Anna Travis Books in Order
Part ofLynda La Plante Books in OrderSee the Anna Travis crime series by Lynda La Plante in order, with book lists, plot summaries, character background on Anna and Langton, and tips on how to follow the investigations.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
9 books
Above Suspicion
by Lynda La Plante
2004
Newly promoted detective Anna Travis joins a London murder squad hunting a serial killer who has slain a string of prostitutes. When a seventh victim breaks the pattern and evidence points to a charming television star, Anna must decide whether her instincts—or his charisma—are lying.
The Red Dahlia
by Lynda La Plante
2006
Anna Travis is called to a case where a young woman’s mutilated body has been left on a riverbank, drained of blood and carefully posed. As the press screams about a copycat Black Dahlia, Anna races to stop a killer obsessed with a notorious unsolved murder.
Clean Cut
by Lynda La Plante
2007
After DCI James Langton is savagely stabbed while chasing a pimp’s killer, Anna Travis puts her own life on hold to help his recovery. When her apparently random murder case connects to Langton’s ruthless criminal network, Anna becomes the next target of a gang who will kill to stay hidden.
Deadly Intent
by Lynda La Plante
2008
When a former murder-squad detective is shot dead in a filthy drug squat, Anna Travis is dragged into a case tied to elusive trafficker Alexander Fitzpatrick. As bodies mount and a terrifying new drug surfaces, Anna must outwit a man who has stayed invisible for a decade.
Silent Scream
by Lynda La Plante
2009
Film star Amanda Delany seems to have everything until she is found brutally stabbed in her London home, her famous face left untouched. Digging into Amanda’s tangled life of addictions, affairs and betrayals, Anna Travis uncovers suspects who stand to lose far more than their reputations.
Blind Fury
by Lynda La Plante
2010
After a young woman’s body is dumped near a motorway service station, Anna Travis links the crime to two similar unsolved murders. A convicted killer insists he can help catch the murderer—but only if Anna hears him out, drawing her into a chilling battle of wills.
Blood Line
by Lynda La Plante
2011
DCI Anna Travis reluctantly takes on a missing-person case when a court usher begs her to find his vanished son, Alan. With no body, a strangely unconcerned girlfriend and a flat hiding traces of blood, Anna must prove a murder has happened before she can hope to solve it.
Backlash
by Lynda La Plante
2012
A late-night attack on a woman in a notorious Hackney tower block looks straightforward when residents capture the suspect. But as Anna Travis links the assault to earlier, unsolved crimes, she must decide whether the man everyone wants to blame is really the predator—or a convenient scapegoat.
Wrongful Death
by Lynda La Plante
2013
Six months after nightclub owner Josh Reynolds’s death was written off as suicide, a jailed thug claims it was murder. Ordered to review the case alongside an abrasive FBI profiler, Anna Travis uncovers flaws in the original inquiry and must decide whether to expose colleagues’ mistakes or walk away.
Series background & context
The Anna Travis novels follow a young detective as she learns what it really means to work major crime in London. When the series opens in Above Suspicion, Anna is a rookie officer stepping into her first murder investigation, a serial killer case that has defeated more experienced detectives.
From the start, the books pair her with DCI James Langton, a driven, often abrasive senior detective who knew Anna’s late father. Their relationship is complicated: part mentor and protégé, part on‑again off‑again romance, and sometimes a clash of egos. That tension runs through the series and shapes how Anna is treated within the squad.
Each book centres on a separate, high‑stakes investigation. The stories range from copycat killings echoing the Black Dahlia case to the hunt for an elusive international drug trafficker, the stabbing of a famous actress, and a missing‑person enquiry that may really be a murder. The crimes are dark, but the focus stays on how a team patiently pieces together tiny scraps of information.
La Plante leans into procedure: briefings, suspect interviews, forensics, surveillance and the constant pressure from the media and senior officers. Anna makes mistakes, misreads people and occasionally lets her feelings cloud her judgement. Watching her learn, recover and harden is a big part of the appeal.
Across the books she moves from newcomer to Detective Chief Inspector, carrying the emotional baggage of earlier cases with her. Old villains resurface, professional choices affect her personal life and she has to work out who she trusts in a world where loyalty can be as dangerous as betrayal.
The tone is gritty but accessible, with plenty of everyday detail from squad rooms, court corridors and London streets. If you enjoy character‑driven police procedurals that still deliver big twists, starting with Above Suspicion and reading the Anna Travis books in order lets you watch both the investigations and Anna herself grow more complex over time.
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