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samstillreading's review against another edition
3.0
I've just finished reading this and I'm still not certain who is innocent, who's guilty and who was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Like the other DI Travis novels I've read (you can read them as stand alone or together), there's a high body count, a lot of red herrings and a lot of police involved. Which adds up to a lot of names to remember in this novel- and very few are recurring characters. The author is fantastic at describing the action, but not that good at describing characters. For example, we know Pete likes a joint and drives a nice car, but very little about his looks and life beyond the lab.
Anna Travis does her usual thing in this novel, going off on dangerous tangents alone. Yes, yes, we know she will get into trouble, jeopardise the investigation etc etc, but it all turns out okay in the end, doesn't it?
Well, Deadly Intent is a little different to the rest. But you can bet that the author is already typing away at a new adventure.
I enjoyed this fast paced crime thriller, but even though I read it over a week, I found it difficult to remember the characters (something which I don't usually have a problem with). Another minor point- the pages have HUGE margins (at least 2cm), which means the book looks thicker than it need be.
Fentanyl is commonly written with a capital letter, which irritates me, because it's not necessary (drug name, not brand name). You would think an editor could realise that. And we hear the same few facts about it over and over and over again. Please, someone do some research! Read a BNF or Martindale!
Like the other DI Travis novels I've read (you can read them as stand alone or together), there's a high body count, a lot of red herrings and a lot of police involved. Which adds up to a lot of names to remember in this novel- and very few are recurring characters. The author is fantastic at describing the action, but not that good at describing characters. For example, we know Pete likes a joint and drives a nice car, but very little about his looks and life beyond the lab.
Anna Travis does her usual thing in this novel, going off on dangerous tangents alone. Yes, yes, we know she will get into trouble, jeopardise the investigation etc etc, but it all turns out okay in the end, doesn't it?
Well, Deadly Intent is a little different to the rest. But you can bet that the author is already typing away at a new adventure.
I enjoyed this fast paced crime thriller, but even though I read it over a week, I found it difficult to remember the characters (something which I don't usually have a problem with). Another minor point- the pages have HUGE margins (at least 2cm), which means the book looks thicker than it need be.
Fentanyl is commonly written with a capital letter, which irritates me, because it's not necessary (drug name, not brand name). You would think an editor could realise that. And we hear the same few facts about it over and over and over again. Please, someone do some research! Read a BNF or Martindale!
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
2.0
DEADLY INTENT is the fourth book in the Anna Travis series, made up of ABOVE SUSPICION, THE RED DAHLIA and CLEAN CUT. It's been a series which I've really enjoyed... up until this book, which I have to say disappointed.
Anna is a dogged sort of a detective character, who has had a complicated personal life - having had a short-lived but dramatic affair with her previous boss - James Langton. She is still feeling the loss of that relationship and finding dealing with Langton on a daily basis very difficult. When he steps into overall control of the investigation of the death of Brandon, she's dealing firstly with a very complicated case with no apparent leads, and secondly with her fragile personal feelings. Langton is more shadowy than ever in DEADLY INTENT as well, which is going to make it difficult for any reader new to the series to understand, for a start, what Anna could possibly have seen in him, or in his defence, why he is like he is. There are hints throughout but they just didn't seem to help that much. For such a big, hefty book there are a number of underdone major characters throughout which is disappointing. DCI Cunningham has a touch of the wonderfully acerbic, grumpy female seniors about her, but she bounces in and out of the narrative so much it's hard to get a good look at her.
The case is quite clever - the connections that slowly have to be built up to explain why Brandon was in the drug squat, what would lead to his presence being so threatening that somebody would blindly shoot him through a closed door, how the other bodies turning up are connected and onwards is actually nicely baffling and quite interesting. But it drags on for too long. There are too many connections and "coincidences" which aren't - and they obviously aren't, and it all grinds to a halt in the personal lives of all and sundry too frequently.
Another major distraction is that whilst in the earlier books there is a lot of concentration on the relationship between Travis and Langton, it's rise and ultimate fall fitted into the storylines well, not distracting from the main aim of the books which was always to solve a baffling crime. Unfortunately in this book - with the definite end of the relationship the constant soul-searching of Travis just gets in the way - there were way too many times when the reader was told all about how conflicted she is having to work with Langton, how she still loves Langton, how a new relationship will be complicated by the pain she felt when Langton left her. And she does form a new relationship in this book - and it is a bit of a highlight in the storyline for a short while.
Ultimately the biggest problem with DEADLY INTENT is that there is a a good crime and investigation buried in the middle of 641 pages - but there's not 641 pages of it. The book meanders, there's too much fill-in, too many unbelievable red herrings, and, despite being a fan of unresolved loose ends, there are too many threads in this book which are left frustratingly, unjustifiably and inexplicably dangling. It all smacked just a tiny bit of... In The Next Episode.
If you've not tried the Anna Travis series, then don't let my thoughts on DEADLY INTENT put you off the first three books - they were terrific. Perhaps don't start with this one though as there's a lot of the personal things that may not make sense, and the book could give you a slightly skewed view of Anna, who is really a very good central character.
Anna is a dogged sort of a detective character, who has had a complicated personal life - having had a short-lived but dramatic affair with her previous boss - James Langton. She is still feeling the loss of that relationship and finding dealing with Langton on a daily basis very difficult. When he steps into overall control of the investigation of the death of Brandon, she's dealing firstly with a very complicated case with no apparent leads, and secondly with her fragile personal feelings. Langton is more shadowy than ever in DEADLY INTENT as well, which is going to make it difficult for any reader new to the series to understand, for a start, what Anna could possibly have seen in him, or in his defence, why he is like he is. There are hints throughout but they just didn't seem to help that much. For such a big, hefty book there are a number of underdone major characters throughout which is disappointing. DCI Cunningham has a touch of the wonderfully acerbic, grumpy female seniors about her, but she bounces in and out of the narrative so much it's hard to get a good look at her.
The case is quite clever - the connections that slowly have to be built up to explain why Brandon was in the drug squat, what would lead to his presence being so threatening that somebody would blindly shoot him through a closed door, how the other bodies turning up are connected and onwards is actually nicely baffling and quite interesting. But it drags on for too long. There are too many connections and "coincidences" which aren't - and they obviously aren't, and it all grinds to a halt in the personal lives of all and sundry too frequently.
Another major distraction is that whilst in the earlier books there is a lot of concentration on the relationship between Travis and Langton, it's rise and ultimate fall fitted into the storylines well, not distracting from the main aim of the books which was always to solve a baffling crime. Unfortunately in this book - with the definite end of the relationship the constant soul-searching of Travis just gets in the way - there were way too many times when the reader was told all about how conflicted she is having to work with Langton, how she still loves Langton, how a new relationship will be complicated by the pain she felt when Langton left her. And she does form a new relationship in this book - and it is a bit of a highlight in the storyline for a short while.
Ultimately the biggest problem with DEADLY INTENT is that there is a a good crime and investigation buried in the middle of 641 pages - but there's not 641 pages of it. The book meanders, there's too much fill-in, too many unbelievable red herrings, and, despite being a fan of unresolved loose ends, there are too many threads in this book which are left frustratingly, unjustifiably and inexplicably dangling. It all smacked just a tiny bit of... In The Next Episode.
If you've not tried the Anna Travis series, then don't let my thoughts on DEADLY INTENT put you off the first three books - they were terrific. Perhaps don't start with this one though as there's a lot of the personal things that may not make sense, and the book could give you a slightly skewed view of Anna, who is really a very good central character.
ianmcnamara's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
enjoyed rereading the 4th book in the series. Anna again proved to be the difference in regards to moving with the case. Lankton really gets my goat sometimes as he's just a complete fool. No matter how much anna helps he's just so ungreatful and as far as I am concerned treats her baddly.
Yes Anna is not always a team player however she gets results and her instincts are very often correct. She worked out the connection from day one yet when things go wrong she tentd to get the blame. Looking forward to rereading the next book in the series.
Yes Anna is not always a team player however she gets results and her instincts are very often correct. She worked out the connection from day one yet when things go wrong she tentd to get the blame. Looking forward to rereading the next book in the series.
kerrynicole72's review against another edition
3.0
About 150 pages longer than it needed to be, but I liked the characters and story. It made for good, brainless entertainment.
sus7's review against another edition
3.0
Good writing, good characters, but the details of the investigation are repeated and repeated and repeated.
nails23's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.5
Very repetitive, but I didn’t see the end coming
urlphantomhive's review against another edition
3.0
Deadly Intent was a book that had been lurking on my shelves for the past 6 years. I bought it during a time I was reading a lot of police procedurals and I had heard the name of Lynda La Plante often so I wanted to give it a try.
It comes in over 600 pages and makes you wonder. Does a police procedural need to be thing long? The answer is probably no. I felt it could have been shortened with at least a hundred pages without losing any of the information in it.
This is the fourth book in the series, but the first one I read. Therefore I was not as connected with the characters as could have been. There was quite some tension, with the main character Anna making some stupid decisions.
As a crime novel, it was fine, but not the kind of special I had hoped for. (This is also much less my genre now than it was back when I bought it, which my account for some of it).
Find this and other reviews on my blog https://www.urlphantomhive.com
It comes in over 600 pages and makes you wonder. Does a police procedural need to be thing long? The answer is probably no. I felt it could have been shortened with at least a hundred pages without losing any of the information in it.
This is the fourth book in the series, but the first one I read. Therefore I was not as connected with the characters as could have been. There was quite some tension, with the main character Anna making some stupid decisions.
As a crime novel, it was fine, but not the kind of special I had hoped for. (This is also much less my genre now than it was back when I bought it, which my account for some of it).
Find this and other reviews on my blog https://www.urlphantomhive.com
natazzz's review against another edition
3.0
Could've been at least 200 pages shorter, without losing much of the plot. Ok crime novel, nothing more, nothing less.
fat_girl_fiction's review against another edition
3.0
At the beginning of Lynda La Plante's Deadly Intent this book was a four. As the case continued, it stuck to a four, but by the end I was so fed up with the case and frustrated with the characters that I went down a star.
The case starts with ex-policeman Frank Brandon being shot in a squat. The whole case spirals, with several dead bodies, all linked in some way to Alexander Fitzpatrick a drug baron who disappeared over ten years ago.
Alongside the complicated case, is DI Travis' personal relationships which seem to get more ridiculous by the second. But more about that later.
The actual case is good, exciting, lots of evidence and strings that all seem to knit nicely together as the book steams along. I'll admit, this book certainly has the 'pull', as one chapter ends you just want to start another. I read most of this book when I was travelling and it was a welcome friend on the long train journeys.
The book gets three stars for the case and La Plante's writing, which is quite tense in places. I can't really put my finger on it, but there is something that keeps you reading.
What really fell down for me was DI Travis, all the characters really. I found Anna whiny, she complained about everything, even when it was well deserved. She made bad choices and had no appreciation for her colleagues. To be honest, apart from Gordon, I felt no affection towards any of the characters. This was my first Lynda La Plante novel, so I didn't know anything about Travis' relationship with Langton, but when we meet him, I can't see the attraction. He's an arse to her. Her relationship with Pete, the Lab Tech is just as bad. He introduces her to drugs and despite asking him to stop taking drugs, he still does and she doesn't show any reaction to this.
The last quarter of the book is mainly interviews, and by this point I was ready to give up. The last chapter really got my goat. As their search for Alexander Fitzpatrick is drawing to a close, she makes a decision. Personally I think she made the right decision, although her bosses do not. After getting told off, and possibly demoted by Langton she goes home and manages to talk herself into believing she'd made the right one. Despite her telling off and everything else, she risks it all and agrees to go on a date with someone who was at one point a suspect in the case! And at that point I was considering going down to two stars!
Anyway, after my long rant, it's up to you. I personally am in no hurry to read another Lynda La Plante, especially an Anna Travis novel, but if you like your lead a fluffy female officer with a string of bad relationships, then pick this book up.
The case starts with ex-policeman Frank Brandon being shot in a squat. The whole case spirals, with several dead bodies, all linked in some way to Alexander Fitzpatrick a drug baron who disappeared over ten years ago.
Alongside the complicated case, is DI Travis' personal relationships which seem to get more ridiculous by the second. But more about that later.
The actual case is good, exciting, lots of evidence and strings that all seem to knit nicely together as the book steams along. I'll admit, this book certainly has the 'pull', as one chapter ends you just want to start another. I read most of this book when I was travelling and it was a welcome friend on the long train journeys.
The book gets three stars for the case and La Plante's writing, which is quite tense in places. I can't really put my finger on it, but there is something that keeps you reading.
What really fell down for me was DI Travis, all the characters really. I found Anna whiny, she complained about everything, even when it was well deserved. She made bad choices and had no appreciation for her colleagues. To be honest, apart from Gordon, I felt no affection towards any of the characters. This was my first Lynda La Plante novel, so I didn't know anything about Travis' relationship with Langton, but when we meet him, I can't see the attraction. He's an arse to her. Her relationship with Pete, the Lab Tech is just as bad. He introduces her to drugs and despite asking him to stop taking drugs, he still does and she doesn't show any reaction to this.
The last quarter of the book is mainly interviews, and by this point I was ready to give up. The last chapter really got my goat. As their search for Alexander Fitzpatrick is drawing to a close, she makes a decision. Personally I think she made the right decision, although her bosses do not. After getting told off, and possibly demoted by Langton she goes home and manages to talk herself into believing she'd made the right one. Despite her telling off and everything else, she risks it all and agrees to go on a date with someone who was at one point a suspect in the case! And at that point I was considering going down to two stars!
Anyway, after my long rant, it's up to you. I personally am in no hurry to read another Lynda La Plante, especially an Anna Travis novel, but if you like your lead a fluffy female officer with a string of bad relationships, then pick this book up.
jcbmathcat's review against another edition
4.0
This is the fourth book in the Anna Travis series. Anna now has experience in the field as a member of various iterations of Murder Squads and has learned much from her former lover/boss, James Langton.
We are privy to the identity, of sorts, of the villain within the first few pages, but the police don't have the information that we, the readers, have. I thought this was an interesting way to start the ball rolling. I also thought it was interesting that the drug involved in this case is a drug I first learned about through my veterinarian. I wonder if it has become a problem drug on the streets, as was indicated in this book.
I do find myself becoming impatient with her, as she continually ignores warnings from Langton and other "higher ups" to work as part of the team and not go off on her own to follow leads. Some of her transgressions definitely qualify as grounds to demote her, yet she still manages to work her way out of trouble. She did insinuate to Langton that she had something on him (from the previous book) and this angered him. Anna seems a bit too egotistical and cocky in this book.
Some reviewers complain that the story drags. I feel that it's probably more accurate than a lot of what we see on television. Lab tests, DNA tests, and other forensic work take time, often weeks, before results are obtained. A lot of detective work is a type of drudgery, and I think La Plante does a great job of developing her stories so that readers understand this.
I also liked the fact that this story didn't have a particularly happy ending. Life is like that, and I think La Plante does a good job in keeping her stories real.
I have two more books to go and then hope we have access to the current (seventh) one in the series.
I also hope Anna matures some before she really finds herself in a corner.
We are privy to the identity, of sorts, of the villain within the first few pages, but the police don't have the information that we, the readers, have. I thought this was an interesting way to start the ball rolling. I also thought it was interesting that the drug involved in this case is a drug I first learned about through my veterinarian. I wonder if it has become a problem drug on the streets, as was indicated in this book.
I do find myself becoming impatient with her, as she continually ignores warnings from Langton and other "higher ups" to work as part of the team and not go off on her own to follow leads. Some of her transgressions definitely qualify as grounds to demote her, yet she still manages to work her way out of trouble. She did insinuate to Langton that she had something on him (from the previous book) and this angered him. Anna seems a bit too egotistical and cocky in this book.
Some reviewers complain that the story drags. I feel that it's probably more accurate than a lot of what we see on television. Lab tests, DNA tests, and other forensic work take time, often weeks, before results are obtained. A lot of detective work is a type of drudgery, and I think La Plante does a great job of developing her stories so that readers understand this.
I also liked the fact that this story didn't have a particularly happy ending. Life is like that, and I think La Plante does a good job in keeping her stories real.
I have two more books to go and then hope we have access to the current (seventh) one in the series.
I also hope Anna matures some before she really finds herself in a corner.