Tennison- Book Review

 

Author: Lynda La Plante

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

 

Publishing Date: 24th September 2015 

Many thanks to the publishing team and Compulsive Readers Tour for my copy of the book and a spot on the tour

Blurb

From the creator of the award-winning ITV series Prime Suspect, starring Helen Mirren, comes the fascinating back story of the iconic DCI Jane Tennison.

In 1973 Jane Tennison, aged 22, leaves the Metropolitan Police Training Academy to be placed on probationary exercise in Hackney where criminality thrives. We witness her struggle to cope in a male-dominated, chauvinistic environment, learning fast to deal with shocking situations with no help or sympathy from her superiors. Then comes her involvement in her first murder case.

My Thoughts

What a great start to the series. It was fast paced, some predictable moments but overall a fantastic read. 

I liked how  we get to meet young Jane as this provides a great insight to who she has turned out to be today.  We go back to the start to Janes early career and meet her friends and family along the way. Jane's family is polar opposite to who she is. It was a strange dynamic and relationship she has with them and their traditional mindsets and ways. You can see Jane starting to break free and become her own independent person and being. I really liked this as Jane fights against many odds and learns to stand firm. 

Jane and Cath her coworker start to develop a friendship which I liked to see. The police force was a very male dominant environment and both women had to work hard to be noticed and were not respected. She did come off as timid at some stages but she is growing into her own person and professional. 

I also liked that the showed some realism as Jane was probationary it also meant she was not heavily involved in the cases but was still around for them and was part of the process and worked hard and became committed to her job. There are actually 2 crimes in the book with one having a subplot. 

I really liked the character development. It was not rushed and was insightful. BY the end Jane becomes a much tougher and stand out person. 

Overall an excellent read and now I can move on to book 2 which I am looking forward to!