Hot young British film star Amanda Delany had the world at her feet. She'd had a string of affairs with famous actors, making perfect fodder for the tabloids. Then came a commission to write a tell-all memoir. When Amanda is found brutally murdered, DCI James Langton's enquiry discovers the sad truth behind her successful facade. Addicted to drugs and starvation diets, she'd almost died from a botched abortion. Meanwhile, DI Anna Travis is up for promotion, but Langton is blocking her, accusing her of professional misconduct. This latest case could make or break Anna's career.
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About the Author
Lynda La Plante bestowed John Moores University with a creative writing scholarship in her hometown of Liverpool and is an honorary member of the British Film Institute. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has also awarded Lynda with the Dennis Potter Writers Award. She was awarded a CBE in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours List (for services to Literature, Drama and to Charity), and was presented with the prestigious TV Spielfilm Award for her television adaptation of her novel Above Suspicion at the International Film and Television Festival Conference in Cologne. In 2009 Lynda was inducted into the Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame . Her novels have all been international bestsellers.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very realistic and enjoyable mystery novel with an interesting heroine,
This review is from: Silent Scream (Paperback)
Silent Scream was my intiation to Lynda La Plante's writing, and I have to say I became a fan. Don't let the length put you off reading Silent Scream (516 pages), the writing is flowing and Lynda La Plante's writing style is natural and enjoyable.
What I found the most amazing about Silent Scream was how even though one of the main characters was dead she was brought to life through the investigation. As the investigation progressed, the real Amanda, the person behind the glamour and fame took shape before the reader. Even though she was dead from the very first chapter of the book, she was as much present throughout the novel as if she were there in the "flesh", La Plante gave her substance and complexity. You felt sad and sorry for her because of her unhappy childhood, loneliness and want for love but then when you saw how she behaved at other times and how she didn't care about what she did to others she was downright repulsive. Amanda Delaney's presence haunted the story long after her murder. The mystery wasn't obvious, it was well structured from the beginning and the reader couldn't guess who committed the murder, leaving you wondering and guessing until the end. Silent Scream introduced a lot of supporting characters but I can't say the novel could have gone without any of them. They were all essential to the mystery, to give the reader a broader picture of Amanda and show business politics. The main characters: Anna, Langton and the other detectives and colleagues at the police were well developed and varied. Anna was an especially interesting heroine: a stubborn and driven young detective who isn't well liked by her colleagues mainly for being more of a lone wolf kind of investigator than a team player, but her superiors were all in agreement that she had potential and talent to become more. I liked the cat-mouse emotional play between Anna and Langton because it seemed credible and very realistic. Once they were an item but even though their affair is over and Langton has a family (a wife and two kids), it is clear they still have so much going on and that neither of them has completely moved on. Their pain and affection for each other makes it harder for them to move on with their lives. I'm sure there will be more about their relationship in later novels too. Though Silent Scream is said to be 'an Anna Travis Mystery', it can be very well enjoyed as a stand alone novel. Throughout the novel you will get all the details and background info necessary to understand the history of the characters, so you won't feel lost without having read the previous novels in the series. Verdict: Though I did not find Silent Scream a nail-biting thriller, I enjoyed discovering how a murder investigation is conducted in real life, it was interesting to get to know some professional secrets amd what is going on behind closed doors at the police station. The office politics and the process of the investigation were all very well and realistically described. Anna Travis is an interesting and sympathetic heroine and Lynda La Plante's writing is enthralling and flowing. A very enjoyable read, I'll definitely read more of Lynda La Plante's novels. Plot: 7/10 Characters: 8/10 Ending: 8/10 Writing: 8/10 Cover: 9/10
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
La Plante does it again,
By
This review is from: Silent Scream (Kindle Edition)
DI Anna Travis returns to investigate a starlets murder in London. Possibly not as driven as preious Travis tails, Silent Scream is La Plante through and through. not mind nummingly brilliant but all the same good stuff!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I now love La Plante!,
This review is from: Silent Scream (Paperback)
Amanda Delany was a young starlet. Talented, sexy, scandalous. All the makings of a big name star. So when she ends up brutally murdered, no one can make heads or tails of the situation. As the investigation goes on, Detective Inspector Anna Travis begins unraveling a lifetime's worth of secrets and lies, showing the truth behind who Amanda was, and why someone would have wanted her dead. Was this a crime of passion, of revenge, or covering up some treachery? Anna is determined to find out.
This is my first time reading one of La Plante's thriller mysteries, and I can tell you this, it will not be my last. Apparently, other Anna Travis stories have been published, and I now want to read them all. La Plante kept me on the edge of my seat, and though the book was lengthy, I finished it in 24 hours, because I simply had to! I needed to know, who killed Amanda, and how was this going to play out. La Plante puts plenty of plot twists in this book, so that you are compelled to keep reading, but you are never confused with where the action was, is, and is headed. The characters are real, and memorable. Although other Anna Travis stories exist, this is a great stand alone novel. You need not have read any other stories to fully appreciate this book for the masterful work that it is. I could literally hear the characters' voices in my mind, which is fantastic, because I get to imagine them with British accents. This is the first modern novel set in England that I have read since the Bridget Jones books hit the stands, and I have to say, very rarely did I run across anything that was confusing or vastly different from American cultural references, which I found refreshing as a reader. You are always aware that the setting is in England, but it rarely seems odd, and you can equally imagine the plot playing out in Hollywood. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers, mysteries, dramas, and due to the storyline anyone who likes celebrity gossip, because although these are fictional characters, there is a lot of juicy gossip to be found in the book! I received a copy of this book for review purposes courtesy of the publisher.
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