Cold Blood

By Lynda La Plante

Book Overview

Prime Suspect, the enormously successful two-time Emmy Award-winning television series, established its writer and creator, Lynda La Plante, as one of the preeminent originators of realistic crime drama. Turning her talent from the screen to the page, La Plante has crafted an intelligent, hard-hitting thriller featuring a female lead every bit as compelling and complex as her Prime Suspect heroine played by Helen Mirren. Lorraine is a three-time loser: an ex-LAPD cop, ex-hooker, ex-wife, even an ex-mom, since she has lost custody of her kids. She is recovering from the alcoholism that nearly destroyed her life and, through tremendous force of will, has managed to pull herself back together and set up her own private detective agency in Los Angeles, but she finds that there is scant demand for her services. Finally she lands the high-profile case that could activate her new career. The eighteen-year-old daughter of a fading movie starlet has disappeared during Mardi Gras, and her parents offer Lorraine $1 million if she finds the girl, dead or alive. As the search for the missing girl becomes a deadly murder hunt involving Hollywood rich kids and New Orleans lowlife, Lorraine is caught in a web of deceit and violence that threatens to drag her back into the murky world she has fought so hard to escape. When she finds herself strongly attracted to Robert Caley, the girl's father-- who, in turn, is sexually drawn to her--she knows she faces a new kind of danger. She begins to spin out of control and turns to her old friend booze for solace.The game gets more dangerous as Lorraine fights demons within and without, but the million-dollar bonus is a powerful incentive not to back off a case that would give her the professional respect she craves but could also kill her. Cold Blood reverberates with realism; its plot is multilayered, its characters vibrantly alive--just what one would expect from Lynda La Plante, a consummate chronicler of the criminal world.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515124796
• ISBN13: 9780515124798
• Release Date: April 1999
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 462 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Chillingly erotic

An awesome twist of detail, accompanied by shocking findings by Lorraine Page, a private investigator who surpasses all the other private investigators who have been hired by the ultra-rich parents of a missing 16-teen-year-old girl. In a last-ditch effort, Page is hired by the mother of the girl. Page has her own black past and desperately needs to find the girl to save her falling-apart private investigation business. That, she does, and with a vengeance. The book is confusing at times, and the amount of characters made me almost put it down several times because I had to keep turning back pages to remember who everybody was -- that's something you're not supposed to have to do in a good book. I'm glad I didn't stop reading, because I discovered Ms. La Plante to be one of the top mystery writers I've seen after finishing this book. A prime mix of sex, blood and glamour.

LaPlante pulls out all the stops in her great new thriller.

Lorraine Page is back, this time with a her own private detective agency. But sadly buisness has been going stale, in fact Lorraine is contemplating shutting the place down till she fortuantly nets a high profile case. Anna Louise Calley, an 18 year old beauty and daughter of former film star Elizabeth Calley has gone missing for eleven months! And it's Lorraine's job, aided by her two assistants, the ever optimistic Rosie, and grumbling Bill Rooney to find the missing girl dead or alive in a space of two weeks! If not their contracts are terminated and they wouldn't recieve their one million dollar bonus. This is Lorraine first big case, and she is fiercly determined to solve it for her own piece of mind and to get herself some professional respect. From the high class of LA's richest and finest to the dark, murky alleys of New Orlean's notorious French Quarter, LaPlante fashion's a gripping story which consists of hauntingly brilliant and realistic characters and a macabre plot filled with violence,voodo,and self redemption . With Lorraine Page, LaPlante has created one of the grittiest, strongest and realistic characters ever put on the crime novel. Divorced, with out custody of any of her three kids, former chronic alcoholic and hooker Lorraine Page isn't no angel. But we feel her pain,tears, and joy as she tries to find her place in the world. And it is maybe in this sense that this book and probably this series may slightly falter, for it maybe a little bit to melodramatic for some readers. But if you are looking for a gritty crime novel with strong vibrant characters and powerful plots go no further than Linda LaPlante COLD SERIES. Written by one of the most prolific and successful in the buisness.

A real "page turner" !

This is an excellent book for mystery buffs. I was so involved with the story, I didn't want it to end. It is believable and well written. I would put it at a similar level as PD James' novels, but faster moving.

Jostled, Impassioned and Spontaneous

Lynda La Plante gave us Lorraine Page, a strong, talented detective, who exuded hope as she picked herself up from skid road in "Cold Shoulder." A fast-paced writer, La Plante's strength is in creating and describing such characters through action."Cold Blood," illustrates that sharp edge on which Lorraine walks. She is drinking again, creating a "denial" that she could control alcohol. Lorraine alienates Rosie and Rooney, associates and helpmates. She lets the "pot at the end of the rainbow" blind her. Her actions seemed to be out of a "blind love" or a "blind rage" or a "blind fear." Although the readers get to the bottom of the mystery, Lorraine doesn't. She lands on feet, but there is little if any personal redemption. This is exactly what I admire about this series. La Plante isn't afraid to give us a tough heroine that we can dislike and distrust yet admire as she struggles for professional success against many major personal weaknesses. In "Cold Shoulder," we were exposed to a full development of Lorraine's past. I hope "Cold Blood" indicates that La Plante will take us slowly through Lorraine's future, one that is jostled, impassioned and spontaneous.

Fantastic

This book was fantastic! I could not put it down! I carried it everywhere, reading it in elevators, standing in line at the store, in the car when stopped for red lights and heavy traffic, even taking it to the bathroom!! I'm looking forward to her next book.