Lynda La Plante (born Lynda Titchmarsh) is a British author, screenwriter, and erstwhile actress (her performances in Rentaghost and other programmes were under her stage name of Lynda Marchal), best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series.

The story itself details an intriguing case while offering a strong focus on Tennison’s personal and professional life alike. The formulaic narrative and over-referencing certain aspects of the era did prove too prominent at times. Helena Lanark is an elderly woman, living in a luxurious care home. The heiress of an immense family fortune, she keeps the secret to the horror which once occurred within the Lanark family house. The trip to Australia - how utterly utterly unnecessary. In the time period it’s set, surely this was a huge expense, and whilst international phone calls were expensive too, they would have been a damn sight cheaper than sending two coppers over for 36 hours. So so strange. On the upside we got to see loads more entitled and judgemental attitude from Jane, so that was delightful. Jane solves the original case involving a dead young woman in record time and it involves a tragic turn of events. Jane's given little (well, no) kudos for her work but having also uncovered a baby's bones during the investigation she's is keen to pursue it, particularly when she discovers the newborn was smothered. She's reminded however of her previous case that involved decades-old bones with no recourse for anyone still alive. Here however she's got her eye on the building's previous owner, Helena Lanark, and starts looking into the family.Ok, it wasn't annoying, so that's great. But the main character was do boring. And also drinks a lot! I mean, really a lot on a daily basis. A little bit funny when she goes on a rant about cannabis when she is basically a high functioning alcoholic herself. Overall, Dark Rooms was a weaker Tennison novel from Lynda La Plante, and one that does not really stand out when compared to some of the more impressive books in the series. While I am little critical of it, Dark Rooms did have its interesting and powerful moments, and is still worth a read, especially for established fans of the series. I am hoping that the next book in the series, Taste of Blood, has a better story behind it, and I am still intrigued to see how this series continues. Over the last few years, I have had a great time getting throu

As the investigation and search for answers intensifies, Jane travels to Australia. There she discovers the dark secret that the Lanark family has kept hidden for decades. A secret that not only threatens to bring down a family dynasty, but also places Jane Tennison in mortal danger . . . In this case, protagonist Jane Tennison – who begins the story as a newly promoted detective – investigates an historic case where a body has been found during a planned redevelopment of a derelict house once owned by the Lanark family. When Tennison discovers another body hidden in the same shelter, a complex case involving a trip to Australia to visit Lanark family members unearths many family secrets in the process. She formed her own television production company, La Plante Productions, in 1994 and as La Plante Productions she wrote and produced the sequel to Widows, the equally gutsy She's Out (ITV, 1995). The name "La Plante" comes from her marriage to writer Richard La Plante, author of the book Mantis and Hog Fever. La Plante divorced Lynda in the early 1990s. I love mysteries, crime novels, and stories of this sort, but this was really a disappointing read.Full of mystery added with family drama and some romance tossed in to make it a great read. This is a classic police procedural and is book eight in the Tennison series. This is my first Lynda La Plante book and can be easily read as a standalone novel. I enjoyed the read and I'm looking forward to reading more about DI Tennison. I also doubt this book was ever proof read considering the amount of mistakes i noticed while reading! None of it made sense, there were too many characters that appeared out of the blue and then seemingly never existed (where did tim go?) and by the end i’d practically forgotten what had happened at the beginning for them to even end up there. However, and believe me I hate to leave a negative review, but wow; there was very little I enjoyed of this book.