Feminist faces the Flying Squad

THE DIRTY DOZEN by Lynda La Plante (Zaffre £18.99, 512 pp)

THIS fifth in the series of prequels to Jane Tennison’s iconic days as a fearsome DCI in search of a Prime Suspect is by far the most engaging.

Then a lowly detective sergeant, Jane becomes the first female detective to be posted to the Met’s Flying Squad, commonly known as ‘The Sweeney’ — brought so vividly to life by DI Jack Regan and DS George Carter on TV more than four decades ago.

Tennison is at her prickliest, determined to prove she’s there on merit and not as some kind of ‘experiment’.

Inevitably, she confronts the misogynist, macho culture of the squad of 12 based in East London, who like to call themselves ‘The Dirty Dozen’.

Her new boss clearly thinks she’s not up to the job of confronting London’s hard men — can Tennison prove her worth and earn respect?

This is vintage La Plante.

WHAT YOU PAY FOR by Claire Askew (Hodder £16.99, 352 pp)

FOLLOWING her debut in All The Hidden Truths, this story once again focuses on DI Helen Birch, who struggled to cope with the mass school shooting in Edinburgh in her first outing.

Now, she is involved in a major drug bust that aims to capture one of Scotland’s drug lords in the wake of a shadowy tip-off from an informant.

The police raid succeeds, and many men are brought into custody — but none, including the ringleader, is prepared to say a word.

To make matters even more complicated, the informant — who would be able to give evidence against the gang — has disappeared. Written with style and compassion, Askew asks intricate moral questions, while never ignoring the rigours of crime.

TIME FOR THE DEAD by Lin Anderson (Macmillan £14.99, 448 pp)

FORENSIC scientist Rhona MacLeod has become one of the most satisfying characters in modern crime fiction — honourable, inquisitive and yet plagued by doubts and, sometimes, fears.

In the wake of a horrific experience in Glasgow, MacLeod has left the city to recuperate on Skye and to decide if she ever wants to return to the postmortem table.

Out of the blue, she finds what looks like a crime scene in the woods not far from Portree — but there’s no victim.

Then a group of Army medics on leave from Afghanistan arrive, only to go missing, before two bodies turn up, apparently after falling.

Is there a connection with ‘the Snowman’ who used to supply the islanders with cocaine?

As ever, the landscape is stunningly evoked and MacLeod’s decency and humanity shine through on every page.