Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "psychic-phenomena"

Taste of Blood by Lynda La Plante

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A mysterious case for DI Jane Tennison.

Starting work at a new station, Jane is tasked with investigating a dispute between neighbours that has left one of them hospitalised.

Initially appearing a tedious case of neighbourhood bickering gone out of control, the investigation takes a more complex turn the more Jane digs.

A chance encounter with a psychic leads Jane to believe there is far more beneath the surface of this dispute, uncovering a case of murder.

'Taste of Blood' is the ninth and penultimate novel in the Jane Tennison prequel series, which has followed Jane from her joining the police and leads us up to her first murder inquiry as DCI in the first 'Prime Suspect'. Lynda La Plante delivers another brilliant, riveting thriller – a character-driven drama entwined with multiple twists and turns, a classic whodunnit buried beneath the surface of neighbourhood quarrels - with a select set of suspects within a confined locale giving it that vintage mystery quality. A major theme of the novel is psychic phenomena, several lines of enquiry presented through Jane's interaction with a psychic medium. Mediums and clairvoyants assisting in police investigations has always been a fascinating subject, one Lynda has impeccably researched. These scenes were superb, atmospheric and moving, perfectly balancing belief and scepticism, and an aura of the gothic and supernatural.

Transporting us back to the 80s, before our age of technological advancement, both in our personal lives and specifically relating to police practice and procedure, La Plante once again portrays this era vividly. Something that always strikes me about the early seasons of 'Prime Suspect' is how it depicts so brilliantly life and policing in the early 90s - as with many classics, simultaneously a glimpse of its time and a timeless narrative – something that each entry in this series has also captured, progressing from 1973 onwards. Forensic science always plays a key role in La Plante's work - this investigation taking place immediately following the breakthrough of DNA profiling and the successful arrest of Colin Pitchfork for multiple sexual assaults and murders in 1987, a case that significantly changed forensic science and police procedure (and, by extension, crime fiction) forevermore.

The series has focussed on the significant milestones of Jane’s life and career, exploring her impactful cases as we witness the development of her character. This chapter is an emotional rollercoaster for Jane; so much in this novel feels like the final formation of that tough outer shell she wears when we first meet her in 'Prime Suspect', as we experience perhaps one of the most tragic periods of Jane's life since the events of the very first novel in the series, with several deeply emotional moments that also shine a new perspective on what we know is to come in Jane’s future. As the case concludes and Jane embarks on the months of trial preparation, we are left tantalised for the next stage of her career, the final step towards her promotion and 'Prime Suspect'. I cannot wait for the next (and final) book!

Intense, absorbing, and fraught with emotion, ‘Taste of Blood’ is another fantastic book in a beloved series.



View all my reviews
Follow me on Facebook
Follow me on Instagram
Follow me on Threads
Follow me on Twitter