The Dirty Dozen cover art

The Dirty Dozen

Jane Tennison, Book 5

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The Dirty Dozen

By: Lynda La Plante
Narrated by: Laura Kirman
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About this listen

The gritty new thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama and the fifth book in the Sunday Times best-selling Jane Tennison series.

Jane Tennison has worked hard to become the first female detective ever posted to the infamous Flying Squad, or 'the Sweeney'. But the Dirty Dozen is a notorious boys' club, and Jane's new colleagues make it clear that they don't think a woman is up to the dangers of the job.

Dealing with some of London's most ruthless armed criminals, who think the only good cop is a dead cop, is no joke. Determined to prove she's as good as the men, Jane discovers from a reliable witness that a gang is going to carry out a massive robbery.

But she doesn't know who they are, or where and when they will strike....

©2019 Lynda La Plante (P)2019 Bonnier Books UK Crime Crime Thrillers Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense Robbery

Critic Reviews

"Lynda La Plante practically invented the thriller." (Karin Slaughter)

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This adventure stands out as my favorite thus far. The protagonist, Jane's portrayal as a member of "the force," is gradually taking shape and finding its place without succumbing to cliché feminism. I particularly appreciated the contrasting elements of her married boss's affair and her own past, as well as the marital issues between her sister and brother-in-law.

I was pleasantly surprised by Jane's advice to her brother-in-law when he finds himself in a spot of bother, as it displayed a modern and refreshing attitude. It is gratifying to read about men not being solely portrayed as inherently flawed or driven solely by their sexual desires. This story acknowledges that real people, regardless of their marital status, have genuine needs and often make errors in judgment unintentionally. Jane's views on forgiveness were particularly touching. I sincerely hope such forgiveness is offered to her endless string of beaus who are either dead or locked up.

One aspect that I found particularly resonant was the growing tension between Jane and her parents. Like many of us, she is still entangled in the cycle of seeking their approval, unaware that this is not the crux of the issue. The notion of living up to others' expectations is ultimately an impossible task, and it is unfair for parents to have such expectations, given their supposed understanding of their children's hearts and minds.

The narration of the story was skillfully executed, with the narrator seamlessly transitioning between various tones, accents, prosody, and genders of voices. This added an extra layer of engagement to the story, and I greatly appreciated the effort put into that thus far.

A touch of romance

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Listening to this series back to back and really enjoying it.

I have to say that the story is great but this particular narrator is absolutely dreadful. Her context, ridiculous and inappropriate emphasis and accents nearly spoiled it for me. Only the excellent story kept me going.

Loving Tennison

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Definitely my favourite Tennison tale so far! DS Jane Tennison continues to pound the glass ceiling by becoming the first woman to join the London Met’s Flying Squad where she is immediately embroiled in a vicious armed robbery case. Despite displaying her trademark tenacity and keen intuition, she meets with the usual misogynistic resistance and white-anting from some members of the unit. Lynda La Plante really does write well - I’m alway immediately drawn into the story and can recognise the authenticity of even secondary and tertiary characters - they all feel so real. I’m always impressed by how La Plante sketches Jane as talented, yet imperfect and still learning - she stumbles but ultimately triumphs over each stacked deck. Audio narrator Laura Kirman joins the ranks of the excellent voice artists who have performed the Tennison / Prime Suspect canon.

Gripping and fascinating - my favourite Tennison so far!

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I thoroughly enjoyed the story but found the narration annoying. It was read far too slowly, but when I tried to speed it up it sounded worse.
I still enjoyed the book though as I am a big Lynda la Plante fan

Great story, let down a bit by the narration.

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Gripping story, great characters and narration. I finished this story in record time. Would definitely recommend if your a Jane Tennison fan.

Exceptional

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I have liked all Lynda's early Jane Tennyson books, but this one is a craker, the best of the early Jane books. The storylines tie together wonderfully, the details are brilliant and Jane is now coming into her own. Highly recommended if you like Jane Tennyson stories, even if you havent read any previous books, the story stands alone on its own merits as a good read.

Jane nails the job!!

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As always, great story telling, but the narrator made it sound like a children's book - overly dramatic and placing the wrong emphases on the wrong words ... like 'camelHAIR coat'. My mind kept wandering off to do its own thing because the language didn't flow easily and naturally.

A children's book reader

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