Unholy Murder: The edge-of-your-seat Sunday Times bestselling crime thriller

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Unholy Murder is the seventh in the (young) Jane Tennison series. It wasn’t until I started writing this review that I reflected on how Jane’s changed over the course of the books (ie. her career to date). I’m actually quite sure how LaPlante is pacing these but we’re in the 1980s now and obviously getting closer to the original Prime Suspect books and series time-wise.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It’s been a while since I’ve read a crime procedural, and it was a good addition of a series to return to now and then. The story was definitely slow, and the writing was a bit awkward here and there (perhaps a testament to the author’s original writing experience coming from screenplay work rather than novel-writing). Fans of the series, I’m sure, will enjoy this. And those who enjoy police procedural stories are likely to appreciate it, too.

Praise for the Jane Tennison series:

Roveer is in the kitchen of Elfsong Tavern. He immediately insists the party take care of rats in the cellar, as part of Roveer's Storehouse and won't listen to the party otherwise. After killing the rats, the party can return and warn him of the murder plot. Unholy Murder by Lynda LaPlante was published in Australia by Allen & Unwin and is currently available. I also really liked both of the characters we had here. DCS Barnes, a completely new character to me, was particularly interesting with his past history with the Church. I liked that La Plante didn’t shy away from showing the biases that are inherent even to investigators who are meant to look at crimes through as objective a lens as possible. It’s simply not possible for a person not to bring their own baggage to some of these scenes, so it was nice to see the author give her characters these natural flaws. The party can also come across information on the murders by going up the stairs in the Elfsong Tavern and encountering the murder scene of Duke Belynne Stelmane. Here, they meet Gauntlet Devella Fountainhead, who is investigating the murders in town and believes they are part of a Bhaalist conspiracy. The party can tell her they are adventurers, and use Perception, Investigation, or Insight to convince Devella they can be of use. If Devella believes they can help, she will give a Map of Murder that points to another crime scene. With Justice Sarevok and Investigator Valeria dead, we must search the Tribunal for a way of accessing the Temple of Bhaal.

The convent was a home for many orphans and unfortunately, child abuse scandals, but the records were destroyed. Many of the people that lived and worked there have already died, but the ones living have some dark secrets hiding in their closets....shady people... I enjoyed the research involved finding these people.

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I also enjoyed the time period that this book was set in. For some reason, I had assumed it would be a modern story, but I guess that doesn’t make much sense given the fact that it’s based on a TV show from the 90s I believe. The story itself is set in the early 80s, and I liked how it showed crime investigations going down without the modern tools we’re used to seeing in police procedurals today. And still, they brushed it of as unfortunate event that, and I quote "can't change and have to move on". She formed her own television production company, La Plante Productions, in 1994 and as La Plante Productions she wrote and produced the sequel to Widows, the equally gutsy She's Out (ITV, 1995). The name "La Plante" comes from her marriage to writer Richard La Plante, author of the book Mantis and Hog Fever. La Plante divorced Lynda in the early 1990s. We warned Nesha Leesha of the Bhaalist target list she's on - we should do the same for the other marked targets. Unholy Murder” is book seven in the “Young Tennison” series, but each case is separate. There is a nice balance between the events, the police procedures, and the people who are doing the investigations. Readers get to know the characters, their personalities, their quirks as well as follow a compelling investigation to find out “whodunit.”

Lynda is an honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter Best Writer's Award in 2000. In 2008, she was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to Literature, Drama and Charity.

I have not read all of the books in this series and this can easily be read as a stand alone. The series takes place in the 1970s- 80s (this one is based in 1982 based on the Pope’s visit to the UK). It’s a good reminder of how we all survived without cell phones, the internet, etc. and when we had to rely on actual paper records. Sarevok states that there is no better mirror in which to see the true nature of a killer than his victim. Thus, he summons the image of one of the murder victims. The spectre cannot speak, as the murderer stole its voice. Thus, the party must speak for it. Sarevok asks how the pitiful creature was slain: In notes written for readers at the end of this novel LaPlante talks about wanting to provide Jane with a ‘stumper’. The young Detective Sergeant is proud of her solve rate and dogged to the point of obsession when it comes to investigating crime and seeking justice. Of course the problem with old (cold) cases is that players are no longer around and / or it’s difficult to learn the truth from those who are. LaPlante includes some interesting discourse on the Catholic Church here. Almost extremism on both sides. I was reminded this is set in the UK in the 1980s and the so-called ‘troubles’ in Ireland still on England’s doorstep, but some of the issues referenced here continue to make headlines today. The writing style of La Plant is short fact based sentences which gives you the sense of urgency Jane and her coworkers must feel while investigating. There is no added fluff to distract you from the prime focus of solving the murder.

D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 8, 2021). "Sony Dates Horror Film 'The Unholy' For Easter Weekend". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved March 8, 2021. The plot was for sure interesting, a murdered nun buried alive and the convent trying to hide the secrets for the sole purpose of not ruining their reputation/image. Alice, who they believe is unaware of Mary's true nature, wishes to hold a church service by the tree and broadcast it to the masses. Delgarde warns that those pledging themselves to Elnor would make her stronger and condemn their soul to Hell. Gerry, Natalie and Delgarde try to perform a ritual in the church to stop this, but Elnor appears and crushes Delgarde with a burning cross.Jane Tennison is on the case again when a strange coffin with the body of a young nun is found buried in an old convent, that no one expected. Of course, the burial is not as peaceful as it seems. Jane, as the main character, never quite stays out of trouble with her supervisors as she doggedly pursues the truth. She is a women working for equal respect to all her male counterparts and rarely finds it. Jane appeals to readers because she is the under dog fighting for justice for her victim through every obstacle. Her first TV series as a scriptwriter was the six part robbery series Widows, in 1983, in which the widows of four armed robbers carry out a heist planned by their deceased husbands. If the party starts with Solve the Open Hand Temple Murders, they encounter Inspector Valeria who is charged with investigating the murders, and she refers the party to Gauntlet Devella once they've shown her sufficient proof of Bhaal's involvement in the murders. Otherwise, the party can share the information on the Bhaalists with Devella directly if they already encountered her at Elfsong Tavern. Enter the Murder Tribunal Antechamber and speak to That Which Guards. The entity provides a riddle, "Present me well from gifts thine own, or I shall rend thy flesh from bone." Choose "I killed to be here - and took the victim's hand as proof" to proceed forward. The party can use the hand bag from Dolor, the hands taken from any victims they chose to kill, or the hand of Gortash to gain entry. Choosing any other option results in a fight with the guards, and the Murder Tribunal becomes hostile as well.