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Recommended Fiction: Above Suspicion by Lynda La Plante

by Pamela Tarajcak on 2022-04-21T16:45:59-04:00 | 0 Comments

"By quarter to eight the next morning Anna Travis was sitting in a patrol car speeding to the murder site. Although all she had been told was that she was replacing an officer on sick leave, Anna was excited to be finally working in the field for which she had trained so hard." (p. 4)

Cover ArtAbove Suspicion by Lynda La Plante
Call Number: FIC LAPL
ISBN: 9780743284806
Publication Date: 2006-01-03
Pages: 392
Location: Steubenville
Anna Travis, inexperienced, newly-minted Detective Sargent at the London Met, gets called to her first murder, but the scene is so gruesome that she throws up within the first moments of seeing the corpse.  This doesn't endear her to the toughened squad, led by the grizzled Detective Chief Inspector James Langton, already on the scene . The only thing he likes about her are the qualities which remind him of her father, his mentor.  The need to live up to her father and impress the grumpy DCI lead Travis to work extra hard. Unfortunately, she experiences quite a hazing at the hands of catty female detectives of the squad and derision from the more senior males.  She has to put her personal feelings aside and the team has to become a wholly functioning unit with her as a contributing member if they are to solve this most recent murder of a young woman assumed to have been a prostitute.  It seems that she is just one of a long line of "scarlet women" murdered by the same horrid fiend.  It's only when one of the more likely suspects, a famous, fabulously handsome and charming movie star, starts to become attracted to Travis that things become even more complicated.  She now has to walk the fine line of investigating him and not falling for his obvious charms, especially as she's sent on a few classy dates with him.  Meanwhile, there's some feelings brewing up between Anna and James and it isn't Safe for Work.
Above Suspicion is an excellent start to this mystery thriller series.  The action and tension are taut.  The crimes are truly engrossing.  Even though we know exactly who did it halfway through, it is truly about getting said person, who seemingly is "above suspicion" through their exalted status or through convenient alibis to confess (this becomes the plotline for most of the series).  The characters are sort of bland or not well drawn.  Anna could seem like a Mary Sue.  James Langton could seem like any bad boss.  But this book is not the type that you read for the deepest character studies nor brain-tingling mysteries.  You read this for a light, almost brainless read.  Which is why I suggested this for May.  It's a great beach read for summer or while your brain is fogged from too much finals.
 
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