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The Red Dahlia (Anna Travis #2)
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!
"FOR THOSE WHO LOVE MYSTERIES BUT WISH THAT PATRICIA CORNWELL HAD A DIRTIER MIND,"* the author of Above Suspicion and the acclaimed Prime Suspect series returns with a new mystery.
When the body of a young girl is found dumped on the banks of the Thames, even the police are shocked by the brutality of her murder: horrifically mutilated, severed...more
"FOR THOSE WHO LOVE MYSTERIES BUT WISH THAT PATRICIA CORNWELL HAD A DIRTIER MIND,"* the author of Above Suspicion and the acclaimed Prime Suspect series returns with a new mystery.
When the body of a young girl is found dumped on the banks of the Thames, even the police are shocked by the brutality of her murder: horrifically mutilated, severed...more
ebook, 416 pages
Published
July 3rd 2007
by Touchstone
(first published 2006)
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Danny Fowler, a paperboy, was winding up his route and heading home from breakfast when he spotted what appeared to be a blow-up doll on the bank of the river. What Danny found wasn’t a blow-up doll and he no longer had an appetite for breakfast. His discovery began the investigation into a death that became known as The Red Dahlia murder.
Detective Inspector Anna Travis is a part of the investigation team and soon Detective Chief Inspector James Langton is called in to head up the investigation....more
Detective Inspector Anna Travis is a part of the investigation team and soon Detective Chief Inspector James Langton is called in to head up the investigation....more
For years I was a big fan of the British police procedural TV series PRIME SUSPECT (starring Helen Mirren) created by author Lynda LaPlante. This was the first novel I'd read by LaPlante, and I was not disappointed. The plot involves the murder and grisly dismemberment of two British working girls, in a manner that immediately suggests a copycat killing of the infamous Red Dahlia murders in 1947 California. The focal detective Anna Travis and her boss Peter Langton, overcoming some awkwardness d...more
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When the body of a young woman is found on the banks of the River Thames, the injuries turn out to have an unsettling similarity to the unsolved, 1930's Los Angeles case of Elizabeth Short - known as The Black Dahlia.
Detective Inspector Anna Travis is on the team investigating this horrible crime when Detective Chief Inspector James Langton is called in to take over from the original team leader. They have a prior working and private history and Travis is very hesitant and discomforted by the cl...more
Detective Inspector Anna Travis is on the team investigating this horrible crime when Detective Chief Inspector James Langton is called in to take over from the original team leader. They have a prior working and private history and Travis is very hesitant and discomforted by the cl...more
The second book in Lynda La Plante's Anna Travis series is another well-written book. Prior to reading this, I had already watched the BBC episodes. As with "Above Suspicion," the BBC version was faithful to the book. There were extra bits that added to the experience of reading the book, but I was pleased at the way the author's intent was preserved when bringing the story to television.
The books do focus more attention on the relationship, or whatever it might be, that exists between Travis an...more
The books do focus more attention on the relationship, or whatever it might be, that exists between Travis an...more
A young girl's body is found dismembered close by the Thames at Richmond and the killing mirrored an unsolved 1940s Los Angeles murder that came to be known as The Black Dahlia.
The similarities in the killing and the fact that the young lady by the Thames had a red flower in her hair earned this new case the sobriquet of 'The Red Dahlia'.
Newly promoted Detective Inspector Anna Travis is on the case but she meets with little success and eventually is joined by a former paramour, Detective Chief I...more
The similarities in the killing and the fact that the young lady by the Thames had a red flower in her hair earned this new case the sobriquet of 'The Red Dahlia'.
Newly promoted Detective Inspector Anna Travis is on the case but she meets with little success and eventually is joined by a former paramour, Detective Chief I...more
This book had the potential to be interesting, at least in the first 150 pages or so. I was attracted to the grim descriptions of the autopsy reports and at first, the cops' diligence in tracking the killer as well as the copy-cat description of the crime scene with that of the Black Dahlia murder in the 1940s. After the name of the killer gets revealed, the book goes downhill, and the only thing I looked forward to were the one or two lines dedicated to describing what Anna Travis ate for dinne...more
Linda La Plante gets gruesome in her account of a serial killer who copies a well documented case from Los Angeles from decades ago. There are three set pieces (discovery of the body, autopsy, story breaks in the tabloids) which La Plante uses to describe, underline and detail the outrages committed by the killer on his first victim before her death and the mutilations of her corpse afterwards. Subsequent murders are not as sanguine but still incarnadine enough for anyone outside an abattoir.
The...more
The...more
Apr 01, 2012
Kathy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Lovers of police procedurals, thrillers, and mysteries.
Shelves:
mysteries-and-thrillers
When DI Anna Travis is called out to the discovery of a young woman's body, she has no idea the horrors that she will discover. The young woman's body has been severed in half, drained of blood, and gruesomely mutilated. It isn't until after the killer makes contact with a local journalist that the murder team realizes that the murder is a carbon copy of that of the Black Dahlia murder in 1940s Los Angeles. Not only is DI Travis attempting to catch a sadistic killer who likes to play games with...more
Usually when I finish reading a Crime Thriller the last thing I want to do is read another Crime book. It's not like I don't enjoy the genre, in fact if anything it is amongst my favourite genres, it is more about how draining they usually are. Nothing is more draining than hunting down a serial killer.
Surprisingly Lynda La Plante hasn't left me feeling drained. In fact I felt inspired to read another Crime genre novel. I think that says a lot about how skilled La Plante is as an crime writer. R...more
Surprisingly Lynda La Plante hasn't left me feeling drained. In fact I felt inspired to read another Crime genre novel. I think that says a lot about how skilled La Plante is as an crime writer. R...more
Lynda La Plante is the author of the Prime Suspect series, & this is just as gritty as those books. Someone is copycatting the Black Dahlia murder in LA back in the 1940s. Only this is London in the present day. You need a strong stomach to read THE RED DAHLIA.
Jun 13, 2012
Jonathan Peto
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
mysteries-thrillers,
novels
I would probably give this book 3.5 stars if I could.
The main character, Anna Travis, was a bit needy, which was interesting and surprising, considering her job as a homicide detective. Anna was also clever, something she proved a few times when the investigation stalled.
She had had a short relationship with Detective Chief Inspector James Langston, who ends up heading the murder investigation the novel focuses on. That doesn't get in the way, but it does add some spice to the story, especially...more
The main character, Anna Travis, was a bit needy, which was interesting and surprising, considering her job as a homicide detective. Anna was also clever, something she proved a few times when the investigation stalled.
She had had a short relationship with Detective Chief Inspector James Langston, who ends up heading the murder investigation the novel focuses on. That doesn't get in the way, but it does add some spice to the story, especially...more
Purchased from a charity shop, just because it was a Lynda LaPlante, I wasn't sure what to expect, but was hoping for something good from the name. I've not read LaPlante's work before.
The start was slow going I have to admit, but from about chapter 5 onwards the narrative definately picked up pace and trotted along quite happily keeping me amused. Following DI Anna Travis you are guided through all information found on the case, although at some points that left me screaming inside as things w...more
The start was slow going I have to admit, but from about chapter 5 onwards the narrative definately picked up pace and trotted along quite happily keeping me amused. Following DI Anna Travis you are guided through all information found on the case, although at some points that left me screaming inside as things w...more
A young girl’s mutilated body has been discovered and Detective Inspector Anna Travis is on the investigating team along with Detective Chief Inspector James Langton, who I gather she had a romantic relationship with earlier. They find this murder is based on a 1940’s case in Los Angeles that was called “The Black Dahlia”, a case that was never solved, this case is dabbed “The Red Dahlia” because of the flower in the victims hair.
The police have a bit of trouble piecing the crime together it wou...more
The police have a bit of trouble piecing the crime together it wou...more
I was 15 when I first read this book. And speaking on behalf on my 15 year old self, I loved this book.
I was going on holiday and needed some reading material for the journey however, I found once I started this book I could just not put it down.
If you like murder mystery and suspense then this book is a real investment. Although some parts I admit, we're slow and slightly boring, it's real interesting read. (Especially if you like to go and do your background research too!)
Worth every minute...more
I was going on holiday and needed some reading material for the journey however, I found once I started this book I could just not put it down.
If you like murder mystery and suspense then this book is a real investment. Although some parts I admit, we're slow and slightly boring, it's real interesting read. (Especially if you like to go and do your background research too!)
Worth every minute...more
Amazingly enough, I have never read anything by Lynda La Plante, nor knowingly seen anything on the telly, so another Co-Op buy was my first encounter. The plot is certainly mucky enough to keep the dodgier crime fans happy, although I found the lead detective a bit unengaging and one dimensionsal. Fortunately, the story which involves a young girl found dumped on the banks of the Thames who has been horrifically mutilated and drained of blood with her death an ominous mirror image of an unsolve...more
Jan 28, 2012
Clarissa Draper
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
lynda-la-plante
When I first saw the title of the book, I was instantly intrigued. I had read about the true Black Dahlia murders that had happened in the forties in California.
This book is about the copycat murders set in the UK. The UK murders did not really happen. Again, La Plante writes very bare bones but the book was a fast read and I finished it in one day. I couldn't put it down.
I read this book after reading the first in the Travis series and the tension between the two main characters continue. And...more
This book is about the copycat murders set in the UK. The UK murders did not really happen. Again, La Plante writes very bare bones but the book was a fast read and I finished it in one day. I couldn't put it down.
I read this book after reading the first in the Travis series and the tension between the two main characters continue. And...more
I already had this on order from the library before I read the book just after this one (Book 3). I loathed that book but far be it from me not to pick up a book I have on hold. This one was fairly interesting though I'd really rather give it 3 1/2. The people who annoyed me so badly in Book 3 are present here but you only see hints of what made me want to scream at them throughout Book 3. Obviously, my suggestion is if you feel compelled to read the Anna Travis series, pretend Book 3 doesn't ex...more
Feb 13, 2010
Nancy Oakes
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
uk-crime-fiction-and-mystery
The Red Dahlia is second in a series to feature DI Anna Travis, behind Above Suspicion, which I own but haven't yet read, although I don't think I missed anything. This was an outstanding mystery novel...perfect pace, building suspense throughout, characters that seemed real, and a story that kept me reading until I finished the book.
While out delivering the last of his newspapers, a young boy makes a gruesome discovery. The police arrive and discover the body of a young woman, severed in half,...more
While out delivering the last of his newspapers, a young boy makes a gruesome discovery. The police arrive and discover the body of a young woman, severed in half,...more
1 like · like · see review
Lynda La Plante can be quite uneven. Her Sleeping Cruelty strained credulity; Bella Mafia was unfinishable. Her forte, I believe is her police procedural series Trial and Retribution and the Anne Travis series, of which Red Dahlia is one, are much better. Her view of the British upper crust is not pleasant. They are cruel, insensitive, brutal, and perverted. It would be interesting to know if this attitude stems from personal experience. Note there is a connection to Ellroy's The Black Dahlia -...more
I very much enjoyed this book. I felt it was slightly more realistic than most police novels in that they were unable to identify a serial killer until recieving a tip off from somebody known to him. I also liked the fact that they took time to investigate the claim, questioning those around him, putting him under surveillance etc instead of just marching up and arresting him on the spot - the evidence was hard to find and wasn't handed to them on a platter. Worth reading.
Aug 11, 2011
Karmen
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime-police,
bookmooch
It's great to follow a character's development and yet I was not satisfied by this book.
The premise is great - killer reenacting the Black Dahlia (40s Los Angeles) killing.
The police procedural are presented very well but the characters are not well developed, even with the return of Mike Lewis and Barolli, not even Anna Travis and James Langton. The writing is flat when dealing with the personal side of the cases.
The premise is great - killer reenacting the Black Dahlia (40s Los Angeles) killing.
The police procedural are presented very well but the characters are not well developed, even with the return of Mike Lewis and Barolli, not even Anna Travis and James Langton. The writing is flat when dealing with the personal side of the cases.
I am a big DCI Anna Travis fan by now, the twists and turns to this story and the lengths they had to go to to finally ensnare him even after they had already identified the murderer were fascinating. I did not read this book or the series in the order they were written, but still enjoyed the characters immensely, it like getting a second chance to enjoy Inspector Jane Tennyson all over again...
Being a fan of police-procedural thrillers, this was right up my street. The characters are easy to identify with and likeable. The parallels with a true case made the story all the more erie and chilling and I enjoyed the book from start to finish. A little too gory/violent in places for my personal liking but it's hard to get these type of thrillers without that so that's just a personal thing.
Red Dahlia
Very interesting read from start to finish, very detailed and great character development.Travis the main detective has a sound personality and interesting situations which she comes across during a highly publicized murder investigation. Travis doesn't always make the right decision and gets burned for it, which was a pleasant change from perfect investigators in most other books. Her supporting cast is quite diverse and entertaining and the suspects and witnesses she interacts with r...more
Very interesting read from start to finish, very detailed and great character development.Travis the main detective has a sound personality and interesting situations which she comes across during a highly publicized murder investigation. Travis doesn't always make the right decision and gets burned for it, which was a pleasant change from perfect investigators in most other books. Her supporting cast is quite diverse and entertaining and the suspects and witnesses she interacts with r...more
Amazing how uneven La Plante's writing can be. This was a gripping, grim thriller, with sometimes clunky dialogue made up for with great pacing and creepy detail. But the one book that I read of her American series, Cold _____ (Heart, Case, whatever), was painful to read, the dialogue so outrageously tin-eared that it was nigh on unreadable. (See shelf categorization.)
This is a very well written story even though about a gruesome crime. A female body is found sawed in half and soon labeled The Red Dahlia because of the red rose in her hair and the eerie resemblance to the Black Dahlia murders in 1940's Los Angeles.
Due to Anna's keen investigative abilities, this case is solved. I am sure that in time all will see her true investigative talents and reward her...at least that is what I think should happen.
Due to Anna's keen investigative abilities, this case is solved. I am sure that in time all will see her true investigative talents and reward her...at least that is what I think should happen.
Puntuación real: 3 1/2
Otra de género negro, muy amena y absorbente. inspirada en el famoso caso de los asesinatos de 'La Dalia Negra', la novela se divide en dos partes igual de interesantes: primero, la reconstrucción del crimen y el descubrimiento del sospechoso/culpable; después, el acoso y derribo de éste... todo ello amenizado con buenos giros argumentales.
Otra de género negro, muy amena y absorbente. inspirada en el famoso caso de los asesinatos de 'La Dalia Negra', la novela se divide en dos partes igual de interesantes: primero, la reconstrucción del crimen y el descubrimiento del sospechoso/culpable; después, el acoso y derribo de éste... todo ello amenizado con buenos giros argumentales.
Granted, I bought the book thanks to the title - absolutely love Ellroy’'s "The Black Dahlia" - but I came to like for a totally different reason. Let's face it; it was nothing like Ellroy's story, and perhaps I hadn't even thought it would be. But all in all La Plante creates a thrilling story of brutal death and complicated relationships. Very good...
I was excited to find a mystery/crime author unknown to me and begin a new series. As someone else indicated in their review, it started out well and I had high hopes. Unfortunately, as someone else wrote in their review, I find her writing a bit "uneven". The story that someone murdered a woman in the style of the infamous "Black Dahlia" killing had potential. However, I found the reading extremely slow and did not feel much to hold my interest in the "shallow" main characters.
A bit of murder mystery fluff, it really tried a bit too hard in one aspect. It was an interesting story, entertaining, but La Plante was really reaching, in her attempt at tieing it to one of the most famous unsolved murders in America. It could have stood on it's own as a murder mystery, without the lame tie-in.
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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
More about Lynda La Plante...
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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