The Red Dahlia by
Lynda Plante
pbk out June 07
(Pocket Books)
at £6.99
Lynda La Plante is one of the most popular crime thriller writers in the UK, and
it is easy to see why. The Red Dahlia is her 2nd novel to feature police officers
Anna Travis and James Langton, now Detective Inspector (a rapid rise!) and
D. C. I. respectively, and is an excellent account of the twists, turns and
frustrations of an investigation.
The body of an attractive young woman is found severed in two and horribly
mutilated. Taunting notes sent to both the press and the police alert the
investigative team to the similarities to a 1940s murder case in the USA, in
which the murdered girl was known as "The Black Dahlia" - and thanks to the
publicity photograph showing a red rose in this girl's hair, the nickname "Red
Dahlia" is inevitable. However, it is soon apparent that this is no random
likeness but a copycat crime, and a particularly evil and twisted one at that.
The investigation hits several large rocks, as key witnesses not only refuse to
co-operate but deliberately obfuscate; Anna and Langton are equal to this of
course, and the murderer is identified and a sort of justice served.
Anna Travis is a natural and sympathetic character, although it is hard to
fathom her attraction to the rather obnoxious Langton, whose closest
relationship seems to be with his mobile phone. These novels may not be
great literature, the syntax could sometimes be a little tighter, but I guarantee
that the pages will turn faster than those of, say, Henry James – and that,
after all, is why Lynda La Plante writes them.
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The Red Dahlia by
Lynda Plante
