The first thing that struck me whilst reading this was how easy it is to tell from the writing that Ms. La Plante is a writer of screenplays. Much of this tale is given over to detailed descriptions that are surely necessary for a script that will be interpreted visually.
So much so that in places I felt myself pushing aside that wealth of description to get to the bones of this gripping Jane Tennison tale of 1970s IRA terror because it was too much.
La Plante is something of an icon; Widows was landmark TV for for British female screenwriters and set something of a benchmark. And Prime Suspect? Well, what can one say? It’s up there. And I wonder if Helen Mirren’s career would have reached the same dizzy heights as quickly without this ground breaking role?
This book takes us back to the early days of Tennison’s career. It’s a tighly plotted story of the police versus the IRA and has us on the edge of our seats, metaphorically speaking, as I’m almost forgetting this is a book not a TV show. See what I mean about the writing being so visually deep?
For all its plot complexity it’s an easy read. It’s character driven, it has to be, Tennison is the focus. If you loved Prime Suspect then I suspect you will love this. If you’ve never heard of Prime Suspect or Jane Tennison, why not start now?
So much so that in places I felt myself pushing aside that wealth of description to get to the bones of this gripping Jane Tennison tale of 1970s IRA terror because it was too much.
La Plante is something of an icon; Widows was landmark TV for for British female screenwriters and set something of a benchmark. And Prime Suspect? Well, what can one say? It’s up there. And I wonder if Helen Mirren’s career would have reached the same dizzy heights as quickly without this ground breaking role?
This book takes us back to the early days of Tennison’s career. It’s a tighly plotted story of the police versus the IRA and has us on the edge of our seats, metaphorically speaking, as I’m almost forgetting this is a book not a TV show. See what I mean about the writing being so visually deep?
For all its plot complexity it’s an easy read. It’s character driven, it has to be, Tennison is the focus. If you loved Prime Suspect then I suspect you will love this. If you’ve never heard of Prime Suspect or Jane Tennison, why not start now?