This mystery will make a top notch television murder drama; however as a novel it is modestly sluggish and emanates predictable unlikely romantic entanglements for the lead detective Jane Tennison.. I recommend it though because as I read it I could picture hearing the dialogue on screen and likewise I could envision witnessing the transparent machinations of establishment Church authorities and inevitable police cover-ups. Jane inevitably breaks rules. Everyone is likeable and snappy who should be. Expect to be delighted in conjuring who will play who and what a great screen play it will make.

Lynda LaPlante just knows how to do police procedurals. Once again, she gives us an engaging story. Jane Tennison is called to the discovery of an unearthed coffin on the site of an old convent being redeveloped as residential units. Problem is, the coffin contains a dead nun who was murdered. As they attempt to investigate, the Catholic Church can’t/won’t help, claiming the convent’s records were burned up in a fire. There is an interesting side story involving a prior incident DCS Barnes had with the Catholic Church which is coloring his judgement and may impact the current investigation.
I have not read all of the books in this series and this can easily be read as a stand alone. The series takes place in the 1970s- 80s (this one is based in 1982 based on the Pope’s visit to the UK). It’s a good reminder of how we all survived without cell phones, the internet, etc. and when we had to rely on actual paper records.
LaPlante doesn’t write fast paced books. But they’re consistently engaging and believable. Her characters are well developed and LaPlante gives us a nice mix of professional and personal lives. Boon, in particular, really came through in this book.
I appreciated that everyone’s suspicions and prejudices cause them to make mistakes, some with more lasting repercussions than others. This is a series I will continue to follow and look forward to new additions.
My thanks to netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy of this book.

I thought this was a fairly good mystery. The setting revolved around the Catholic Church and that might have been what kept me interested as I am sure there could be similar situations.

This book gave me Kathy Reichs vibes, but our main character is the detective. Always trying to find out what happened to the victim and determined to find out the truth. I really enjoyed all of the characters and they all had different personalities. Everyone can be a suspect, no ones safe, I think this book did a good job making everyone was guilty of something.

Sadly, this book was just not for me. The pacing felt off and the plot was just a little too predictable. Additionally, there wasn’t much else going on beyond the main storyline which makes this a single read thriller for me. It’s the kind of book I’d borrow from the library but nt consider purchasing.

“Unholy Murder”
By Lynda La Plante

Coming Soon…in August 2021

Mayhem en Mass

Shredded silk ripped with bloodied fingernails. A stretched shriek frozen in perpetuity—mummified and drawn never to breathe again.

British Detective Sergeant Jane Tennison is mired in deep muck when a coffin of indeterminate age is unearthed on a construction site of a former convent on the outskirts of London.

Conundrums, mysteries and mayhem multiple as forensics determine that an unidentified nun buried in a secret grave is first buried alive, then murdered.

To unravel this “UnHoly Murder,” by Lynda La Plante there are reams of Church history and red tape for investigators to sift through; as well as additional deaths that must be ruled as either murder, suicide or accident.

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The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs
REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️


“Unholy Murder”
By Lynda La Plante
Mysteries & Thrillers
Publication Date: 24 August 2021
Bonner Zaffre USA

My Sincere Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Lynda La Plante, and Bonner Zaffre USA for Providing this Advance Reader's Copy for Review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of Unholy Murder by Lynda La Plante. This is my honest review.
I first became a huge fan of Jane Tennyson when presented on the Prime Suspect series on BBC I learned of Lynda La Planta later as the original author of the first Jane Tennyson books. I've since become a huge fan of hers also--enjoying her other series' and books.

To me, Jane Tennyson is Helen Mirren and Helen Mirren is Jane Tennyson. I enjoyed this book but I never was quite clear where in the scheme of her life and professional career this story fell. And this Jane Tennyson is not the Prime Suspect Tennyson. She's prettier, flirtier, tries harder to get along with her colleagues. Though her reputation follows her, there isn't a lot of evidence of the willful, isolating Tennyson who won't let go of the bone.

Though I found this story enjoyable, there were none of the complexities and twists and turns that we are used to from Prime Suspect. That said, it must be quite difficult to follow up the kind of success Prime Suspect has had. To continue a series that seemed to have run its course.is a bit risky and I admire Ms La Plante for that. So we'll wait and see if the BBC does anything with it!

If you are a Lynda La Plante fan, enjoy this book. Most of the characters are new but the theme is not. It has been written about many times--the cover-ups in the Catholic Church -- but nothing much changes. So the more stories the better.

The mummified body of a Nun is found buried in an unlikely place near an old convent. Detective Jane Tennison must try to solve this old murder and find out who the Nun was. The story kept my interest with some twists and turns.

"Detective Jane Tennison must lift the lid on the most chilling murder case of her career to date - in the brand new thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante.

A coffin is dug up by builders in the grounds of an historic convent - inside is the body of a young nun.

In a city as old as London, the discovery is hardly surprising. But w hen scratch marks are found on the inside of the coffin lid, Detective Jane Tennison believes she has unearthed a mystery far darker than any she's investigated before. However, not everyone agrees. Tennison's superiors dismiss it as an historic cold case, and the Church seems desperate to conceal the facts from the investigation. It's clear that someone is hiding the truth, and perhaps even the killer. Tennison must pray she can find both - before they are buried forever...

In Unholy Murder, Tennison must lift the lid on the most chilling murder case of her career to date..."

My mom always loved a good Lynda La Plante mystery.

Trigger warning: brief talk of domestic abuse and brief mention of physical/sexual abuse by priests.

This is the 7th book in the Tennison detective series but can be read alone. It’s the first book by La Plante for me. I think it will appeal to readers of Kathy Reichs’ Temperance Brennan series and Tess Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series.

The story follows Jane Tennison as her and her associates investigate the discovery of a coffin buried in an old convent. We meet some interesting characters as Jane and her colleague Boon look into the current developers of the land and research the previous occupants of Saint Mary’s convent. There’s a few twists and turns but it was rather predictable and, as it takes place in England (I’m in the US) some of the terminology was hard to follow.

While the concept of the story was interesting and it was an over-all decent read, I had a hard time connecting to most of the characters or engaging in the plot. It took me a long time to realize it’s set in the late 70’s/early 80’s. I found the dialogue between characters to be dull and uninteresting for a good portion of the book. I did like Jane and felt the author did a good job with character development over all.

Thank you yo NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was disappointed in this storyline of this book. I didn’t like that no one gets charged with he murder of Sister Missy, either because they are dead, commit suicide, or have dementia. They find foxglove seeds in her stomach, but again, all we are left with are guesses and suppositions. I hoped Jane or someone would be strong enough to not to play politics and the Catholic Church would be held to account.

I also would have liked a more definite laying out of when in time this book occurred. I was several chapters in before it was clear this wasn’t current day. I also think the plot line would have been served just as easily without having Becky get killed. She certainly wasn’t a major character, but killing her off didn’t feel right.

Detective Jane Tennison is assigned to a new station and has bought a new house in town. A body is discovered in a metal coffin at a building site - a former convent - a murdered nun. Jane has to unravel this mystery, but first she has to identify the victim. Typical twists and turns and a lot of well-drawn characters. Very well done.

Jane Tennison. If you were a fan of the BBC series Prime Suspect, Jane’s name will bring back memories of an excellent and absorbing television experience. Lynda La Plante is the creator who brought Jane to life in her books. Unholy Murder is her seventh novel in this series and each book can be read as a stand-alone.
Detective Sergeant Jane Tennison is a new member to the Bromley policing unit in the outskirts of London, England. She comes with a past of being a hard nose but excellent detective. Jane is tasked with solving who is the body in the casket found at a construction site and who would kill her?
I loved the Prime Suspect series starring Helen Mirren. It is exceedingly rare that a film is as good as the book it came from but here we are. The mystery is well done with enough red herrings to keep you unsure until the end. I enjoy the thorough step by step storytelling of how this murder is solved.
Jane, as the main character, never quite stays out of trouble with her supervisors as she doggedly pursues the truth. She is a women working for equal respect to all her male counterparts and rarely finds it. Jane appeals to readers because she is the under dog fighting for justice for her victim through every obstacle.
The writing style of La Plant is short fact based sentences which gives you the sense of urgency Jane and her coworkers must feel while investigating. There is no added fluff to distract you from the prime focus of solving the murder.
Unholy Murder is a perfect summer read. It will keep you engrossed in its story as you enjoy the sun and the sand.
I received this book from Net Galley for my honest review.

A BBC type of mystery full of twists and turns.

Well paced, British based series featuring a female detective. Jane is intelligent, intuitive when it comes to solving mysteries. Her people skills are lacking- luckily, her partner, Simon makes up for it.

This is the only book I've read by this author - I plan to read the books in this series that preceded this one.

Unholy Murder is my first novel featuring Detective Jane Tennison. It was not until I finished this one that I discovered there were more preceded it.

Tennison and Boon make a great team. Jane has the experience Simon lacks, and Simon has a way with people that seems to be lacking in Jane. Maybe Tennison’s experience has jaded her and caused her to become less patient and less trusting. Whatever the reason, the author gave Jane a partner who complements her.

Unholy Murder is suspenseful and kept my interests throughout. Just when I thought I figured out the truth, the author throws in a plot twist. The author solves this cold case but leaves a particularly important part of the story line open. I am interested to see where the author takes Bishop Malone.

This was my first novel from the UK that kept British terminology. Google was my friend as I read Unholy Murder. I learned many terms we do not use in the United States. I do not mind that. In fact, I am happy to learn new terminology. However, the context clues were the heroes when it came to many acronyms that are used. Typically, acronyms are explained when they are first introduced. That was not the case in Unholy Murder. Nonetheless, I did not let that take away from my enjoyment of the book.

The only thing I did not care for in Unholy Murder was that the author seems to carry a high level of disdain for the Catholic church. No one with any kind of moral compass would agree there is a special place in hell for people who abuse their power to abuse others, especially children. Referencing the Catholic church in such general terms stereotypes all Catholics. That is not fair to the parishioners all over the world who fight for the safety of children and who are as angered as everyone else about abuses of power, particularly where children are involved, and cover-ups that put the church’s image above the welfare of children. The people who cover up abuse of children are as guilty as the people who carry out the abuse.

If you or someone you know is being abused, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) TTY 1-800-787-3224.

I really enjoyed Unholy Murder from the first page. The story line was great and I enjoyed all the characters which were perfectly suited to the story. There was many twists and turns that it kept the reader not wanting to put the book down until the end. This was the first book of Linda laPlante that I read and look forward to reading her other books.

Thank you NetGalley and Bonnier Books Co. UK for this ARC.

Unholy Murder
By Lynda La Plante

This is a typical British whodunit. Jane Tennison is the protagonist of several books as well as a television series; she is the detective sergeant charged with investigating the discovery of a buried coffin at a construction site. When the coffin is opened, a mummified body is revealed, who appears to have been a nun. Who was she? Why was she killed? By whom?

I found the story entertaining. It deals with cover-ups by the Catholic church and, along the way, another murder. The story is told in the typical low key manner of many British writers of "thrillers". I enjoyed several characters, although I might have liked them more, if I was familiar with earlier books in the series. I am tempted to go back and read some of these. However, since British detective novels are not among my favorites, I will probably try to catch some of the television series instead.

For readers who are into this type of book, I think you will like this one.

The book begins with two workers on a job site unearthing a coffin.. One worker wants to open it immediately to see if there is a body inside; the other is not so sure and leaves to inform the job supervisor. Cut away to worker one grabbing a crowbar......
Inside is the body of a woman in nun's clothing, holding a rosary. Who is she? When was she buried? Why is she interred in such a large and ornate coffin? So many questions and in such a tight knit community no one is as they seem.
Upon further inspection it appears she may have been buried alive. The story takes place on the site of an old convent and there are many references to the Catholic Church. The child abuse scandal and cover up within the Catholic Church is woven into the story (possible trigger).
The story takes place in the late 70's and is reminiscent of the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series.
Lots of good old fashioned detective work without any modern conveniences!
The characters are all well developed, although they tend to make questionable decisions in their personal lives.

Overall, it was a very good story and I'll be reading more of her books.
Although this is the seventh book in the series, it works well as a standalone

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to review this intelligent read.

While digging up some land for construction, a coffin is found with a skeleton in it. Further investigation leads to the skeleton being identified as a young nun Sister Melissa Bailey. Plot gets very involved with religion vs police politics.

I liked the book. Very well written intelligent read. Was not satisfied in regards to the justice at the end. Characters were good with a lot of depth.

I have not finished reading this. It has a lot of potential. I have not read the other books but it seems like this is the middle of the main characters life and La Plante has written other things about the main character. My main complaint with why I could not finish reading is the dialog. These are adults but the dialog seems childish.