Book Review: Backlash by Lynda LaPlante

I was lucky enough to have TLC Book Tours send me a copy of Lynda La Plante's newest crime thriller, Backlash. 

Award-winning and international bestselling author Lynda La Plante returns with the eighth installment in her acclaimed series featuring London’s Detective Chief Inspector Anna Travis.

Late night on a notorious high-rise estate in the borough of Hackney. A woman on the street never makes it home after a long night of drinking. A white van is being driven erratically. The driver is pulled over by the police and questioned. A suspect . . . an arrest . . . a confession. Case closed?

Five years earlier, a thirteen-year-old girl disappeared in broad daylight on a busy London street. Detective Chief Superintendent James Langton headed the investigation; the case was never solved. It has haunted him ever since. And now comes another confession, to this murder, and to one more besides. But is it too good to be true? After being pulled into the fray, Anna Travis isn’t so sure that they have their man.

Then the suspect changes his story. . . .

I liked Backlash for the same reason that I liked Prime Suspect. Prime Suspect is a Jane Tennison novel and Backlash is a Anna Travis novel; if you followed the Prime Suspect series, you should love this series as well. Just like Prime Suspect, it is fast-paced, keeps you on your toes, keeps you guessing, and is full of fun British lexicons. The characters are fully-developed, dynamic, and realistic. Again, I didn't fall in love with any of the characters, but that makes it more realistic, because I don't love everyone I meet.

It was interesting to read a crime novel this long, as it is a bit long compared to other books in the genre, but like Prime Suspect, it was not extemporaneous details; instead, it was all adding to the story, and definitely not just fluff. All in all, it was a great read, and makes me wish more of La Plante's books were available in my library.

This book was provided to me free by TLC Book Tours, but I was not compensated for this review. All opinions are my own.