Clean Cut (Anna Travis #3)

Title: Clean Cut (Anna Travis #3)

Author: Lynda La Plante

Published in: 2007

Date read: 29th May 2026

Score: 4/5

Genre: Crime, Detective, Mystery, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
Published in 2007, "Clean Cut" is the third novel in the Anna Travis series. It is a high-tension police procedural that tests the professional and personal bond between Travis and her volatile mentor, James Langton.

The Plot:
The story kicks off with a horrific act of violence. During a routine stop of a suspicious vehicle, Detective Chief Inspector James Langton is brutally attacked by a suspect and nearly killed. The assault leaves him with life-altering injuries and a deep-seated psychological trauma that threatens to end his career.

While Langton undergoes a grueling recovery, Anna Travis is promoted to the murder squad. She is assigned to a new case involving the discovery of a woman's body in a derelict house. The victim has been killed with surgical precision—a "clean cut" that suggests a killer with medical knowledge or a very steady hand.

The Mystery:
As Anna leads the investigation, she realises the murder is linked to a series of unsolved attacks across the country. The killer is a master of disguise, moving through society unnoticed and leaving almost no forensic trace behind. The team faces several challenges:

The Suspect: A man who seems to have no identity, a "phantom" who targets vulnerable women with chilling efficiency.
Langton’s Obsession: From his hospital bed and later his home, a bitter and frustrated Langton becomes obsessed with the case, convinced that Anna’s killer and his attacker are the same person.
The Power Struggle: Anna must assert her authority as a lead investigator while managing Langton’s interference and his deteriorating mental state.
The Investigation:
The search for the killer leads Anna into the dark world of illegal immigrants and identity theft. She discovers that the perpetrator is using a sophisticated method to stay off the police radar, involving "cleaning" his crime scenes to a professional standard.

Anna’s loyalty is pushed to the limit as she tries to solve the case while protecting Langton from his own self-destructive impulses. The investigation moves toward a dangerous confrontation where Anna must prove she has surpassed her mentor's teachings to catch a killer who is always one step ahead.

Comments:
This certainly did not stop the run of these books having huge amounts of energy and pace that does not allow the reader to put it down. The story follows on nicely but could be read out of sequence. There is a new element to this story that was not in the others and that is the idea of the immortal murder squad no longer having that status which adds to the danger as well as the personal element. You are kept guessing throughout and I, once again, didn't see the final twist or, as it was described in the book, the loose ends. Highly recommend!

Books that we've read by Lynda La Plante (3):
Above Suspicion (Anna Travis #1) (2004), The Red Dahlia (Anna Travis #2) (2006), Clean Cut (Anna Travis #3) (2007)