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Getting Away With Murder
A memoir.
My unexpected life on page, stage and screen.
My unexpected life on page, stage and screen.
384 pages, Paperback
Published September 17, 2024
38 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Lynda La Plante
124 books1,840 followersLynda La Plante, CBE (born Lynda Titchmarsh) is a British author, screenwriter, and erstwhile actress (her performances in Rentaghost and other programmes were under her stage name of Lynda Marchal), best known for writing the Prime Suspect television crime series.
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.
In 1991 ITV released Prime Suspect which has now run to seven series and stars Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison. (In the United States Prime Suspect airs on PBS as part of the anthology program Mystery!) In 1993 La Plante won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her work on the series. In 1992 she wrote at TV movie called Seekers, starring Brenda Fricker and Josette Simon, produced by Sarah Lawson.
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.
Her output continued with The Governor (ITV 1995-96), a series focusing on the female governor of a high security prison, and was followed by a string of ratings pulling miniseries: the psycho killer nightmare events of Trial & Retribution (ITV 1997-), the widows' revenge of the murders of their husbands & children Bella Mafia (1997) (starring Vanessa Redgrave), the undercover police unit operations of Supply and Demand (ITV 1998), videogame/internet murder mystery Killer Net (Channel 4 1998) and the female criminal profiler cases of Mind Games (ITV 2001).
Two additions to the Trial and Retribution miniseries were broadcast during 2006.
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.
In 1991 ITV released Prime Suspect which has now run to seven series and stars Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison. (In the United States Prime Suspect airs on PBS as part of the anthology program Mystery!) In 1993 La Plante won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for her work on the series. In 1992 she wrote at TV movie called Seekers, starring Brenda Fricker and Josette Simon, produced by Sarah Lawson.
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.
Her output continued with The Governor (ITV 1995-96), a series focusing on the female governor of a high security prison, and was followed by a string of ratings pulling miniseries: the psycho killer nightmare events of Trial & Retribution (ITV 1997-), the widows' revenge of the murders of their husbands & children Bella Mafia (1997) (starring Vanessa Redgrave), the undercover police unit operations of Supply and Demand (ITV 1998), videogame/internet murder mystery Killer Net (Channel 4 1998) and the female criminal profiler cases of Mind Games (ITV 2001).
Two additions to the Trial and Retribution miniseries were broadcast during 2006.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 5, 2025
Love Lynda's writing style, her dedication to research for her characters and storylines. This book shares her passion for every project she turns her hand too. A truely inspirational woman.
Loved this memoir.
Loved this memoir.
December 29, 2024
Audiobook - read by Linda La Plante
January 1, 2025
Over the last year I have caught up with the fabulous Tennison series, detailing the early career of Jane Tennison and after hearing Lynda La Plante talk about some of her career, I couldn’t wait to pick up her autobiography Getting Away with Murder.
We all love to delve into the lives of people no matter what we say and with a long and varied career I just knew that this was going to be an interesting read. Detailing her early life right up to the present-day Lynda La Plante shows that not everything was plain sailing, and her success was down to a lot of hard work and determination and not everything went to plan.
Although you always expect authors to know famous people, it still surprised me just who she did know and how she came to know them, giving me a different view on the persona’s they portray on screen and in interviews and once or twice I did find myself chuckling as I was reading. The challenges Lynda faced in her early acting career gives you a first glimpse of the feisty woman that she is, determined to stand up for what she believes is right and refusing to back down on her principles even if it costs her. It’s a stance that was used throughout her career and she should be respected for it as I think more people should be like her and not give in to pressure.
What really impressed me was when it came to her writing career for both TV and books is the extent to which she would research the subject matter she was going to be writing, from visiting prisons to contacting people with connections to the mafia. Her contacts however remained a secret, as to whether this was for their protection or hers, I was not always sure. There was one part of her research that did have me chucking when she described having to fend off the unwanted attention of a chimpanzee whilst researching circuses.
There were plenty of highs in the book, but Lynda also did not shy away from the lows, or the mistakes made along the way, some that only came to light with hindsight and a better understanding on how the publishing and TV worlds operated. If you love Lynda La Plante's work, then you really should pick this up and get a glimpse of the woman behind it all. As for me I am now off to investigate all the other books I have not yet read.
We all love to delve into the lives of people no matter what we say and with a long and varied career I just knew that this was going to be an interesting read. Detailing her early life right up to the present-day Lynda La Plante shows that not everything was plain sailing, and her success was down to a lot of hard work and determination and not everything went to plan.
Although you always expect authors to know famous people, it still surprised me just who she did know and how she came to know them, giving me a different view on the persona’s they portray on screen and in interviews and once or twice I did find myself chuckling as I was reading. The challenges Lynda faced in her early acting career gives you a first glimpse of the feisty woman that she is, determined to stand up for what she believes is right and refusing to back down on her principles even if it costs her. It’s a stance that was used throughout her career and she should be respected for it as I think more people should be like her and not give in to pressure.
What really impressed me was when it came to her writing career for both TV and books is the extent to which she would research the subject matter she was going to be writing, from visiting prisons to contacting people with connections to the mafia. Her contacts however remained a secret, as to whether this was for their protection or hers, I was not always sure. There was one part of her research that did have me chucking when she described having to fend off the unwanted attention of a chimpanzee whilst researching circuses.
There were plenty of highs in the book, but Lynda also did not shy away from the lows, or the mistakes made along the way, some that only came to light with hindsight and a better understanding on how the publishing and TV worlds operated. If you love Lynda La Plante's work, then you really should pick this up and get a glimpse of the woman behind it all. As for me I am now off to investigate all the other books I have not yet read.
November 26, 2024
Hugely entertaining! What a life Lynda has led! She's a true icon and inspiration. Highly recommend the audiobook, narrated by the great lady herself.
November 13, 2024
This lady is AMAZING! I’ve enjoyed all her books, plus the tv series from some of her books, so I’m a fan of hers anyway. I recently went to one of her book signings. A new experience for me. Ms la Plante gave a wonderful talk about her life. There were shocking bits (how a female writer was treated, compared to male writers), and hilarious bits, in equal measure.
Afterwards, she was signing books, but chatting to each person. She was so open and friendly.
The book obviously charts her life from early years to the present day, even including a chapter on her arranged visit to Italy to meet the Mafia head. He was happy to talk to her, to make sure her research into the Mafia would be spot on. This chapter had slightly scary bits, as well as a lot of humour.
If you’ve enjoyed her books and the tv series, this book is a must-read, even if you don’t normally read memoirs, as I don’t, normally.
Afterwards, she was signing books, but chatting to each person. She was so open and friendly.
The book obviously charts her life from early years to the present day, even including a chapter on her arranged visit to Italy to meet the Mafia head. He was happy to talk to her, to make sure her research into the Mafia would be spot on. This chapter had slightly scary bits, as well as a lot of humour.
If you’ve enjoyed her books and the tv series, this book is a must-read, even if you don’t normally read memoirs, as I don’t, normally.
October 26, 2024
I loved, loved, loved this gritty and amusing memoir. Lynda La Plante is the nicest and most talented author I have ever met. She's also the fiercest, bravest and most innovative TV producer in the business. Her novels and TV scripts are all written after lengthy and meticulous research and whilst nearly always huge commercial successes are also clearly labours of love.
Lynda is a workaholic and insomniac (two things we have in common) and the quality of her writing never falters. This memoir is a must-read for her legion of fans revealing the inspiration for her characters and stories.
Since the late 1980s Lynda's top end TV drama has reshaped prime time viewing and redefined female lead roles.
Lynda continues to write every single day and long may she continue to do so. Her integrity, talent, sincerity and humour enriches everything she does.
Lynda is a workaholic and insomniac (two things we have in common) and the quality of her writing never falters. This memoir is a must-read for her legion of fans revealing the inspiration for her characters and stories.
Since the late 1980s Lynda's top end TV drama has reshaped prime time viewing and redefined female lead roles.
Lynda continues to write every single day and long may she continue to do so. Her integrity, talent, sincerity and humour enriches everything she does.
September 19, 2024
Lynda La Plante is the type of author that no matter what she writes, I know I’m going to enjoy it and this was a touching account of her life and the struggles she had to get where she is now and giving her fans hours of enjoyment through books and her TV dramas, I was gutted when the last Jane Tennison book was published but we have the new Jack Warr to look forward to and of course there are her books from before that can be re read.
October 1, 2024
This is amongst the few fabulous reads of this year for me. I couldn’t stop reading. I have been a fan of Lynda since Prime Suspect and she never disappoints. I love all her work and now to read how she created such wonderful characters and stories was simply delicious. Laughter, tears and honesty throughout.
February 12, 2025
An insightful and entertaining memoir from the legendary crime writer.
Lynda La Plante has created some of the most iconic crime dramas and leading characters in crime fiction – amongst them DCI Jane Tennison of ‘Prime Suspect’, the first high-ranking female detective to lead a series on British television; Dolly Rawlins and her fellow widows, who took the lead on an audacious robbery at a time when women leading a television drama was scarce; and the innovative and groundbreaking ‘Trial and Retribution’. She has written and produced countless hours of television and published over fifty novels and novelisations since ‘Widows’ first hit the screen in 1983. I have been a huge fan of her work since my early teenage years, eagerly devouring every novel and television drama over the last two decades.
In ‘Getting Away With Murder’, Lynda looks back on her life and her career, from her early childhood where her desire to tell stories began, going on to train at RADA and embark on her early career as an actress on stage and television, interspersed with tales of her family and friends, her marriage and dreams of having a child, and how she first decided to write a script of her own. Given the opportunity by producer Verity Lambert, Lynda discovered her true passion for writing as she developed the story that would become the first series of organised crime drama ‘Widows’. Following two seasons of ‘Widows’, she went on to write her first novel, family saga ‘The Legacy’, these two early works beginning an illustrious career as both a screenwriter and novelist. A prolific body of work followed in the next three decades, including organised crime epic ‘Bella Mafia’ (1990), police procedural drama ‘Prime Suspect’ (1991-93), psychological thriller ‘Entwined’ (1992), prison drama ‘The Governor’ (1995-96), police procedural and legal drama ‘Trial and Retribution’ (1997-2009), police procedural novels featuring Anna Travis (2004-13), and so much more.
Her dedication to research has been a cornerstone of her work since the beginning – whether exploring the dangerous underbelly of the criminal world, the ingenious intricacies of forensic science, the technicalities of police procedure and the criminal justice system, or the unspeakable, inhumane horrors of the Holocaust. Never one to shy away from the true horror of her subject matter, Lynda has often tackled this darkness in her stories, exploring compelling characters, intricate plots, and often the most shocking crimes. Through her company La Plante Productions, she was able to take full creative control of her projects, a rarity for a screenwriter in the days before the role of a lead writer showrunner became more mainstream. So often ahead of the curve and with a keen eye for spotting acting talent, her work became event television and her name synonymous with quality crime drama.
Featuring many anecdotes from throughout her career, with multiple guest appearances – including Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Ann Mitchell, David Hayman, and many more – Lynda takes us behind the scenes of her most famous dramas and novels, told with laugh-out-loud humour, poignant moments, and insights into the entertainment industries, including personal and professional challenges she has faced and the battles she has overcome – amongst them her dyslexia, the struggles of the acting industry, the fight for screenwriters to earn respect, and suffering the realisation that she didn't own the rights to some of her most popular characters.
In more recent years, since adopting her beloved son, Lynda’s focus has primarily been on her novels, with a triumphant return to Jane Tennison with the prequel series of books (2015-24), and the creation of new detective Jack Warr, through whom we made a return to the world of ‘Widows’, in her ongoing series that began with ‘Buried’ in 2020. Having recently reached her milestone eightieth birthday, Lynda continues to write, and long may she gift us many more gripping stories!
‘Getting Away With Murder’ gives us a fascinating insight into Lynda’s world, in a riveting, moving, and inspiring life story of an incredible writer and icon of crime fiction.
Lynda La Plante has created some of the most iconic crime dramas and leading characters in crime fiction – amongst them DCI Jane Tennison of ‘Prime Suspect’, the first high-ranking female detective to lead a series on British television; Dolly Rawlins and her fellow widows, who took the lead on an audacious robbery at a time when women leading a television drama was scarce; and the innovative and groundbreaking ‘Trial and Retribution’. She has written and produced countless hours of television and published over fifty novels and novelisations since ‘Widows’ first hit the screen in 1983. I have been a huge fan of her work since my early teenage years, eagerly devouring every novel and television drama over the last two decades.
In ‘Getting Away With Murder’, Lynda looks back on her life and her career, from her early childhood where her desire to tell stories began, going on to train at RADA and embark on her early career as an actress on stage and television, interspersed with tales of her family and friends, her marriage and dreams of having a child, and how she first decided to write a script of her own. Given the opportunity by producer Verity Lambert, Lynda discovered her true passion for writing as she developed the story that would become the first series of organised crime drama ‘Widows’. Following two seasons of ‘Widows’, she went on to write her first novel, family saga ‘The Legacy’, these two early works beginning an illustrious career as both a screenwriter and novelist. A prolific body of work followed in the next three decades, including organised crime epic ‘Bella Mafia’ (1990), police procedural drama ‘Prime Suspect’ (1991-93), psychological thriller ‘Entwined’ (1992), prison drama ‘The Governor’ (1995-96), police procedural and legal drama ‘Trial and Retribution’ (1997-2009), police procedural novels featuring Anna Travis (2004-13), and so much more.
Her dedication to research has been a cornerstone of her work since the beginning – whether exploring the dangerous underbelly of the criminal world, the ingenious intricacies of forensic science, the technicalities of police procedure and the criminal justice system, or the unspeakable, inhumane horrors of the Holocaust. Never one to shy away from the true horror of her subject matter, Lynda has often tackled this darkness in her stories, exploring compelling characters, intricate plots, and often the most shocking crimes. Through her company La Plante Productions, she was able to take full creative control of her projects, a rarity for a screenwriter in the days before the role of a lead writer showrunner became more mainstream. So often ahead of the curve and with a keen eye for spotting acting talent, her work became event television and her name synonymous with quality crime drama.
Featuring many anecdotes from throughout her career, with multiple guest appearances – including Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Ann Mitchell, David Hayman, and many more – Lynda takes us behind the scenes of her most famous dramas and novels, told with laugh-out-loud humour, poignant moments, and insights into the entertainment industries, including personal and professional challenges she has faced and the battles she has overcome – amongst them her dyslexia, the struggles of the acting industry, the fight for screenwriters to earn respect, and suffering the realisation that she didn't own the rights to some of her most popular characters.
In more recent years, since adopting her beloved son, Lynda’s focus has primarily been on her novels, with a triumphant return to Jane Tennison with the prequel series of books (2015-24), and the creation of new detective Jack Warr, through whom we made a return to the world of ‘Widows’, in her ongoing series that began with ‘Buried’ in 2020. Having recently reached her milestone eightieth birthday, Lynda continues to write, and long may she gift us many more gripping stories!
‘Getting Away With Murder’ gives us a fascinating insight into Lynda’s world, in a riveting, moving, and inspiring life story of an incredible writer and icon of crime fiction.
April 26, 2025
I’m a big fan of Lynda La Plante’s books but I had doubts about how exciting the life of a novelist could be. I needn’t have worried, this autobiography is as good as any of her wonderful novels! Lynda studied acting at RADA, spent years in television and on the stage before moving into screenplay writing for TV and film. Her novelist career slowly grew out of her screenplay work and along the way, Lynda established a film and television production company. To date, she’s written 25 screenplays and over 50 novels and despite now being in her 80s, she shows no sign of slowing down. This fascinating book covers all this and much, much more including her enthusiasm, missteps, setbacks, triumphs, and the occasional entertaining spray about how she’s been treated!
If you’re a Lynda La Plante fan, you’ll love this and if you’re a budding actor, novelist, or screenplay writer, you’ll learn a lot! As a fan of her novels, I was thrilled to get the background on how she conceived her characters and her intentions for them. Lynda has a magpie-like ability to collect stray snippets of conversations, details, anecdotes, and humorous asides that all entwine to breath life and realism into her characters and stories—it’s an amazing, creative gift! 🎧 Lynda performs the audio narration herself, and being an actor, she injects the story with all the emotions she felt at the time. Even better, there are cameo appearances from friends, family, and acting peers who give personal anecdotes about their time with Lynda.
If you’re a Lynda La Plante fan, you’ll love this and if you’re a budding actor, novelist, or screenplay writer, you’ll learn a lot! As a fan of her novels, I was thrilled to get the background on how she conceived her characters and her intentions for them. Lynda has a magpie-like ability to collect stray snippets of conversations, details, anecdotes, and humorous asides that all entwine to breath life and realism into her characters and stories—it’s an amazing, creative gift! 🎧 Lynda performs the audio narration herself, and being an actor, she injects the story with all the emotions she felt at the time. Even better, there are cameo appearances from friends, family, and acting peers who give personal anecdotes about their time with Lynda.
June 29, 2025
4 stars.
It's a bit weird listening to this one having not read anything by Lynda La Plante, I picked it up as I was attracted to the title when I saw it on Borrowbox and also because I love it when authors read their own books (especially autobiographies!). Lynda narrates this one brilliantly, albeit a bit too slowly for my liking - I really recommend speeding up the audiobook more than what you normally do - and having the different people in her life firstly contribute material to chapters and then subsequently read the associated material in the audiobook version was amazing! Some of them didn't have great spaces to record, there was a lot of background noise, but we were warned of this at the start and I thought overall added to the character of the book.
I knew close to nothing about Lynda La Plante before listening to this, it was really fun hearing in her own words about her own life (literally and figuratively), and now I really want to read a Jane Tennison book. Structure could have been a bit better though, timelines were all over the place and I struggled to follow in several places. She's also not shy to go into a lot of detail about what goes on behind the scenes, and her experience not only in writing but also in acting and in producing for tv made this interesting as it covers many of the things that she's been involved in.
It's a bit weird listening to this one having not read anything by Lynda La Plante, I picked it up as I was attracted to the title when I saw it on Borrowbox and also because I love it when authors read their own books (especially autobiographies!). Lynda narrates this one brilliantly, albeit a bit too slowly for my liking - I really recommend speeding up the audiobook more than what you normally do - and having the different people in her life firstly contribute material to chapters and then subsequently read the associated material in the audiobook version was amazing! Some of them didn't have great spaces to record, there was a lot of background noise, but we were warned of this at the start and I thought overall added to the character of the book.
I knew close to nothing about Lynda La Plante before listening to this, it was really fun hearing in her own words about her own life (literally and figuratively), and now I really want to read a Jane Tennison book. Structure could have been a bit better though, timelines were all over the place and I struggled to follow in several places. She's also not shy to go into a lot of detail about what goes on behind the scenes, and her experience not only in writing but also in acting and in producing for tv made this interesting as it covers many of the things that she's been involved in.
September 21, 2025
What a life this lady has had! And how good does she look for being in her eighties!! She has been an actress and played along side some very famous people. And the experiences she'd had with writing her books and seeing them as TV series, moves and series. And she lost ownership of her early books and had no say as they went onto the big screen. The issues with directors and producers who strayed from the story to attempt to make a best seller, makes for amazing reading. The number of times she was ignored and overlooked, not consulted was unbelievable. She does admit to getting knocked about and one time, it took her a while to recover but she is nothing if not resilient.
What impressed me in this book was the depth of research she goes to. In fact, I ordered two very early books she'd written because I had never heard of them. But hearing about the research led me to read The Intwined and Civvies. An amazing and talented lady, determined, head-strong and totally ethical in how authentic she must have her books. What a life!
What impressed me in this book was the depth of research she goes to. In fact, I ordered two very early books she'd written because I had never heard of them. But hearing about the research led me to read The Intwined and Civvies. An amazing and talented lady, determined, head-strong and totally ethical in how authentic she must have her books. What a life!
June 9, 2025
A cracking good read, Getting Away With Murder is part memoir and part how-to guide to becoming a writer. La Plante, known for being a prolific author of crime novels, started out on stage and rubbed shoulders with some very famous actors - so lots of humorous anecdotes there. But then she got into writing, starting with Prime Suspect, and this is where she found her niche. She loved researching for her novels, visiting the seedy side of town, going to prisons, police stations, and bordellos and really getting to know the type of people who gave her the inspiration for her characters. And from writing novels, she then got into screenwriting, turning some of her characters and storylines into television series. A lot of ups and downs on the way - but a very interesting and inspiring life.
January 25, 2025
I am a huge fan of Lynda’s books and tv and movie adaptations and feel like I have grown up with Prime Suspect, Widows, Trial and Retribution and this book does not disappoint. Lynda has a special way of writing that brings the reader in to the characters and this isn’t lost as we learn more about her life and all of the research she puts into every project she works on no matter whether it’s a small character in the story of the main lead she ensures everyone is created with love and respect and that’s why we still love her books all these years on. I love this book and love her attitude to life and can’t wait for more books to come.
October 20, 2024
What a joy this book is. Lynda La Plante has led a fascinating, colourful, challenging and frustrating life and yet has achieved so much! She is a talented writer and producer but there is oh so much more.
I part listened and part read this book. The audible book is expertly narrated by Lynda and includes guests talking about their viewpoints of events too.
For me, reading about Lynda’s life, made me realise what adversities she has faced and overcome to get to where she is now.
I met Lynda at a book festival and found her to be as down to earth and friendly as she sounds in her book.
A highly entertaining and informative read in which I feel like I have learnt a lot too.
I part listened and part read this book. The audible book is expertly narrated by Lynda and includes guests talking about their viewpoints of events too.
For me, reading about Lynda’s life, made me realise what adversities she has faced and overcome to get to where she is now.
I met Lynda at a book festival and found her to be as down to earth and friendly as she sounds in her book.
A highly entertaining and informative read in which I feel like I have learnt a lot too.
September 18, 2024
A great book a must read for any fan done a style only she could do
September 24, 2024
A decent autobiography, maybe a bit too much name dropping but interesting and open.
October 25, 2024
Good to have a insight of a great writer
January 3, 2025
Great to read the stories behind the stories
March 2, 2025
A wonderfully entertaining memoir, proving that truth really is stranger than fiction
April 10, 2025
some glimpses behind the curtain. show business product really Does have an interesting journey
September 25, 2024
I could not put this down. What an icon!
January 9, 2025
I have loved most of Lynda la Plante's crime novels and have enjoyed most of them. The early ones was fantastic later ones are a bit hit and miss.
This is her autobiography and it is such a boring read. Read first 100 pages and really didn't captivate me. Then skimmed some of later chapters and yeah not gonna waste any more of my life on this!
This is her autobiography and it is such a boring read. Read first 100 pages and really didn't captivate me. Then skimmed some of later chapters and yeah not gonna waste any more of my life on this!
April 6, 2025
This was a real delight. I listened to the audiobook. I’m not a huge autobiography reader but have loved La Plante’s books and compelling characters (Dolly Rawlinson, Jane Tennyson). Listening to Lynda tell her story and stories — her values and intentions and inspirations — was a delight. Thank you Lynda — what a remarkable human you are.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews