The Red Dahlia

Title: The Red Dahlia

Author: Lynda La Plante

Published in: 2006

Date read: 5th January 2026

Score: 4/5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Red Dahlia," published in 2006, is the fourth novel in Lynda La Plante's successful series featuring Detective Chief Inspector (later Superintendent) Anna Travis of Scotland Yard. The book takes Travis and her team deep into a harrowing investigation that echoes one of the most infamous unsolved murders in criminal history.
The novel opens with the gruesome discovery of a brutally murdered young woman in a London park. The victim has been mutilated and cut in half, mirroring the notorious 1947 "Black Dahlia" murder of Elizabeth Short in Los Angeles. This chilling parallel immediately sets the tone for a complex and macabre investigation.
DCI Anna Travis is assigned to the case, working once again under the watchful eye of her mentor, the difficult but brilliant Detective Chief Superintendent James Langton. The case quickly attracts immense media attention due to the similarities with the Black Dahlia, putting enormous pressure on Travis and her squad.
Travis realizes that the killer is deliberately orchestrating the murders as a grim form of homage. The meticulous staging and the sheer brutality suggest a highly intelligent, narcissistic, and deeply disturbed killer who is obsessed with the historical case. The killer is taunting the police, using the anonymity of the digital age to communicate and escalate the horror.
As the investigation progresses, Travis and her team delve into the victim's past, discovering connections to the dark underbelly of the internet, where groups of individuals share an unhealthy obsession with true crime and gruesome historical cases. They must wade through a multitude of online suspects and cryptic messages, trying to separate the morbid followers from the actual killer.
The investigation is complicated by internal conflicts, media frenzy, and the psychological strain of dealing with such horrific crimes. Travis, with her determined focus and emotional resilience, must maintain her composure while the killer continues to strike, demonstrating an intimate knowledge of police procedures.
The climax sees Travis and Langton closing in on the killer, realizing that the solution lies not just in forensic evidence, but in the killer's psychology and their twisted attempts to mimic and surpass the historical murder that inspired them. The confrontation is intense and dangerous, forcing Travis to rely on her quick thinking to unmask the modern-day "Red Dahlia" before they can claim another victim.

Comments:
Another excellent story, not quite as good as its predecessor, Above Suspicion but don't let that put you off. This is an excellent story, I was just enthralled by a new author. I very much think that these two books should be read in order for the excellent character development but the actual case is a stand-alone one. I have, needless to say, purchased book number three!

Books that we've read by Lynda La Plante (2):
Above Suspicion (2004), The Red Dahlia (2006)