This was my first Lynda La Plante read and i really could not put it down.

While this is the second in the Anna Travis series, this is the first book I have read by this author. I doubt that I'll read a second.

I thought it started well with the discovery of an horrific murder. There is then an interesting detective process to find the killer. And to get in front of him before the next death - which you will probably predict.

There's also a romance between Anna and her boss that just does not work. What on earth does she see in him? Not only is he not particularly likeable but I really lost all sympathy for Anna when she decides that the problem with one of the female characters is that she is "common". Seriously? What century was this written in. Not only is that an extremely dated English expression but there are a lot of Americanisms in the book which is a bit confusing.

Unfortunately there are no appealing characters in this book which would be ok if it worked or the plot was great. Generally, I found this disappointing.

"The Red Dahlia" is a fiction thriller about a sicko killer who kills and mutilates his victims much like the Black Dahlia killer. Lynda La Plante does an excellent job of detailing the crime and finding the killer. The romantic relationship between Anna Travis and James Langton adds to the complication of the case.

When the body of a young woman is found on the banks of the River Thames, the injuries turn out to have an unsettling similarity to the unsolved, 1930's Los Angeles case of Elizabeth Short - known as The Black Dahlia.

Detective Inspector Anna Travis is on the team investigating this horrible crime when Detective Chief Inspector James Langton is called in to take over from the original team leader. They have a prior working and private history and Travis is very hesitant and discomforted by the close presence of the volatile and erratic Langton. As the killer starts to taunt the murder team in a manner that follows the Black Dahlia case, right down to inciting local media to dub the victim The Red Dahlia, the team becomes increasingly aware that this a violent and vicious killer who thinks that taunting them is part of the game. It doesn't help that the victim herself is a bit of a mystery, and there are very few clues in her life to a possible perpetrator. Another copycat killing and Langton and Travis realise they have just a few days before the 3rd victim and absolutely no concrete leads. An anonymous tip off finally leads the team to a suspect, and from there on the novel becomes a race to the finish to try to prove the seemingly unprovable.

There is absolutely no doubt that La Plante can write big rip-roaring books with good characterisations and THE RED DAHLIA delivers on that promise. Whilst La Plante does write good, strong, human female characters they are not at the expense of the male characters. Langton starts off an uptight, inaccessible workaholic, becoming more human and vulnerable, even troubled. You can see why Travis would find him so attractive. The killer, who is known from the time of the anonymous tip off is pure evil, but not a caricature. There are some awful elements to the violence of the killings and to the events surrounding the suspect and his behaviour but these are handled carefully, with no attempt to shock or sicken the reader.

This is the second Travis and Langton book, the first being ABOVE SUSPICION but you do not need to have read the first to get the second. THE RED DAHLIA really was a great read - involving; fast paced; nicely balanced in terms of revelations of the violence and horror and sprinkled with just enough personal life to make you engage with all the characters.

Tiene todo lo que una buena Novela negra debe tener, un asesinato espantoso, un asesino frío, inteligente y muy enfermo, una extraordinaria investigación policíaca, unas muy buenas escenas de medicina forense, unos policías que se enfrentan a sus propios demonios y conflictos en medio de una dura investigación policial.

Me encanta como escriben los ingleses, realmente tienen un estilo narrativo muy de ellos, de esos que fluyen y que a pesar de lo negro del caso en ningún momento toca lo escabroso como podríamos encontrar con los norteamericanos o incluso los nórdicos. Esta escritora, a la que yo nunca había leído me ha encantado, una pena que no se encuentren muchos libros de ella en español, tendré que ver si los encuentro al menos en inglés.

Sus personajes son geniales, todos ellos, los buenos, los malos y los otros, el final de la historia me ha parecido tan bien construido, pocos libros me dejan ese buen sabor de boca con respecto a los finales.

Realmente lo recomiendo mucho

Another great Anna Travis novel. Love her and Langton’s chemistry. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I don’t know why I decided to continue reading the Travis books when I was disappointed by the first. The crimes themselves are interesting and I find the procedural element fascinating. But God - the characters! Anna is a 2D nothing of a character. I guess one word you could use to describe her is determined. But I literally can’t think of anything else. Other than the fact that, similar to the first book, she seems to fall for any man that crosses her path. She is written to be pathetic, and even more so as she falls in love with misogynistic asshole who is indeed the main love interest. He constantly calls her and other women ‘girls’ and ‘little’. It’s so so off putting. I think I’ll be giving up on La Plante from now, I just can’t stomach the tropey writing and awful characters. The crimes and reveals are undeniably fascinating - but that’s just not enough!

Not the best of the Anna Travis books, but it was certainly good enough to keep me reading well past my bedtime.