This is my first book by Lynda La Plante and I really enjoyed it. The characters are engaging and realistic and the story line is carefully plotted. While there were some parts where there were detailed descriptions of the offices and homes of the people involved that I thought were not particularly necessary, the overall plot had me hooked from start to finish. Jane Tennison has been kicked off of the Flying Squad and assigned to a boring desk/petty crime job in a station in London. But that boring job is about to change when Charles Foxley, a big theatrical agent is found brutally murdered and disemboweled. Jane along with her fellow officer DS Spencer Gibbs focus on trying to find out who committed the murder and why. Lots of leads to suspects but they all end up as a dead end and no motive has been determined. There is also a sub-plot in this book which is interesting. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a suspenseful murder mystery.