a standalone. She is also involved in the films "Prime Suspect".

Thanks NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre USA for this ARC. This was an incredible mystery thriller!

Lynda LaPlante has delivered another well-plotted police procedural featuringJane Tennison. Most readers know the character from the Prime Suspect series. Here, we meet a younger Jane who is less confident but just as brash as her older self, and LaPlante gives us plenty of foreshadowing of the brilliant detective in the making.

The story here is nothing unusual for avid readers of crime fiction - mysterious burial of a nun, involvement of the Catholic Church and priests - you can pretty much figure it out. The mystery isn’t bad, it’s just a touch predictable, and it’s bolstered by decent writing.

Fans of the series will enjoy.

Unholy Murder is the seventh book in the Tennison series by Lynda LaPlante, who wrote the television series Prime Suspect.

The books are set in Jane Tennison's early career, and readers should not expect the same focused, driven, tightly-wound character as that depicted by Helen Mirren on TV. This earlier Jane is tentative, sweet and somewhat bland.

Expectations aside, Lynda LaPlante serves up a solid police procedural, with a cold case that pits Jane and her superior officers against the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. A coffin dug up on a building site contains the remains of a nun, and the crime is dated three decades earlier.

The plot's pacing was good, but the dialogue seemed generic and didn't really advance the story or define the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre USA for an advance readers copy.

This is my first read of Ms.La Plante and it definitely wouldn't be my last. Gripping, I could hardly put it down and long after I put it down I can't stop thinking about it. Well done Ms.La Plante!

Jane Tennison has a tough and controversial mystery on her hands when a coffin holding a young woman dressed as a nun is unearthed during a project at a former convent. The woman was buried alive but who was she? Was she really a nun? And who would have killed her, let alone buried her in a coffin? It's always fun to read a procedural set before the use of the forensic technology so helpful today-this one is set in the early 1980s. Those who have watched the TV show or read the earlier books know that Jane can be irritating and she occasionally goes over the top with her colleagues but she's a dogged investigator devoted to bringing justice to the dead, This will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

How can you possible go wrong picking up a Jane Tennison novel? Answer, it is impossible. Gripping and suspenseful I loved every word and it was a very easy recommendation to my dad who is very picky.

I do love a police procedural, and a British one puts icing on the cake! Jane Tennison is a great character - and one thing I love about her is how real she is. She makes mistakes. She has biases. Sometimes she lets her emotions get the best of her, esp. when it comes to her role as one of the few women in British policing. I also love the way La Plante uses British location names and slang - it really makes you feel like you are in London! One also gets the real sense how thin the line Jane and her colleagues walk really is...

This time, Jane comes up against the Catholic church, when a coffin is found at a construction site. Jane and her colleagues open the coffin to find a mummified nun; after the autopsy, it becomes clear that the nun did not die naturally, and off we go, using minimal clues to discover how she met her end. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, Jane's boss' boss has an ax to grind with a former priest, now Archbishop, that makes Jane's job a more difficult. While sometimes the dialogue feels a bit stilted, and the writing feels a bit like a screenplay, the story is compelling and I found it hard to put down. Great story, with some commentary thrown in for good measure.

P. S. Thanks to #BookishFirst/#Netgalley for the advance copy.

An impressive storyteller, Lynda La Plante continues sharing DS Jane Tennison's investigations with this new book. Please see my complete review at www.reviewingtheevidence.com.

When a coffin is unearthed during construction near a former Catholic orphanage, Jane Tennison and her partner Simon Boon discover immediately that there are problems on many levels. Of course, the developers want to continue with their project as quickly as possible. The coffin contains the body of a young woman, a nun who died horribly - first poisoned, then buried alive, then stabbed to make sure of her death. Although the young priest Jane first consults to help her understand some religious practices is eager to help, the Bishop and Archbishop stonewall the investigation. Jane must also deal with prejudice against women on the force that was prevalent at the time. She is determined to solve the case and bring justice to the young nun.

Lynda La Plante is a master of the British police procedural. Unholy Murder is a standalone thriller but it will be familiar to fans of Prime Suspect. It’s multilayered, complicated and full of memorable evil characters. The two abusive nuns who ran the orphanage and then man who robbed the coffin are described perfectly. This is a 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre USA and Lynda LaPlante for this ARC.

Thank you Net Galley and Lynda La Plante for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Though the premise is interesting, the dialogue and relationships are forced. I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters and did not like reading about any of them. The author often provided too much exposition for simple topics and not enough for harder ones necessary to understand in order to further the plot. There were aspects of the story that were interesting such as delving deeper into the history of the Catholic Church and sexism in the police force.

What a fantastic story. I do not usually read books dealing with religion whether in a fiction or non-fiction setting but this was such a great read. Based in the UK the writing put me right there in that time and place with all the proper slang to bring out a true British crime and murder investigation.

I really like these books focusing on Tennison's early career- not only are they a look at how women were treated in the early days of integration on the force, but they show the things that helped to mold the character we know SO well! In this book, the Catholic Church's history of shutting down outsiders and closing ranks, is also taken to task. We see things thru modern lenses NOW, but in reading books like this, we are taken back to a different time. Tennison may be trying to unearth the truth, but their are much bigger power plays at work, which were very common for the time and place. The mystery itself is not what you expect, and as Tennison pulls back each layer, she uncover smore and more lies and deceit, that eventually come very close to her personal life. It's an interesting page turner and one you won't forget!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for opportunity to read this arc and provide honest feedback.

This book had me hooked from the very first page. The storyline was intriguing and engaging and I actually enjoyed the characters. The way the book was paced made it difficult to want to put the book down and get other activities done. I didn't feel it dragged at all. This was my first book by this author but I'll definitely be looking for more.

Thank you so much Lynda La Plante as well as the publishers for the book Unholy Murder. I am so excited to have a ARC copy of this book. This book is amazing!!!! it immediately sucks you in from the very first page. I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

DS Jane Tennison and her crew's new case begins when a coffin is unearthed at a building site on the grounds of a former convent. Autopsy reveals that the young woman in a habit was strangled, stabbed and poisoned yet the silk lining is shreded with scratches on the lid.......a most "unholy" death...As the Sisters of Mercy closed in 1962 finding her identity is challenging. .Despite the fact that many of her associates have died or scattered in the ensuing years Tennison and her team embark on a dogged determined investigation to discover her killer. I became really engaged in the plot, avidly following the clues eagerly anticipating the next interview and reveal. . While reading the earlier books in the series I found Jane Tennison to be rather cold and forboding but LePlante has really grow her character into a likable and realistic detective. This author writes other series as well as for television and she always can be counted on for a solid well plotted police procedural thriller. One of my go to authors for an engaging British crime novel.