Lynda La Plante CBE, the doyenne of crime writing, introduces a new character to her many fans in a brand-new forensic crime series.
Jessica Russell, an expert in psychology and criminology, is just as brilliant, engaging and relatable as La Plante’s most famous detective – Jane Tennison, played to great acclaim by Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect, the globally successful TV series.
In The Scene of the Crime, the husband of a notorious barrister is savagely attacked during a robbery and left comatose. But was it a robbery gone wrong, or is something far more significant at play? With pressure mounting for results, a single mistake could cost the team everything, including the survival of Jessica Russell’s fledgling unit.
Lynda La Plante says: ‘For the past few years, I have been recording a podcast ‘Listening to the Dead’. I have had the most incredible interaction with the top scientists involved in the various methods that enhance murder investigations. Jessica Russell an accomplished CSI leads a separate division, with highly qualified scientists trained to oversee specifically brutal killings.’
Lynda La Plante was awarded both the Thalia Proctor Lifetime Achievement Award at Capital Crime; and the CWA Diamond Dagger, the highest accolade in crime writing. She was recently shortlisted for Author of the Year at the upcoming British Book Awards 2025.
St Swithin’s Church
