Jane Tennison is new to the police force. She is a Woman Police Constanble in 1972 where WPC were required to wear skirts and tights, men drank and smoked in the office, and apparently harassment was the norm. Into this world Jane shows up very young and very naive, both personally and professionally. Really the entire book comes down to this. Other than that overriding arc, this was two stories in one and could easily have been broken up into 2 more manageable pieces: the killing of a young woman, and a bank robbery. Other than having Jane involved in both they were unrelated and would have made for strong books on their own. I liked that Ms. LaPlante didn't take the easy route and begin with a character that already knew the ins and outs of the police force. I liked that she let Jane make mistakes. And I even liked that she let Jane's family still treat her like she is an errant teenager. I assume much of this will go away throughout the series as Jane becomes more experienced and less naive about the world around her. I think Ms. LaPlante gave her a good start here. I look forwarding to checking out the rest of the series!