Deadly Intent

Frank Brandon left the murder squad unit to become a chauffeur for a minor drug dealer before marrying wealthy Julia Kendal. He was allegedly happy and had money to waste; so had no reason to be found murdered in a fetid dumpy flat in slummy Warren Estate. Murder Squad Detective Inspector Anna Travis fears Brandon's homicide means the return from the dead of her former partner Anthony Collingwood, who left her without warning with two kids and a lot of money almost a decade ago. Anthony is better known as Alexander Fitzpatrick, once the nation's leading drug kingpin, but out of sight for years. In spite of other associates of Fitzpatrick being assassinated, Anna's superior DCI Carol Cunningham disagrees as no proof has surfaced that the former criminal mastermind is alive. Unbeknownst to the cops including Anna's worried about her former lover DCS James Langton, Fitzpatrick had major facial surgery in Mexico and has come home to flood the country with the deadly painkiller Fentanyl. The latest Travis British police procedural (see ABOVE SUSPICION, CLEAN CUT and THE RED DAHLIA) is an excellent investigative tale that hooks the audience with the inquiry as much as the intriguing look back at the heroine's past. The story line is fast-paced even with a vividly detailed investigation as the prime cast makes this a top rate thriller. In a way the relationships between Anna and the two main men in her past, Anthony and James, make for a super triangle that enhances a strong mystery. Harriet Klausner

Deadly Intent is the fourth Anna Travis book by Lynda La Plante, and well worth the read. Anna has worked two investigations since her breakup with now Chief Superintendent James Langton, and fortunately did not see him on either case. Now, a former Murder Squad detective has been murdered at a drug den, and the Squad sets up for yet another investigation headed this time by the formidable DCI Carol Cunningham. Anna was onto Alexander Fitzpatrick from the beginning, but no one would believe her. As the body count rose, and Langton became more involved in the case, Anna's stress level rose accordingly. To add to her woes, she was accused of going off on her own without involving or updating the rest of the team. La Plante has written an intense follow-up to her other successful Anna Travis mysteries. Her books are well-researched providing an uncanny look into the heart, mind, and soul of the antagonist, providing the reader with a chilling sense of what motivates him. This book is a gem. Well plotted and fast-paced throughout, the ending is beyond surprising. I never saw it coming. The book is long and detailed, but manages to move swiftly along. If you want a quick beach read, you better find another book. But if you want an engaging, provacative police procedural with plenty of action to keep you entertained for hours, than this is the book for you. Deadly Intent: An Anna Travis Mystery (Anna Travis Mysteries)