Welcome back to the LIBrary, I hope you are just as excited for my first book review as I am! As I mentioned in my last post, my resolution for the year was to read more books and the year began with Lynda La Plante's crime novel, Blind Fury. I am slightly ashamed to admit that this book was gifted to me several years ago and I have only just found the time to read it. BUT, as they say, better late than never, right? If you are a lover of crime fiction, like myself, than Blind Fury is something you should undoubtedly consider adding your reading list in the near future. Lynda La Plante is a fairly well-known author but this was the first novel of hers that I have taken the time to read and, for the most part, I was not disappointed.

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Now, first things first, LOOK AWAY IMMEDIATELY if you do actually intend to read Blind Fury at any point in the near future. Whilst it does seem kind of counterproductive to tell my readers to not continue any further, I also don't want to reveal any spoilers that may ruin the plot of the novel for you. So, there you have it, you have been warned! Set primarily in London, Blind Fury presents the quietly complicated Detective Inspector Anna Travis, who is brought onto a frightful murder inquiry by her former lover and boss, Detective Chief Superintendent Langton, when the body of a young woman is discovered, discarded in a ditch near to a motorway service station on the M1. With the investigation underway, the detectives soon realise that they are contending with a triple murder investigation when the details of the girls murder are revealed to be almost identical to two other unsolved murders. In an enthralling twist, convicted murderer Cameron Welsh [arrested by no other than DI Travis herself], contacts the detective from his prison in Leeds, insisting he can aid in the search for the killer. However, he has one rule - the information will be divulged to Anna, and Anna only.

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With no other leads and a lack of DNA evidence to further them in their search, DI Travis reluctantly agrees to visit Welsh in prison and humour him in listening to what he has to say. After several visits, Travis is left with nothing more than a furthered distaste for the serial killer, believing that he has given them no crucial or greater insight than they had already. However, her colleagues [including DCS Langton] are convinced Welsh has some insider knowledge, using his own crimes as a basis to understanding the mind of the killer still at large. As Travis battles with her colleagues, unreliable witnesses and a convicted serial killer who will not stop calling her, the novel adopts the genre of romance when we see DI Travis engage in a romantic relationship with Officer Ken Hudson, a prison officer responsible for watching Cameron Welsh in the secure unit at Barfield Prison, Leeds. As soppy as it may sound, I delighted in this change in tone for the novel [arguably, perhaps, because my own boyfriend is called Ken and, if you can't relate to a story's protagonist, is there even any point in reading it?!] Nearing the end of the novel, it is smiles all around for the investigation team as the man responsible [an officer blind fitter, husband and father of two suspected from the off] for the murder of four young women is apprehended, a full confession to follow. Unfortunately, "Happy Ever After" it is not when DI Anna Travis learns of the news that her, now, fiancé has been brutally murdered by a furious Cameron Welsh in an outburst of jealous rage.

 

The Plot 

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Gripped from the very first page, Blind Fury is just one of many crime fiction novels I have finished at a rapid pace. As I mentioned above, I am hugely enthusiastic about anything crime fiction related and I have always found that the best crime novels are the ones that I am eager to read again despite knowing the outcome of the investigation. Arguably, a lot of police procedural novels contain much of the same elements [clichéd police interviews, an infuriating habit of stating the obvious and the need to present the killer at the very beginning] however, Blind Fury established somewhat of an edge on other novels of its kind, with aspects of the case drawing on the past, an absorbing truth in the investigation into the world of prostitution and the development of the protagonist's personal life and personal feelings/challenges throughout. One aspect of the novel's plot which I especially enjoyed was the involvement of Cameron Welsh, an insight into a criminal's manipulation of the police force in order to gain some kind of relationship with them [something which is somewhat of a fascination for someone like me, studying all things crime related].

 

Although, the death of Officer Ken Hudson is an element of the plot that I took real issue with. Primarily, because of the glaringly obvious way that his death was hinted to, almost two thirds of the way into the novel, which left me simply awaiting the inevitable [not to occur until the very end of the book] and I was extremely displeased not to be proven wrong. Ken's death was also upsetting [not because my boyfriend is also called Ken!] but, because I have a distaste for writers [both novelists and writers for the screen] who feel the need to disrupt the equilibrium of a character's life rather than accepting that, sometimes, a clichéd "Happy Ever After" is all the reader really wants.

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Character Development 

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The character of DI Anna Travis, whilst being, seemingly, nothing like myself, could be easily related to. A young woman, striving in a purportedly male dominated profession, whose elegant yet fearsome demeanor appeared as nothing more than a front to distract those closest to her from the insecurities she struggled with deep down. Like most crime novels whose central protagonist is a female, DI Travis is knowingly out to prove herself, to prove to her colleagues that her gender does not make her any less efficient at her job and that she is more deserved of a promotion than her male counterparts. I think we would all be lying if we said we didn't enjoy a strong female lead however, what makes Blind Fury raw and original, is that Lynda La Plante accesses the deep emotions associated with the struggles of being a female detective, accepting the knowledge that females [regardless of their profession] will be sexualised to some extent, will be regarded as inferior and, often, portrayed as weak. It also pleased me to develop a relationship with the character on a personal level, her girlish dreams of her marriage to Ken, her want to be a Mother and a wife, rather than purely focusing on the crime elements of the novel.

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Overall, Blind Fury was a thoroughly enjoyable read. My resolution of reading more books stemmed from the want to sleep better at night however, I found myself staying awake even later simply to read onto the next chapter. Personal feelings about Ken's death aside, I can assure you you will not be disappointed with this staple crime novel.