Lynda La Plante's The Dirty Dozen starts off with more than a bang...quite literally. It appears to be a bank robbery we're witnessing but we learn in a few paragraphs that the armored truck is actually being robbed; La Plante puts us both at the scene with the robbers AND in the car with the squad in pursuit. She does a great job of ratcheting up the tension as the squad speeds to the scene, with the dispatchers keeping them in the loop on what's happening at the scene. Poor Jane Tennison - it's her first day with the "Sweeney" and she's pulled into the action immediately. Yet, she can't deny, even while nauseous, that she's strangely exhilarated by what's happening. I was pulled into the action immediately, and I like La Plante's style.