London Archives - The Quick and the Read

Blog Tour: ‘Blunt Force’ by Lynda La Plante

I’m delighted to share my review of ‘Blunt Force’, the sixth book in the excellent series featuring Jane Tennison in her early career – way before her ‘Prime Suspect’ days.

I’m reading this series as part of #TeamTennison – thanks to Compulsive Readers and Zaffre Books for inviting me on to the tour and for my copies of the books for review. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

In this book, Jane Tennison has left Flying Squad and is now stationed in Knightsbridge – not exactly a hub of violent crime in comparison to some of her previous postings! Just as she’s beginning to worry that her career is going nowhere, a brutal murder is committed and Jane joins the investigative team. However, the case is far from straightforward – the victim, Charles Foxley, was a theatrical agent who was well-known, not always above board and had some powerful enemies…

Book Review: ‘Went to London, Took the Dog’ by Nina Stibbe

As a big fan of Stibbe’s writing (and her previous autobiographical book, ‘Love, Nina’), I requested this without actually knowing what it was about. I don’t regret this at all!

In fact, it’s kind of tricky to pin down what this book is actually about. It’s Nina Stibbe’s diaries covering her move to London (with dog, Peggy, as indicated by the title) in the period of an impending divorce. Leaving her home in Cornwall, Stibbe takes a spare room in the home of author Deborah Moggach (‘Debby’) and spends a year navigating a new life in the city. Surrounded by friends (including lots of other writers) and her grown-up children, Stibbe reevaluates her life and muses on a range of topics – from the big things (life, love, family) to the very small (toads, internet adverts, swimming at the lido).

Book Review: ‘The Dirty Dozen’ by Lynda La Plante

It’s time for my review of Book 5 in the Jane Tennison crime series by Lynda La Plante!

Thanks to Compulsive Readers for inviting me to read the series as part of #TeamTennison and Zaffre Books for my review copy of the book. As always, opinions are entirely my own.

I’ve really enjoyed this series to date, so I was looking forward to see what came next in Jane Tennison’s (1970s) Metropolitan police career before the events of the ‘Prime Suspect’ TV series with Helen Mirren. Each of the books have been so different, with Jane involved in traditional police procedures, forensic murder investigations, undercover police work, lots of different teams in different areas of London and even the aftermath of a major bombing.

In this instalment, WDS Jane Tennison has finally gained a spot in the famous Flying Squad, also known as ‘The Sweeney’. She knows it’s going to be tough, especially as the first female detective there, but nothing can prepare her for the dramatic events of his first day when she attends the scene of an armed robbery on a bank. As the investigation progresses, it seems both that the gang involved have a bigger target in mind, and that Jane’s maverick policing techniques may just get her in a lot of trouble…

Book Review: ‘The Murder Mile’ by Lynda La Plante

Thanks to Compulsive Readers for inviting me onto the #TeamTennison project and to Zaffre Books for my copy of this – the fourth in the series covering Jane Tennison’s life before Prime Suspect.

As always, opinions are my own.

In this book, Jane Tennison has been made Detective Sergeant and is working in Peckham CID, in a tough part of London and in a policing team imbued with the all-too-familiar misogyny and racism that we’ve seen before in the series. When a young woman is found killed in Bussey Alley, Peckham, Jane Tennison is first on the scene and keen to find the killer. A second body with no obvious link to the first other than physical proximity throws Tennison’s team into confusion…and a third murder on their patch tests them further. The newspapers begin stirring up panic about a serial killer in Peckham – as Tennison uncovers some baffling links and leads…

Book Review: ‘Mrs Porter Calling’ by A. J. Pearce

This is the third book in the Emmy Lake series, following on from ‘Dear Mrs Bird’ and ‘Yours Cheerfully’. This is a series that is charming, cheerful and funny – even as the realities of World War II continue to have their impact on the characters’ lives.

Thanks to NetGalley for my opportunity to read this book and apologies for the late review.

In this third look at wartime Pimlico, we rejoin Emmy and her colleagues at the offices of Woman’s Friend, a publication packed with helpful tips on cooking, affordable fashion, and the general art of making do and getting by under rationing. One of the most popular sections is Emmy’s advice column, offering an invaluable lifeline to women trapped by their domestic situations, wartime problems or overwhelming worries. When a new owner takes over the publication (the titular Mrs Porter), Emmy and the team have to fight for the things that make their magazine unique and treasured by its readership.

Book Review: ‘Good Friday’ by Lynda La Plante

Here’s my review of ‘Good Friday’, the third in the series to feature a young Detective Constable Jane Tennison way before her ‘Prime Suspect’ years.

Thanks to Compulsive Readers for inviting me to join #TeamTennison and read the whole series. Thanks too to Zaffre Books for my copy of ‘Good Friday’ to review – as always, opinions are entirely my own.

Book Review: ‘A Lady to Treasure’ by Marianne Ratcliffe

Happy publication day to this lovely Sapphic Regency romance!

After reading Ratcliffe’s ‘The Secret of Matterdale Hall’, I was delighted to be asked to read and review this book. Thanks to Bellows Press for my review copy – as always, opinions are entirely my own.

This novel centres on American Louisa Silverton, the daughter of a wealthy businessman whose investments aren’t looking too healthy. To secure the family fortune, Louisa is sent to England to make a lucrative marriage. However, rich men – especially those who are prepared to take a risk on an American with iffy finances – turn out to be a bit thin on the ground. Instead, Louisa finds herself caught up with the Davenport family who own the extensive but struggling Kenilborough estate – and, in particular, the Honorable Miss Sarah Davenport. Sarah is unconventional, headstrong and fighting for her family’s future. Can either Sarah or Louisa afford to risk their families’ futures for love?

Tag: London