Blunt Force

by Lynda La Plante

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Blunt Force in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Blunt Force is the sixth novel in Lynda La Plante's Jane Tennison series. This is the origin story of the one and only Jane Tennison, and thus is the story of how she became the confident investigator so many fans knew her to be.

Jane Tennison has had a rough go, as of late. She was removed from the Flying Squad, a busy and high-energy job that she loved, and sent to a much smaller and less glamorous station instead. On the bright side, there are still crimes worth diving into.

The most recent murder on her radar is going to send her into the world of theatre itself, as she struggles to understand why the victim was targeted. This is anything but an easy case, with more complications that Tennison could have ever anticipated.

Jane Tennison is back, and that means she's dealing with another brutal crime. You've got to admit, even in her early days, this is a woman who had a talent for finding the most complex (and bloody) cases out there.

Blunt Force was another interesting read in this crime drama series, portraying a version of Tennison who is struggling to make a place for herself in an un-accepting (and male-dominated) career. It makes for a heavy read at times, and that's before taking the murder into account.

I've loved every book I've read from this series so far, but I'll admit that this is probably my least favorite of the bunch. There was something about it that just didn't draw me in, not like the rest did. Maybe that's just me, or the mood I was in. Maybe it's because Tennison felt like she was being especially hard on herself this time around (that or I was more sensitive to it).

On the bright side, the murder mystery itself was quite intriguing, and I really enjoyed watching Tennison and her coworker peel back the layers to reveal the truth. This was probably one of the more complex murders yet, thanks to everything else going on – and how much trouble they had gaining access to information.

In short, Blunt Force was every bit the police procedural fans can expect. It's dark and gritty, and not afraid to dive into the details of investigative work. It's perfect for fans who love that genre, though I'd also recommend checking out the rest of the series as well (Murder Mile being my favorite).

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks