Lynda La Plante

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About Lynda La Plante

Lynda La Plante was born in Liverpool. She trained for the stage at RADA and worked with the National Theatre and RDC before becoming a television actress. She then turned to writing - and made her breakthrough with the phenomenally successful TV series WIDOWS.

Her novels have all been international bestsellers. Her original script for the much-acclaimed PRIME SUSPECT won awards from BAFTA, Emmys, British Broadcasting and Royal Television Society as well as the 1993 Edgar Allan Poe Writer's Award.

Since 1993 Lynda has spearheaded La Plante Productions. In that time the company has produced a stunning slate of innovative dramas with proven success and enduring international appeal.

Based on Lynda's best selling series of Anna Travis novels, Above Suspicion, Silent Scream, Deadly Intent and Silent Scream have all adapted into TV scripts and received impressive viewing figures.

Lynda has been made honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter Writer's Award 2000.

On 14th June 2008 Lynda was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List (Writer and Producer for services to Literature, Drama and to Charity).

On 3rd October 2009, Lynda was honoured at the Cologne Conference International Film and Television Festival with the prestigious TV Spielfilm Award for her television adaptation of her novel, Above Suspicion.

Books penned by Lynda La Plante include: The Legacy, The Talisman, Bella Mafia, Entwined, Cold Shoulder, Cold Blood, Cold Heart, Sleeping Cruelty, Royal Flush, Above Suspicion, The Red Dahlia, Clean Cut, Deadly Intent and Silent Scream, Blind Fury (this entered the UK Sunday Times Bestsellers List at number 1 having sold 9,500 copies in its first two weeks), Blood Line, Backlash, Wrongful Death, and Twisted, which have all been international best-sellers.

In Feb 2012 Lynda's chilling tale of THE LITTLE ONE was published in conjunction with Quick Reads through Simon & Schuster UK.

Lynda's latest book, Tennison, was published on 24th September 2015 and is the prequel the highly acclaimed Prime Suspect. The story charts Jane Tennison's entry into the police force as a 22 year old Probationary Officer at Hackney Police Station in 1973.

Lynda La Plante is published in the UK by Simon & Schuster.

Lynda La Plante is published in the US by HarperCollins Publishers.

Please visit www.lyndalaplante.com for further information. You can also follow Lynda on Facebook and Twitter.

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Author Updates

Books By Lynda La Plante

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Dark Rooms: The brand new 2022 Jane Tennison thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama 18-Aug-2022

by Lynda La Plante

£7.19 £20.00

SOMEONE WANTS YOU OUT OF THE PICTURE . . .

The thrilling new Detective Jane Tennison crime novel from the Queen of Crime Drama - now available to pre-order in hardback, eBook and audiobook.
__________________________

Helena Lanark is the only one who knows about the horrors which once occurred in her family's house. The heiress of an immense family fortune, she now resides in a luxurious care home; her mind and memory fading fast.

Jane Tennison is leading a murder investigation into the recent brutal death of a young girl, her decomposed, starved body discovered in an old air raid shelter in the garden of the Lanark's now derelict house. Initially the focus is on identifying the victim, until another body is found hidden in the walls of the shelter.

As the investigation and search for answers intensifies, Jane travels to Australia. There she discovers the dark secret that the Lanark family has kept hidden for decades. A secret that not only threatens to bring down a family dynasty, but also places Jane Tennison in mortal danger . . .

Murder hides behind closed doors in Lynda La Plante's brilliant new Jane Tennison thriller.
______________________________

Praise for Lynda La Plante:

'The UK's most celebrated female crime author' - DAILY MAIL

'Thirty years on from writing Prime Suspect, La Plante is still delivering the goods' - THE TIMES

'Tough, brilliant and damaged, [Tennison] shook up the genre forever' - DAILY EXPRESS

'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller' - KARIN SLAUGHTER

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Audio CD

Vanished: The brand new 2022 thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama 31-Mar-2022

by Lynda La Plante

( 3,820 )

£7.19 £18.99

KILLERS DON'T JUST DISAPPEAR . . .

The unmissable brand new thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante - now available in hardback, eBook and audiobook.
______________________

When an eccentric widow claims she is being stalked by her former lodger, Detective Jack Warr is the only person who believes her wild claims.

Days later, she is found brutally murdered in her home.

When the investigation uncovers an international drugs operation on the widow's property, the case grows even more complex. And as the hunt for the widow's lodger hits dead end after dead end, it seems that the prime suspect has vanished without a trace.

To find answers, Jack must decide how far is he willing to go - and what he is willing to risk - in his search for justice. Because if he crosses the line of the law, one wrong move could cost him everything . . .
__________________

PRAISE FOR LYNDA LA PLANTE:

'DC Jack Warr is clearly destined for higher things, and I look forward to following his progress' - PETER ROBINSON, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the DCI Banks series

'A compelling, clever plot with a brilliant cast of diverse characters. Utterly riveting' - RACHEL ABBOTT, million-selling author of ONLY THE INNOCENT

'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller' - KARIN SLAUGHTER

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

Unholy Murder: The edge-of-your-seat Sunday Times bestselling crime thriller 19-Aug-2021

by Lynda La Plante

( 5,090 )

£4.75 £8.99

JUST PRAY YOU'RE NOT NEXT . . .

The page-turning new Detective Jane Tennison thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante - now available in hardback, eBook and audiobook.
___________________

A coffin is dug up by builders in the grounds of an historic convent - inside is the body of a young nun.

In a city as old as London, the discovery is hardly surprising. But when scratch marks are found on the inside of the coffin lid, Detective Jane Tennison believes she has unearthed a mystery far darker than any she's investigated before.

However, not everyone agrees. Tennison's superiors dismiss it as an historic cold case, and the Church seems desperate to conceal the facts from the investigation.

It's clear that someone is hiding the truth, and perhaps even the killer. Tennison must pray she can find both - before they are buried forever . . .

In Unholy Murder, Tennison must lift the lid on the most chilling murder case of her career.
___________________

PRAISE FOR LYNDA LA PLANTE:

'The UK's most celebrated female crime author' - DAILY MAIL

'Compelling, clever, and utterly riveting' - RACHEL ABBOTT

'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller' - KARIN SLAUGHTER

'Tough, brilliant and damaged, [Tennison] shook up the genre forever by showing a female detective overcoming sexism and adversity to reach the top' - DAILY EXPRESS

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

Judas Horse: The instant Sunday Times bestselling crime thriller 01-Apr-2021

by Lynda La Plante

( 7,955 )

£4.28 £8.99

SOME KILLERS CAN'T BE TAMED . . .

The brand new Detective Jack Warr thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante - now available in hardback, eBook and audiobook.
__________________

'Do you know what a Judas Horse is? When the wild mustangs are running free, you corral one and train it. When he's ready, you release him and he'll bring his team back into the corral - like Judas betraying them...'

Violent burglars have been terrorising residents across the English countryside. But when a mutilated body is discovered in a Cotswolds house, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary group of opportunist thieves.

As Detective Jack Warr investigates, he discovers locals with dark secrets, unearths hidden crimes - and hits countless dead ends. With few leads and the violent attacks escalating, he will have to act as audaciously as the criminals if he hopes to stop them.

When Warr meets Charlotte Miles, a terrified woman with links to the group, he must use her to lure the unsuspecting killers into one last job, and into his trap. But with the law already stretched to breaking point, any failure will be on Warr's head - and any more blood spilled, on his hands...
__________________

PRAISE FOR LYNDA LA PLANTE:

'DC Jack Warr is clearly destined for higher things, and I look forward to following his progress' - PETER ROBINSON, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the DCI Banks series

'A compelling, clever plot with a brilliant cast of diverse characters. Utterly riveting' - RACHEL ABBOTT, million-selling author of ONLY THE INNOCENT

'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller' KARIN SLAUGHTER

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

The Dirty Dozen 22-Aug-2019

by Lynda La Plante

( 2,518 )

£3.99 £8.99

The gritty new thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama and the fifth book in the Sunday Times bestselling Jane Tennison series.

Jane Tennison has worked hard to become the first female detective ever post to the infamous Flying Squad, or 'the Sweeney'. But the Dirty Dozen is a notorious boys' club, and Jane's new colleagues make it clear that they don't think a woman is up to the dangers of the job.

Dealing with some of London's most ruthless armed criminals, who think the only good cop is a dead cop, is no joke. Determined to prove she's as good as the men, Jane discovers from a reliable witness that a gang is going to carry out a massive robbery.

But she doesn't know who they are, or where and when they will strike . . .

Praise for Lynda La Plante

'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller' Karin Slaughter

'Classic Lynda - a fabulous read' Martina Cole

'Satisfyingly full of twists and turns' The Independent

'A rare ring of authenticity' Sunday Telegraph

'An absorbingly twisty plot' Guardian

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

Buried: The thrilling new crime series introducing Detective Jack Warr 02-Apr-2020

by Lynda La Plante

( 6,894 )

£4.19 £8.99

SOME THINGS SHOULD REMAIN BURIED . . .

The gripping first book in a brand new thriller series by the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante.
__________________

DC Jack Warr and his girlfriend Maggie have just moved to London to start a new life together. Though charming, Jack can't seem to find his place in the world - until he's drawn into an investigation that turns his life upside down.

In the aftermath of a fire at an isolated cottage, a badly charred body is discovered, along with the burnt remains of millions of stolen, untraceable bank notes.

Jack's search leads him deep into a murky criminal underworld - a world he finds himself surprisingly good at navigating. But as the line of the law becomes blurred, how far will Jack go to find the answers - and what will it cost him?

In BURIED, it's time to meet DC Jack Warr as he digs up the deadly secrets of the past . . .
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PRAISE FOR BURIED:

'It's quite a challenge to make a detective constable the lead character in a crime novel, but Lynda La Plante does a cracking job of it in BURIED. DC Jack Warr is clearly destined for higher things, and I look forward to following his progress' - PETER ROBINSON, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the DCI Banks series

'A compelling, clever plot with a brilliant cast of diverse characters. Utterly riveting' - RACHEL ABBOTT, million-selling author of ONLY THE INNOCENT

'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller' Karin Slaughter

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

Sleeping Cruelty 22-May-2014

by Lynda La Plante

( 896 )

£5.99 £9.99

Sir William Benedict has always desired acceptance from society's elite. Coming from a working-class background, the now very wealthy entrepreneur owns millions, alongside a small slice of paradise by way of an island in the Caribbean.

William gets what he wishes for when the fast-rising Tory MP, Andrew Maynard enters his life. After pouring money in to Maynard's political campaign, William suddenly finds that he has the social status he has always craved. But his joy is premature…

After a political scandal erupts, William is shunned by the socialites that he believed were his friends.

With his reputation in tatters, the entrepreneur turns to Justin Chalmers, and his sister, Laura, for help. William's island will no longer be a tranquil paradise, but the backdrop for his revenge.

Other Formats: Hardcover , Paperback , Audio, cassette

Murder Mile (Tennison 4) 23-Aug-2018

by Lynda La Plante

( 2,009 )

£0.99 £8.99

Prime Suspect meets Ashes to Ashes as we see Jane Tennison starting out on her police career . . .

The fourth in the Sunday Times bestselling Jane Tennison thrillers, MURDER MILE is set at the height of the 'Winter of Discontent'. Can Jane Tennison uncover a serial killer?

February, 1979, 'The Winter of Discontent'. Economic chaos has led to widespread strikes across Britain.

Jane Tennison, now a Detective Sergeant, has been posted to Peckham CID, one of London's toughest areas. As the rubbish on the streets begins to pile up, so does the murder count: two bodies in as many days.

There are no suspects and the manner of death is different in each case. The only link between the two victims is the location of the bodies, found within a short distance of each other near Rye Lane in Peckham. Three days later another murder occurs in the same area. Press headlines scream that a serial killer is loose on 'Murder Mile' and that police incompetence is hampering the investigation.

Jane is under immense pressure to catch the killer before they strike again.Working long hours with little sleep, what she uncovers leaves her doubting her own mind.

'La Plante excels in her ability to pick out the surprising but plausible details that give her portrayal of everyday life in a police station a rare ring of authenticity' Sunday Telegraph

'Classic Lynda, a fabulous read' Martina Cole on HIDDEN KILLERS

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

Tennison: Prime Suspect 1973 24-Sep-2015

by Lynda La Plante

( 1,822 )

£5.99 £9.99

From the creator of the award-winning ITV series Prime Suspect, starring Helen Mirren, comes the fascinating back story of the iconic DCI Jane Tennison.

In 1973 Jane Tennison, aged 22, leaves the Metropolitan Police Training Academy to be placed on probationary exercise in Hackney where criminality thrives. We witness her struggle to cope in a male-dominated, chauvinistic environment, learning fast to deal with shocking situations with no help or sympathy from her superiors. Then comes her involvement in her first murder case.

'Classic Lynda, a fabulous read' -- MARTINA COLE

**Lynda La Plante's Widows is now a major motion picture**

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback

Hidden Killers (Tennison Book 2) 20-Oct-2016

by Lynda La Plante

( 2,613 )

£5.99 £8.99

The brilliant new crime thriller from the BAFTA-winning writer behind the TV series PRIME SUSPECT and author of WIDOWS, now a major motion picture

When WPC Jane Tennison is promoted to the role of Detective Constable in London’s Bow Street CID, she is immediately conflicted. While her more experienced colleagues move on swiftly from one criminal case to another, Jane is often left doubting their methods and findings. As she becomes inextricably involved in a multiple rape case, Jane must put her life at risk in her search for answers.

Will she toe the line, or endanger her position by seeking the truth?

A number one bestselling author, Lynda La Plante was inaugurated into the Crime Writing Hall of Fame in 2009 and received, at the 2014 Harrogate Crime Festival, the Theakstons award for Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction. The Tennison series has been made into a new prime-time ITV series called Prime Suspect 1973.

Praise for the Jane Tennison series:
'Classic Lynda, a fabulous read' MARTINA COLE
'La Plante excels in her ability to pick out details that give her portrayal of life in a police station a rare ring of authenticity' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
'An absorbingly twisty plot' GUARDIAN
'Enthralling' HEAT
'Vintage La Plante' INDEPENDENT
'A terrific, gutsy back story for the heroine of TV's Prime Suspect' WOMAN & HOME

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback

Blunt Force: The Sunday Times bestselling crime thriller 20-Aug-2020

by Lynda La Plante

( 5,652 )

£4.28 £8.99

IT'S NOT JUST MURDER THAT IS IN THE SPOTLIGHT . . .

The blinding new Detective Jane Tennison thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante.
__________________

Things can't get much worse for detective Jane Tennison.

Unceremoniously kicked off the adrenaline-fuelled Flying Squad, she's been relegated to Gerald Road, a small and sleepy police station in the heart of London's affluent Knightsbridge.

With only petty crime to sink her teeth into, Tennison can feel her career slowly flatlining. That is until the discovery of the most brutal murder Jane has ever seen: Charlie Foxley has been found viciously beaten to death, his body dismembered and disembowelled.

As a big-time showbiz agent, Foxley had a lot of powerful friends - but even more enemies. And alongside her old friend DS Spencer Gibbs, Tennison must journey into the salacious world of show business to find the killer, before they strike again . . .

In Lynda La Plante's most gripping thriller yet, Tennison discovers that the brightest lights hide the darkest secrets - and the killer doesn't always hide in the shadows . . .

__________________

PRAISE FOR LYNDA LA PLANTE:

'A compelling, clever plot with a brilliant cast of diverse characters. Utterly riveting' - RACHEL ABBOTT, million-selling author of ONLY THE INNOCENT

'Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller' KARIN SLAUGHTER

'Nail-biting' DAILY MAIL

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

Prime Suspect 03-Jan-2013

by Lynda La Plante

( 1,372 )

£0.99 £8.99

From the BAFTA-winning writer behind the TV series PRIME SUSPECT and author of WIDOWS, now a major motion picture...

When a prostitute is found murdered in her bedsit, the Metropolitan police set to work finding the perpetrator of this brutal attack. DNA samples lead them straight to George Marlow, a man previously convicted of attempted rape. Everything appears to add up and the police think they've found their man, but things aren't quite what they seem . . .

Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison came through the ranks the hard way, opposed and resented at every step by her male colleagues. So when DCI Shefford falls ill, the opportunity for Tennison to get herself noticed finally arrives. But the boys are not happy and every one of her colleagues is willing her to trip up.

Desperate to remove all doubt around her suspect, Tennison struggles to make the charges stick. And then a second body turns up. With the team against her, and a dangerous criminal still on the loose, DCI Jane Tennison must fight to prove herself, now or never.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobooks , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

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