Mystery

Blunt Force

Blunt Force

  • Downloads：4531
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-03-16 03:13:54
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Lynda La Plante
  • ISBN：B085DWZCGR
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

Jane Tennison must navigate the salacious world of theatre to solve a brutal murder in the heart of London's West End， in the brilliant new thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama， Lynda La Plante。

Things can't get much worse for detective Jane Tennison。 Unceremoniously kicked off the adrenaline-fuelled Flying Squad， she now plies her trade in Gerald Road， a small and sleepy police station in the heart of London's affluent Knightsbridge。

With only petty crime to sink her teeth into， Tennison can feel her career slowly flatlining。 That is until the discovery of the most brutal murder Jane has ever seen: Charlie Foxley has been found viciously beaten to death with a cricket bat - his body dismembered and disembowelled。

As a big-time theatrical agent， Foxley had a lot of powerful friends - but just as many enemies。 And alongside her old friend DS Spencer Gibbs， Tennison must journey into the salacious world of show business to find out which one is the killer， before they strike again。

Download

Reviews

Jaylaw90 ，

Nice flashback to the 80s police

Linda Hepworth ，

This is the sixth book in a series which explores the early years of Jane Tennison’s career with the Metropolitan Police， building up a backstory to explain how she became the tough， single-minded DCI we got to know from the original three Prime Suspect books， as well as from the highly successful spin-off television series。 At the start of this story Jane is now 30 and has been a serving police officer for eight years。 On a daily basis she continues to be subjected to misogynistic and sexist be This is the sixth book in a series which explores the early years of Jane Tennison’s career with the Metropolitan Police， building up a backstory to explain how she became the tough， single-minded DCI we got to know from the original three Prime Suspect books， as well as from the highly successful spin-off television series。 At the start of this story Jane is now 30 and has been a serving police officer for eight years。 On a daily basis she continues to be subjected to misogynistic and sexist behaviour from many of her male colleagues， attitudes which， she believes， led to her recent demotion from the Flying Squad。 In her current posting she’s frustrated by the tedium of dealing with only low-level crimes， but will helping to investigate the murder of Charlie Foxley enable her to get her career back on track？The team’s investigation takes place against the background of a successful theatrical agency， in the heart of London’s Soho， and it isn’t long before Jane and her colleagues are exposed to the rather sleazy underbelly of the show-biz industry。 The author’s portrayal of this world felt very convincing – probably because it’s a world she’s very familiar with！ As the story unfolds various suspects abound and secrets are uncovered， with each revelation adding yet more twists， turns and red-herrings to the complexity of the investigation。 However， I did find that much of the plotting was rather obvious and this lack of nuance was something I found increasingly disappointing and frustrating， especially as I’d guessed who the murderer was long before he appeared on the ‘radar’ of Jane and her colleagues！Although I could admire the many ways in which the author evoked a powerful sense of time and place in her portrayal of the challenges faced by women in the police force during the 1980s， often being relegated to the more menial， administrative aspects of any investigations， there were many other aspects of her storytelling which disappointed me。 I found it repetitive and overly descriptive in parts， with far too much ‘telling’ rather than ‘showing’。 I think that this slowed the pacing of the plot-development， resulting in a lack of any of the escalating tension I expect from a crime novel 。。。 it also meant that I often found my attention wandering， finding it hard to retain much interest in wanting to discover whether I’d correctly identified the murderer！ I think the story would have been improved by some extra editing – starting with the removal of far， far too many descriptions of all those visits to the canteen and the endless minutiae of what everyone ordered and ate， including whether or not sandwiches were fresh or stale！ I’ve enjoyed some of this author’s books in the past but， being totally honest， had I not agreed to review this one， I think I’d probably have given up on it after about a hundred pages。 From the several loose ends which were left hanging it seemed clear that another book in the series will follow。 This was confirmed when I turned the last page of this one and discovered the opening chapter of the next instalment of Jane’s story， due to be published in August of this year。 I didn’t read it （I never read such ‘trailers’ as I find them too frustrating！） but have asked myself whether I’ll be tempted to read the book when it’s available？ Sadly， I think it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to summon up the enthusiasm to do so。 With my thanks to NB and the publisher for my review copy in exchange for my honest opinion – I just wish it could have been a more positive one。 。。。more

Shirley ，

I like this series， it is interesting to watch Tennison developing as a rookie cop。

Hannah ，

Vintage Jane Tennison - excellent plot and true to life police procedure and banter

Jan ，

Enjoyed this book

Karin ，

Just not as good as the others。 I could not get into the story。

Tracy ，

Started off okay， was getting into the story， and then somewhere along the way it just petered out and I lost a bit of interest。Without giving anything away， the murderer was discovered and that was it。 I felt there was no real mystery or wow moment with this book。 There was a background story about the murderer's family but unfortunately it held no suspense for me。 There was also a side story involving Jane， the protagonist， however that didn't really hold my interest either。It was an easy read Started off okay， was getting into the story， and then somewhere along the way it just petered out and I lost a bit of interest。Without giving anything away， the murderer was discovered and that was it。 I felt there was no real mystery or wow moment with this book。 There was a background story about the murderer's family but unfortunately it held no suspense for me。 There was also a side story involving Jane， the protagonist， however that didn't really hold my interest either。It was an easy read， but just didn't set off any fireworks。 3 stars。 。。。more

Jess☺️ ，

Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante is the sixth addition to the Jane Tennison series。I love this series and recommend it to anyone who loves a good crime thriller with plenty of excitement and edge of your seat entertainment also where there's fun guessing whodunit， but this one I felt was lacking in something， I can't quite figure out what it is but it's something。The storyline continues where Jane was kicked out of the all boys club "The Flying Squad" only to be dumped in a police jurisdiction whe Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante is the sixth addition to the Jane Tennison series。I love this series and recommend it to anyone who loves a good crime thriller with plenty of excitement and edge of your seat entertainment also where there's fun guessing whodunit， but this one I felt was lacking in something， I can't quite figure out what it is but it's something。The storyline continues where Jane was kicked out of the all boys club "The Flying Squad" only to be dumped in a police jurisdiction where nothing happens， when there's a brutal murder。I definitely recommend this series even if there's that one book you don't care for it's still a fun series 📖 。。。more

Steve ，

read like a screenplay， was better on the telly！

Cindy ，

Good book

Karen Smith ，

Another excellent Tennison book， this one starts when Jane has been removed from the Flying Squad and is placed in Belgravia。All is quiet and too peaceful for Jane until there is a gruesome murder to solve。

Anne ，

This is book 6 in the Jane Tennison series。 If you have not read any of the previous novels in this series， this reads well as a standalone。 Lynda La Plante never fails to please and this is true to form。A long， satisfying， page turner with plenty of action。 A gripping thriller， I would recommend。

Annabel ，

I unashamedly love this series。

Provin Martin ，

This is my first book to read from author Lynda la Plante， but I won’t judge her by it。 You see my favorite author ever， Karen Slaughter， speaks highly of La Plante saying that she invented the thriller。 So I’ll be reading one of her stand alone books in hopes of a more ‘thrilling’ read。 Blunt Force Trauma is the sixth in a series of books I’ve never read before。 This book was a slow， complex read that seem to go on forever。 The author does an excellent job with descriptions and because of this This is my first book to read from author Lynda la Plante， but I won’t judge her by it。 You see my favorite author ever， Karen Slaughter， speaks highly of La Plante saying that she invented the thriller。 So I’ll be reading one of her stand alone books in hopes of a more ‘thrilling’ read。 Blunt Force Trauma is the sixth in a series of books I’ve never read before。 This book was a slow， complex read that seem to go on forever。 The author does an excellent job with descriptions and because of this you know she has thoroughly researched her topics。 By the time I finished reading， I was really disappointed。 It opens with main character， Jane Tennison， at a shooting range practicing。 Here the reader gets a well described lesson on gun ranges and shooting。 We learn what Jane has been doing since being relieved of her duties on the Flying Squad。 Her new job is cushy with mostly petty crimes， if any crimes at all。 Tennison and her partner， Spence， receive a call about a blood stained dog running on the loose。 This leads them to the dead body of a well-known talent agent。 Tennison and her partner launch into a thorough investigation with the goal of finding the killer。 。。。more

Daniel Buckton ，

I'd give it 3。5 from 5。 Was not as captivating as the other Tennison books and not such a clever plot line。 However in the end the story rounded itself out nicely。 I'd give it 3。5 from 5。 Was not as captivating as the other Tennison books and not such a clever plot line。 However in the end the story rounded itself out nicely。 。。。more

Diana ，

BLUNT FORCE by Lynda La Plante is the 6th book in the Jane Tennison series。These books chronicle Jane’s early years on the Force and her rise as one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in the London area。Ms。 La Plante is an excellent writer of crime drama and police procedurals。 Her work as scriptwriter for Masterpiece Theater’s PRIME SUSPECT series won her much-deserved respect and acclaim。In BLUNT FORCE， Charlie Foxley， a big-time show business agent， is found brutally murdered。 Jan BLUNT FORCE by Lynda La Plante is the 6th book in the Jane Tennison series。These books chronicle Jane’s early years on the Force and her rise as one of the first female Detective Chief Inspectors in the London area。Ms。 La Plante is an excellent writer of crime drama and police procedurals。 Her work as scriptwriter for Masterpiece Theater’s PRIME SUSPECT series won her much-deserved respect and acclaim。In BLUNT FORCE， Charlie Foxley， a big-time show business agent， is found brutally murdered。 Jane has been floundering and very worried about her career at this new posting at a small， ‘sleepy’ station in Knightsbridge。 She works very hard sorting through the complexities of the case and constant prejudice against female officers。The plot was interesting and tense。 The characters were very devious and we get a glimpse of the ‘plodding’ nature of routine police work。 A sub-plot concerns Jane’s previous posting at the ‘Flying Squad’。A great addition to the series。 **** 。。。more

Adam Jones ，

Having never read any of the Jane Tennisson novels in either the Prime Suspect series or these prequels， I was coming in with no knowledge about the character。 Blunt Force is part of the prequel series that serves as an introduction to how Jane becomes the significant character of the later series。I enjoyed the flow of the story which resolves around a brutal murder of an entertainment agent。 Whilst a lot of characters have been introduced previously， there was enough information given to not fe Having never read any of the Jane Tennisson novels in either the Prime Suspect series or these prequels， I was coming in with no knowledge about the character。 Blunt Force is part of the prequel series that serves as an introduction to how Jane becomes the significant character of the later series。I enjoyed the flow of the story which resolves around a brutal murder of an entertainment agent。 Whilst a lot of characters have been introduced previously， there was enough information given to not feel as if I was missing out too much。Whilst it is evident an early career case， it wasn't clear when the novel is set， with only some clues relating to cars and typewriters。 Surprisingly this didn't detract from the storytelling，and still felt current in a weird way So whilst I enjoyed the book， I did feel disappointed that the end of the book felt a bit rushed with the main story， and tagging on a mini story relating to a previous case was a bit confusing as a new reader。Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in return for a honest review。 。。。more

Della Oliver ，

This was very enjoyable the next book in the Tennison series Fast paced with lots of twists and turns in the plot Much better than the previous book

Dana ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I gave this book three stars mainly because I was largely undecided on how I felt about it from start to finish。 Quite honestly， I think that the author could have very easily cut 100 pages from the book （eliminating unnecessary details and dialogue that did not really help carry the story） and the story would be virtually unchanged。 Normally， when reading a murder mystery， I find that I cannot turn the pages fast enough and that the story is over almost as soon as I started it。 This one did not I gave this book three stars mainly because I was largely undecided on how I felt about it from start to finish。 Quite honestly， I think that the author could have very easily cut 100 pages from the book （eliminating unnecessary details and dialogue that did not really help carry the story） and the story would be virtually unchanged。 Normally， when reading a murder mystery， I find that I cannot turn the pages fast enough and that the story is over almost as soon as I started it。 This one did not feel the same; I found myself having to push through page after page after page。I was also disappointed in the ending。 While the initial mystery was solved （in the last two pages）， a second mystery was opened leaving a weird unanticipated cliffhanger。 The initial mystery was somewhat anti-climactic once reaching the end of the book - and the second one was started too close to the book's final pages。 While one can guess the resolution to the second one， I don't know that I want to read a sequel to find out。**Book received as ARC。 。。。more

Kim ，

Several months ago I read one of Lynda LaPlante’s books from the “DC Jack Warr” series and thought it had potential but was just a smidge above OK。 Then a few weeks ago when I was taking as break from reading and flipping channels I came across an installment of Detective Sergeant Jane Tennison on PBS that was well done and held my attention。 I found “Blunt Force” on my digital library， it looked interesting and thought “why not？！”Bearing in mind that this is a series and while this book is numb Several months ago I read one of Lynda LaPlante’s books from the “DC Jack Warr” series and thought it had potential but was just a smidge above OK。 Then a few weeks ago when I was taking as break from reading and flipping channels I came across an installment of Detective Sergeant Jane Tennison on PBS that was well done and held my attention。 I found “Blunt Force” on my digital library， it looked interesting and thought “why not？！”Bearing in mind that this is a series and while this book is number six and can be read as a stand alone I felt I would have been better served to have read one of the more recent previous installments as the references at times were oblique。 It is an interesting crime drama if a bit wordy and overly descriptive。 Her characters are well drawn and it is easy to respect and distrust in equal measure。 One thing that is abundantly clear is how much time and effort goes into a successful crime investigation。 。。。more

Wilde Sky ，

Police investigate when a celebrity agent is found gruesomely murdered。The storyline was OK， but the writing was a bit clunky and there was a subplot that seemed tacked on just so that a corrupt policeman could get caught。Reading time around six hours。

Roxanne Spencer ，

I love the Prime Suspect television series--both the series with Jane Mirren and the more recent prequel--so I know that Lynda La Plante can tell a good story。 Unfortunately， I found it hard to get into this book， probably because my mind kept warning to the dramatizations。 There was nothing wrong with this book， and any fan of police procedurals will enjoy it。 I've just been spoiled by the brilliance of Dame Mirren！Thanks to the publisher for providing a digital arc on NetGalley。 I love the Prime Suspect television series--both the series with Jane Mirren and the more recent prequel--so I know that Lynda La Plante can tell a good story。 Unfortunately， I found it hard to get into this book， probably because my mind kept warning to the dramatizations。 There was nothing wrong with this book， and any fan of police procedurals will enjoy it。 I've just been spoiled by the brilliance of Dame Mirren！Thanks to the publisher for providing a digital arc on NetGalley。 。。。more

Emily Hein ，

This took me longer to read than it should have。 I was not pulled in to the storyline or particularly drawn to any of the characters。 This book is part of a series and I disagree that it can be read as a standalone。 While I haven't read the other books in this series to say for certain that it isn't just the author's style， I felt that the book jumped in too quickly and did not take enough time to develop the characters leading me to believe the other books did。 Up to the end of the book I was s This took me longer to read than it should have。 I was not pulled in to the storyline or particularly drawn to any of the characters。 This book is part of a series and I disagree that it can be read as a standalone。 While I haven't read the other books in this series to say for certain that it isn't just the author's style， I felt that the book jumped in too quickly and did not take enough time to develop the characters leading me to believe the other books did。 Up to the end of the book I was still mixing up the characters and forgetting who was who。 Aside from that， the crime didn't pull me in and give me that 'can't put it down' experience。 I also thought the dialogue felt awkward at times。 Sometimes characters would say or do something that didn't seem to impact the story and also seemed oddly placed。 Overall， I can't say I would recommend this book on its own。 I would suggest starting with the first book in the series and deciding from there if you want to keep reading。 。。。more

Gary Van Cott ，

I didn't think this was a good as the earlier books in this series。 It did improve a bit near the end。 I didn't think this was a good as the earlier books in this series。 It did improve a bit near the end。 。。。more

Janis Rich ，

This was my first foray into the Jane Tennison stories and I will happily read more。 This one centers on the brutal death of a theatrical agent but it spans out into a multitude of related stories。 It is not a fast read， but each keg if the story draws you in separately and as part of the whole。 The character studies are detailed and complete。 And， although it always takes me a bit to figure some out， I love the British references and words。

Ainslie ，

I couldn't get involved in the plot of this one - not up to the standard of some of the earlier books in the Tennison series。 I couldn't get involved in the plot of this one - not up to the standard of some of the earlier books in the Tennison series。 。。。more

Lisa Whitehead ，

This book is trying to be British by having the victim killed by a cricket bat， for God's sake。 The detective is trying to be a tough woman by going to the firing range， but， ends up dating the attendant there。 The victim is supposedly a Hollywood big dick， but， who is he really？ This book is trying to be British by having the victim killed by a cricket bat， for God's sake。 The detective is trying to be a tough woman by going to the firing range， but， ends up dating the attendant there。 The victim is supposedly a Hollywood big dick， but， who is he really？ 。。。more

Debbie ，

Bit of a disappointing end。。。。。 no real clarification what happening to the young girl。

Sleepseeker ，

This is a good story with a great main character， you can't help but like Jane and root for her。 This is the first book I've read in the Tennison series。 The book starts off with many different characters and soon with the murder of Charlie Foxley。 There was many suspects and with many who had the means and motive to kill him。 It wasn't until about halfway through that you can see the direction the case was taking them and close to the end we get to see who and why Charlie Foxley was murdered。 （ This is a good story with a great main character， you can't help but like Jane and root for her。 This is the first book I've read in the Tennison series。 The book starts off with many different characters and soon with the murder of Charlie Foxley。 There was many suspects and with many who had the means and motive to kill him。 It wasn't until about halfway through that you can see the direction the case was taking them and close to the end we get to see who and why Charlie Foxley was murdered。 （view spoiler）[We were never told outright what happened to Yasmin， but it is heavily implied that she is dead and her family did it。 It did bother me when the book was done that Jane wasn't able to push her superiors into allowing her to pursue looking for the girl。 But soon realized that sometimes that is just how a case goes and I don't think their was a way for Jane to verify that Yasmin went back to Pakistan。 （hide spoiler）] Even though we got a realistic ending， everything was cleared up in terms of the Police getting their murderer。 We see Jane get a conclusion to stuff that happened in previous books and even though I haven't read those books， I was still rooting for Jane to succeed。 Especially with how some of her male colleagues treat her。 It's great to see her get some confidence as the book moves along and she doesn't back down when she has a hunch。 I will be adding the other books to my list to eventually read， since I liked this one。 I like Police Procedural and even though I've never read one set in a different place than the US， it was easy enough to follow along with the different procedures and different style of words。Book was an easy read and I finished in a few days。 I won this in a giveaway。 。。。more

Pauline Chamberlain ，

A good thriller with Jane Tennison as the main character。Good book to read

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Blunt Force

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Blunt Force&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Blunt Force&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0