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Blood Line: An Anna Travis Novel (Anna Travis #7)

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 395 ratings · 69 reviews

Still reeling from the death of her fiance, Detective Anna Travis has thrown herself into her new role as the chief inspector for London's murder squad. When Scotland Yard's missing persons bureau is unable to locate the son of a court employee, the superintendent--James Langton, Anna's former lover turned sometimes friend--urges her to take on the suspicious assignment.

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Paperback, 480 pages

Published October 23rd 2012 by Harper Paperbacks (first published June 1st 2011)

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May 20, 2013 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book in two days, comfortably. No staying up until 3AM (although it was tempting as i had the next day off) but nevertheless in two days because it had me hooked. Granted, it was quite detailed, however i don't think it was too much.

The story follows DCI Anna Travis who is given a missing persons case (of which department she is not a part of) and in her inquiries discovers that it is actually a murder case. However one that is not clear cut as there is no body and no evidence of who...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Ed rated it 3 of 5 stars

Anna Travis continues her not very meteoric rise through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police. She is now a Detective Chief Inspector although is head of a small squad investigating something that might or might not be a murder. There is an obvious crime scene that was drenched in blood and almost but not quite cleaned up but no victim. A man who had been occupying the flat where the scene took place has been missing for six weeks. He hasn't drawn any money from the bank, bought anything on cred...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Gloria Feit rated it 4 of 5 stars

No one who knew 26-year-old Alan Rawlins - - family, family, co-workers - could say anything about him other than that he was somewhat shy, never got into confrontations, and was the quintessential ‘nice guy.’ But he has apparently been missing for nearly eight weeks when his father, an usher at the Old Bailey, comes into the Hounslow police station, where he asks to see DCI Anna Travis. He tells her of his conviction that his son has been murdered, as he was very close to his family, and there...more No one who knew 26-year-old Alan Rawlins - - family, family, co-workers - could say anything about him other than that he was somewhat shy, never got into confrontations, and was the quintessential ‘nice guy.’ But he has apparently been missing for nearly eight weeks when his father, an usher at the Old Bailey, comes into the Hounslow police station, where he asks to see DCI Anna Travis. He tells her of his conviction that his son has been murdered, as he was very close to his family, and there has been no contact at all for this period of time. Anna is urged by her friend and former lover, DCS James Langton, to pursue the case as a murder investigation, knowing it would be only her second case since her promotion to DCI, and the first category A murder inquiry she will handle solo. He does so knowing she is still recovering from the murder of her fiancée nearly a year ago, and as the ensuing investigation proceeds he watches over it, and her, very closely.

The problem with the case, as immediately becomes apparent, is that search as they might, no body can be found, although forensic evidence indicates definitively that there was some violence in the apartment he shared for some time with Tina, the woman who claims they were planning to be married. Tina adamantly denies knowledge of anything untoward, claiming she had not seen him nor heard from him from the day on which he asked her to pick him up at his job two months prior as he had a severe migraine, from which he periodically suffered, and when she returned to the apartment later that day, there was no sign of him, nor of anything amiss in the apartment. When the police cannot positively identify the blood as belonging to Rawlins, the investigation is stymied. Secrets and lies abound.

This title is among several recently brought out in the US by Bourbon Street Books, the authors including many which are favorites of mystery lovers, among them four by Dorothy L. Sayers. Few authors can top Ms. LaPlante when it comes to police procedurals, having written, among her fourteen novels, the much-loved Prime Suspect series, and created the wonderful TV series based on those books which, in its British incarnation, starred Helen Mirren [with a shorter run in its US version].

“Blood Line” is a terrific example of the police procedural at its best, and it is recommended.
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Nov 07, 2012 Suspense Magazine added it

DCI Anna Travis has a lot to prove. To Detective Chief Superintendent James Langton, her boss and former lover, she has to prove she’s up to the job of being a Detective Chief Inspector for the Murder Squad. To herself, she has to prove that she can still function after the murder of her fiancé.When Anna is given the task of tracking down the whereabouts of Alan Rawlins, the adult son of a court employee, she’s suspicious that she’s been demoted. “Check it out for me,” Langton says. In spite of...more DCI Anna Travis has a lot to prove. To Detective Chief Superintendent James Langton, her boss and former lover, she has to prove she’s up to the job of being a Detective Chief Inspector for the Murder Squad. To herself, she has to prove that she can still function after the murder of her fiancé.When Anna is given the task of tracking down the whereabouts of Alan Rawlins, the adult son of a court employee, she’s suspicious that she’s been demoted. “Check it out for me,” Langton says. In spite of her feelings that the case should go to Missing Persons, she gives in with grace.

Anna and her team work through the steps. They interview the parents, the fiancée, the co-workers, and the neighbors, and quickly find that there are two major problems. One, Alan was an all-around good guy and there seems to be no reason whatsoever for anyone to kill him. Two, there’s no body, or even any evidence of a body.

But it becomes increasingly clear that something is amiss. Blood is found in the apartment that Alan shared with his fiancée, too much blood for a person to have lost and survived. Though the team shares a surge of excitement, the lead takes them nowhere.

The only solution is to keep digging.

It soon appears that little about Alan is as it seems, but the accumulating evidence can be interpreted different ways. Tension builds as Anna determinedly heads down one path, while Superintendent Langton is pushing her toward another. Has Alan Rawlins been murdered? Or did he simply make himself disappear from a life that he couldn’t live with any longer?

This police procedural details the inner workings of an investigation from before its beginning through to its bitter end. Anna’s need for an arrest trumps everything, but close behind are the realities of budgets, staff relations, and the grind of a trail going cold. International bestselling author Lynda La Plante has written another novel that’s sure to please.

Reviewed by Laura Alden, author of “Plotting at the PTA” for Suspense Magazine
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Oct 22, 2012 Lori L (She Treads Softly) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Blood Line by Lynda La Plante is the seventh novel in the Anna Travis series. In this case a missing person's report turns into a complicated murder investigation. DCI (Detective Chief Inspector ) Anna Travis heads the investigation. Alan Rawlins, a mechanic, is missing. After reporting his son as a missing person, his father, an employee of the court system, prods Scotland Yard into looking at it as a murder investigation - but there is no body and little obvious evidence to support this suppos...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Shaun rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, crime, fiction, london, library

I was going to give this book three stars but as Goodreads ratings system for four stars is 'really liked it' and that is how I felt about the book, that's the rating I will give it.

It took me ages to get into this book, and probably only after about 200 pages did I get into the story and actually care about what was going on. The only thing that kept me going past the 200 pages was the fact that this is the seventh book in the Anna Travis series and I enjoy them and want to read them all so I p...more I was going to give this book three stars but as Goodreads ratings system for four stars is 'really liked it' and that is how I felt about the book, that's the rating I will give it.

It took me ages to get into this book, and probably only after about 200 pages did I get into the story and actually care about what was going on. The only thing that kept me going past the 200 pages was the fact that this is the seventh book in the Anna Travis series and I enjoy them and want to read them all so I persevered with it and luckily halfway through the book definitely picked up and I couldn't read the rest of the book quick enough in my desire to reach its conclusion. And what a conclusion it was.

As I said in a previous review, these novels are basic police procedurals and they don't rely on over the top/unrealistic storylines or sensationalism instead La Plante just tells a story and tells it very well. This time we see Anna taking on her very first case as DCI and unfortunately this is without the fantastic characters from other books, namely Barolli, Mike, Barbara and Joan and initially I was disappointed at this as I wanted to see how they would react now Anna was the boss but I think Mike is the same rank. However we met Paul, a gay officer, Helen and Brian who I didn't really like that much but it was interesting to see how Anna interacted with them as the boss.

In this book we also saw the POV of other characters rather than just mostly Anna and I think that this was because as DCI she had to delegate jobs to the other officers that she would have done herself in previous books when she was a lower rank. I thought she was great as DCI and as I have read the other books in the series she has improved, grown up and matured so much from the Anna we read about way back in the first books! I love Anna and think she's such a great character. In this book we find her still getting over the death of her fiance in the previous book which I said I felt was a rushed relationship for the sake of the storyline.

Langton also featured heavily in this book and I just don't know where La Plante is going with this. I know he is her boss and so is going to feature but it's just the scenes where they discuss personal things that confuse me. Anna appears to be over Langton however he doesn't appear to be over her and I just wonder whether their relationship is ever going to be revisited...

Overall the story was fantastic once it picked up after those 200 pages. It read like a TV show which isn't surprising given La Plante's history and the fact that this book will be a TV show in a few years if the (fantastic) TV adaptation of Above Suspicion continues which I really hope it does. It makes the books more enjoyable being able to put a face to the characters. I didn't really guess the ending but it wasn't an OMG moment where you didn't see it coming. I can't wait to get started with the next Travis novel though as as I said previously I think Anna is such a great character. I did read a few negative reviews for this book however I would have to disagree and say that whilst this might not be the best in the series, it is certainly not a one star book and is a very enjoyable read. For me it was at least anyway. (less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Shelley rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: holy-fuck-that-sucked, novels

I'm not sure which of the following things is true.

1) I did not read an uncorrected proof, but instead read an uncorrected first draft;

2) I read an uncorrected proof, and there is an editor who should be deeply, deeply ashamed; or

3) I read an uncorrected proof, of which the first draft was so dreadful an editor managed to improve it to the version I read. If that's the case, I would like to nominate the editor for sainthood, because I can't imagine anything much worse than the book I just fin...more

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Feb 01, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: february-12, female-author, 2012

Anna Travis is approached by a man whose son has gone missing. Eventually DCS Langton tells her to start investigating it. When Anna questions the man's girlfriend she admits he has gone missing but says she thinks he has run off with another woman. Anna finds herself in a strange situation trying to work out what has happened. A pool of blood is discovered under the bed but there are very few personal belongings at the flat so obtaining DNA samples to compare to the blood is not possible. All t...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Caitlin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

If you're looking for a good old-fashioned police procedural of the British kind Blood Line is the book for you. Pure and perfect escapism with a great plot full of sketchy (and downright scary) characters and possibilities.

Our heroine, DCI Travis, is recovering after the murder of her fiancé and trying to prove that she's ready to handle herself in homicide investigations. Thrown a lemon she definitely makes lemonade, although of the pink variety, as she delves deeper and deeper into a case tha...more

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Jan 04, 2013 Ulm rated it 4 of 5 stars

A missing person's case turns into a complicated murder mystery with no body and we don't even know who actually died. Good plot and I liked the way Anna solves the puzzle bit by bit not letting Langton's constant interference get in the way. It is good to see Anna argue with Langton and stand her ground time and time again. You can see her grow as an individual and as a detective. I am hoping to see more of this in the future books. But what I do not get is the constant back and forth in their...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Lynn rated it 3 of 5 stars

SPOILER ALERT!

This is the first La Plante crime thriller I have read, and I must say I was quite impressed. The structure and characterisation are fairly standard - for example, the fashion for describing the murder in the prologue, and the troubled detective, who is determined to solve the crime despite her personal problems.
The mystery isn't completely solved, which perhaps is quite close to real life - the body is never recovered, and not all ends are neatly tied up.
At times, there is a littl...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Ria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amazing story, i couldn't put it down, the book opens with a graphic murder and the pace just keeps on going.
Alan Rawlins has gone missing and his father is distressed when missing persons are not altogether taking him seriously.
His girlfriend doesn't seem to be as distraught as the father as she thinks maybe he has left her for another woman, but is this the truth or a massive cover up on her part?
Anna Travis overseen by Langton races to find all the facts and discover whether Alan is still ali...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Marguerite rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is an interesting police procedural set in England with a female detective, Anna Travis, the protagonist. While reading Blood Line, I kept thinking this could be a good made-for-TV movie in the vein of Prime Suspect (PBS). My problem was that I didn't relate to Anna. In fact, none of the main characters were fleshed out enough that I could envision them while reading. They might as well have been paper cut-out dolls. The puzzle of who was murdered and why, was the only thing that kept me re...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Eric_W rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: police-procedural

I have always enjoyed LaPlante’s police procedurals. She wrote a series called Trial and Retribution, Prime Suspect and now the Anna Travis series. They are very competent police procedurals that hold your interest as the investigation takes multiple twists and turns.

Allan Rawlins has been reported missing and his father is sure he's been murdered, but there’s no body. DCI Travis, who had a previous relationship with her boss, Superintendent Langton (this kind of highly inappropriate supervisor/...more

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Aug 12, 2012 Ilze rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A murder but no body? ... La Plante can sometimes give the most grizzly descriptions of the murder victims, but this book is unique because there is no body! In fact, you don't even get to hear about an autopsy, burial or anything like that. La Plante is in full form with her latest Anna Travis detective story and although James Langton features, it's clear that there's no love lost between them. Langton actually leads the enquiry astray at one stage when the two of them disagree about how to ca...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Lucinda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like Lynda La Plante as a TV drama author but had never actually read a book. My book club is going to read Royal Flush - an earlier book by La Plante - but I couldn't get hold of it so bought her latest instead. Thoroughly enjoyed it. From what appears to be a simple missing person case, DI Anna Travis works out what happened, and, after a lot of investigative work, not helped by her superior who seems intent o proving her unable to deal with her first murder, finally solves the mystery with...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Shivpea rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up while on holidays - its the middle of a series and I always try to start at the beginning, but it was the only one available so I was sort of stuck. However, I enjoyed the book a lot more than I thought I would, so much so, I'm going to start the series from the beginning, and possibly read her other books too. Blood line was was well written, she gets to the point quickly, which I often appreciate. The characters were strong and kept on drawing you in....more

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Sep 06, 2012 R J Mckay rated it 3 of 5 stars

I received this book from the Good reads, First Read program.

Alan Rawlins has gone missing and the Dept. of Missing Persons can find nothing of interest. Edward Rawlins, Alan's Father, approaches DCI Anna Travis in hopes of enlisting her help in discovering his sons' whereabouts. Mr. Rawlins fears his son has been murdered. Anna reluctantly takes on the case, under the watchful eye of Detective Chief Superintendent Langton. A search of the house Alan shared with his girlfriend reveals the remain...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Mike Gabor rated it 4 of 5 stars

The seventh book in the Anna Travis series and another winner. DCI Anna Travis is asked to look into the disappearence of a local man. As the investigation moves forward it appears as the man was murdered as blood stains are found in his apartment but as there is no body and also no forensic evidence, Anna must work extra hard to make a case. Her investigation is also being closely followed by her superiors and pressure is building for her to solve it. This is an excellent police procedural and...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Ryan G rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: no-longer-own

Earlier this year I had the opportunity to review Lynda La Plante's Prime Suspect series, and for the most part, I loved all three books. They were something I had been wanting to tackle for a while, so I was excited when the opportunity presented itself. Needless to say, when Blood Line was offered for review, I jumped at the chance. I knew it was part of an ongoing series, though I didn't realise it was the 7th book, but I was okay with that. Normally, in a police procedural, the books can be...more Earlier this year I had the opportunity to review Lynda La Plante's Prime Suspect series, and for the most part, I loved all three books. They were something I had been wanting to tackle for a while, so I was excited when the opportunity presented itself. Needless to say, when Blood Line was offered for review, I jumped at the chance. I knew it was part of an ongoing series, though I didn't realise it was the 7th book, but I was okay with that. Normally, in a police procedural, the books can be read as stand alone, if you don't mind not being clued in to some of the personal aspects of the characters.

Now I can't say that I like Anna Travis as much as I do Jane Tennison, but it comes pretty close. I think, had I started at the beginning, I would have liked her a bit more in this one. As it is, I found her to be a bit of a basket case, though with good reasons, and a bit hard to understand all the time. But there is such a steely determination to go on, a desire to prove everyone wrong, that she fights her way back into my good graces. She is a complex character, one that I'm thinking of revisiting at another time. Above Suspicion, the first book in the series, may be an upcoming purchase.

My only issue, and while it didn't ruin the book for me, it came close, was the way the author deals with the main subject manner of the plot line. I had the same issue with Silent Victims, the third book of the Prime Suspect series. The missing man, who everyone says is the perfect son, a quiet thoughtful man, and someone who is shy, ends up being none of those things. Neither his fiance, his father, or anyone else involved in the beginnings of the case knew he was a secretly gay man, living a very shadowy life. Instead of being shy and quiet, he has a temper that can explode in violence. He lives so deeply in the closet, at least while he is home in London, that he picks up guys through ads, and in a few cases rape became involved. He is stock piling money through drug smuggling, and while he tries to back out in the end, that doesn't change the damage already caused to others. So the victim, who starts off as a quiet, hard working auto mechanic, who is saving money to pay for his wedding, becomes a violent, gay drug smuggler.

And it doesn't end there, other than the gay officer who assists Travis in the investigation, gay men in general are not depicted well in this book. Much like the gay officer in Silent Victims, Paul Simms seems to be added in to soften the negative stereotypes in the rest of the book. Then towards the end of the book, we meet a young man who has a different take on the victim. This is the young man, the victim was truly in love with and was wanting to build a new life with. He was fixing up a Mercedes for his birthday, bought a house for them to live in, but then he disappears and the young man is left hanging in the air. I understand turning the murder victim into a bad guy, and I even understand making the bad guy have a softer side, but it felt as if the love interest, who really isn't in the book beyond a few pages, was placed there in order to tone down the negative portrayal of gay men. I get that there are violent gay men, they even may be drug dealers, and I'm okay with that. I guess it's that I'm starting to see a pattern with this author, and I'm not sure I'm totally comfortable with it.

Earlier I said that my qualms with the subject matter almost ruined the book for me, with stress on the almost. Because of the complexities in the case, the various characters who come in and out of the story, and the sheer violence of the way this man was killed, the author was able to keep my interest. I found Blood Line to be a well crafted thriller that never stopped taking turns, or surprising me in the way Detective Travis was able to piece everything together, and bring those responsible to justice.

If you couldn't tell, I'm of two minds on this one. I'm trying to be the bigger man and overlook the way I feel this author treats gay men in her books, and for the most part I'm there. She is a talented writer who never fails, in the four books I've now read by her, to craft a storyline full of twists and turns that are based in the gritty reality of life. I'm going to keep reading her books, I'm just going to have to put my sensibilities aside when I do.(less)

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Jan 14, 2013 Gina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-book-releases, library, mystery, female-detectives, british-fiction, murder, mystery-crime, mystery-detective, part-of-a-series, suspense, 2013, 400-pages, challenges-2013, ccc-club, kidnapping, relationships, criminal-charges, drama, glbt, police-procedural, rape, thriller, drug-related-criminals, conspiracies, death, family, fathers, alzheimers, sexuality, traveling-road-trips, women-s-issues, reviewed

Goodreads Description- Still reeling from the death of her fiance, Detective Anna Travis has thrown herself into her new role as the chief inspector for London's murder squad. When Scotland Yard's missing persons bureau is unable to locate the son of a court employee, the superintendent--James Langton, Anna's former lover turned sometimes friend--urges her to take on the suspicious assignment.

But is this new investigation purely a missing persons case--or a full-blown murder inquiry? An ominous...more Goodreads Description- Still reeling from the death of her fiance, Detective Anna Travis has thrown herself into her new role as the chief inspector for London's murder squad. When Scotland Yard's missing persons bureau is unable to locate the son of a court employee, the superintendent--James Langton, Anna's former lover turned sometimes friend--urges her to take on the suspicious assignment.

But is this new investigation purely a missing persons case--or a full-blown murder inquiry? An ominous pool of blood with no locatable victim leads Anna on a desperate hunt for a man who has disappeared without a trace. With no body, and increasing pressure to make an arrest, Anna becomes obsessed with the smallest details of the case. Now, one man has vanished, a killer may be loose on the streets, and, as Langton looks on, Anna Travis may be losing control of the investigation--and of herself.

This is my second LaPlante novel and I have to say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. The plotline was interesting with Anna Travis being asked to look into a missing person's case that after about 100 pages becomes clear that she was dealing with a murder enquiry. Having read many murder mysteries, both British and American, I was used to all of the different characters and red herrings thrown into the mix so this didn't confuse me as much as many of the reviewers thought. I always like many people in the narrative to keep things moving along and always giving hints as to "who done it". So the multitude of characters didn't bother mea as much as other reviewers. I found myself rooting Anna on once her boss started threatening her that if she didn't come up with an answer soon she would be taken off the case. I didn't really like her boss, Langton. He was rude, treated her with a chauvinistic attitude, and his expectations of her were way to high. I must admit that this is the first I have read in the series and maybe I would understand their relationship if I had read more of the previous books. I also didn't understand why he kept insisting that they have dinner. It was my understanding that he was married so why all the seemingly sexual advances?? Again, I probably need to read more of the series to understand.

There were a few things that bumped down the rating from a 5 star to a 4. First it was incredibly slow to get started. As I mentioned, the story didn't get really interesting until about 100 pages in. Second, there was a lot of repeating information over and over again, especially the carpet being cut out and placed in the bedroom. The reader just didn't need all of the repeated facts. Finally, the ending was left open ended and with Anna Travis doing what I hoped throughout the whole story she wouldn't do. I don't want to have any spoilers but the ending was kind of blah. I want to check out the next book in the series to see if it goes into the wrapping up of this case with more detail. I would recommend this book to any murder mystery fan. 4 stars!(less)

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Jan 09, 2013 Lyn Nicholas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paperback, reviewed-2013, reviewed

Must read for Crime Drama enthusiasts who love an exciting thriller!

How do you solve a problem like Anna Travis? With plenty of action, of course! BLOOD LINE is athrilling and layered British crime procedural that is just as intriguing on the last page as it was on the first.

Anna is now the Detective Chief Inspector and in on her first murder case in her new position. But how do you solve a murder without a body? The only thing they have to go on is the blood at the scene of the probable crime....more

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Dec 22, 2012 Sam rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people wanting to read the entire series

Recommended to Sam by: I have read the entire series so far

I’ve always enjoyed the Anna Travis series that Lynda La Plante writes; they’re detective thrillers with page turning action. In Blood Line, Anna is back as a new Detective Chief Inspector, which means being in charge of a murder case for the first time. Unfortunately, Anna doesn’t have it too easy – she doesn’t have a body or even a victim. How will she handle the pressure? Will the team match the blood to a missing person, or are they looking for a murder that doesn’t exist?

I haven’t picked up...more I’ve always enjoyed the Anna Travis series that Lynda La Plante writes; they’re detective thrillers with page turning action. In Blood Line, Anna is back as a new Detective Chief Inspector, which means being in charge of a murder case for the first time. Unfortunately, Anna doesn’t have it too easy – she doesn’t have a body or even a victim. How will she handle the pressure? Will the team match the blood to a missing person, or are they looking for a murder that doesn’t exist?

I haven’t picked up a Lynda La Plante for about a year – I fell behind in reading the series when the publication switched from Christmas to mid-year – but this book felt a little differently written to previous books. Maybe I was forgetting something, but something felt different. The dialogue felt very stilted in places – unnatural, robotic and I felt the character of Anna had changed too. Perhaps it was a natural progression due to her different work role and her recent bereavement, but she was tetchy and annoying at times in the way she acted towards her colleagues and general public. I found her less likeable and more difficult to relate to than previous books.

This series is more about the action, rather than exquisite prose and description. It’s the case, the twists and turns that saved this book for me, along with one of the suspects. Tina is the partner of suspected victim, and boy, does she put up a good fight. She’s two faced and in your face. She also ‘one-ups’ Anna several times with her catty but wry observations. The introduction of a new police team (Paul, Brian and Helen) also breathes new life into the series. Brian is annoying (in a different way to Anna) – he’s rude and prejudiced. Paul is the sweetheart of the team (so sweet and lovely), while Helen hangs around on the fringes. It would have been nice to see Helen play a larger role to compare against Anna.

The mystery itself is unusual – a murder with no body or definite victim. The plot twists and turns in unexpected fashion until the team find themselves chasing a lead away from London on the coast. I found that the action became less interesting after that as everything slowed right down. Saying that, I’ll still be reading the eighth book in the series, Backlash, to enjoy another mystery and see if Anna’s increasingly exasperating character is part of a larger plot arc.

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Aug 13, 2012 Clarissa Draper rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lynda-la-plante

Product Description:
Under the watchful eye of DCS James Langton, DCI Anna Travis takes charge of an investigation for the first time. But is it purely a missing person's case - or a full blown murder enquiry? An ominous pool of blood and no victim lead Anna on a desperate hunt for a man who has disappeared without trace.

As Anna becomes obsessed with seemingly irrelevant details, Langton fears that she is losing control. They still have no body and Anna is under increasing pressure to make an arr...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Lorraine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, 2013

Anna is recovering from the death of her fiance Ken. She is approached by a distraught father saying that his son Alan Rawlings has been missing for two weeks. Anna tries to pass it off to MisPers (Missing Persons) but three weeks later James Langton approaches her and asks her to investigate. She and Paul (a new partner) interview Tina (Alan's girlfriend) and Alan's father and mother (who has Alzheimer's) and think that Alan's just run away to avoid marrying Tina when Anna decides they should s...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Tara Moss rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

‘He’s dead, isn’t he?’ Paul said, staring straight ahead as Anna drank from her bottle before screwing the cap back on.
‘We don’t know that. What we need to do is find someone who saw the other side of Alan Rawlins, because so far I think it’s all too good to be true. No one is that perfect. He will have secrets – maybe dark ones.’

In this seventh Anna Travis novel, the bright, young Travis is now a Detective Chief Inspector taking charge of her first case under the watchful eye of Detective Chie...more

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Nov 05, 2012 Red Letter rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, thriller

Our readers said:

Rochelle: B- "well written and enjoyable enough, but it is not an irresistible page-turner"

Kristina: C- "On one hand, it was terrible. But on the other hand, I read it fairly quickly and was interested in where the story was going."

Andrea: B- "It seemed to be building up to a huge twist and I just wasn’t satiated by the direction it ultimately took."

EMarie: C "I continued reading only because I wanted to see if my theory of who had committed the crime was true."

Elizabeth H.: D-...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Amy Rhodes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lynda La Plante, author of the great PBS series Prime Suspect, has had a hard time selling books in the US. Her Lorraine Page series is one of the darkest and best I've ever read but so hard to find...anyway, the Anna Travis series (this is #7) is also good. Set in London, of course, Anna is a good combination of smart, strong, vulnerable but most of all, likeable. I don't think I've read them all but try starting with the earliest you can find...

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Nov 25, 2012 Nicole Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I got this book from Goodreads first reads. I like a good suspense 'who done it' kind of book. This had a very good story line and good ideas but it was hard to follow the story as I couldn't figure out who was doing the talking.I would have to go back and re-read a few sections to figure out who was saying what. I did find it dragged a little in the beginning, but once the story really started it got very interesting. I enjoyed the story, but i don't know if i would highly recommend this book t...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good mystery but I couldn't really get into it. Many twists and turns, some unbelieveable characters, some good detective work, relationships starting and ending. Maybe I am just not in a reading mood right now. I do plan on reading more of the series and then I will see if it is this author or me.

Murder mystery with no body but a lot of blood. Drugs, various sexual relationships, normal human foibles.

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About Lynda La Plante

Lynda La Plante (born Lynda Titchmarsh) is a British author, screenwriter, and erstwhile actress (her performances in Rentaghost and other programmes were under her stage name of Lynda Marchal), best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series.

Her first TV series as a scriptwriter was the six part robbery series Widows, in 1983, in which the widows of four armed robbers carry out a...more

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Books by Lynda La Plante

Above Suspicion (Anna Travis Mystery, #1)

The Red Dahlia (Anna Travis Mystery, #2)

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title link	preview: Blood Line: An Anna Travis Novel
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13426111-blood-line?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337621635l/13426111.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13426111-blood-line?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Blood Line: An Anna Travis Novel by Lynda La Plante[/url]

Blood Line: An Anna Travis Novel (Anna Travis #7)

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