Buried by Lynda La Plante – Review.

About The Book

DC Jack Warr and his girlfriend Maggie have just moved to London to start a new life together. Though charming, Jack can’t seem to find his place in the world – until he’s drawn into an investigation that turns his life upside down.

In the aftermath of a fire at an isolated cottage, a badly charred body is discovered, along with the burnt remains of millions of stolen, untraceable bank notes.

Jack’s search leads him deep into a murky criminal underworld – a world he finds himself surprisingly good at navigating. But as the line of the law becomes blurred, how far will Jack go to find the answers – and what will it cost him?

My Review

Even though I have watched numerous dramatisations of Lynda La Plante’s novels this is the first that I have read. And what an introduction it is! Even though it is the start of a series featuring a new team of detectives there are strong links to the book series Widows. I was pleased that I knew that storyline, even though I would have still enjoyed this novel without knowing anything about it.

My first reaction when reading this novel was that the author writes in away that reflects her enthusiasm and personality when she is being interviewed. At a very past pace and one that is very refreshing. Jack, her lead, wasn’t a saint and he often came to close to crossing the fine line in more than just criminal activity. He was probably one of the more convincing fictional detective I have met when reading crime fiction. You saw his strengths, his weaknesses and his frustration at having his efforts ignored or not being able to be proven. You also saw his devotion to his partner and his adoptive parents and the guilt he felt with his ongoing determination to find his birth father. With his team members I felt a combination of liking, annoyance and sympathy towards all three. None of these characters approached their jobs in the same way, again I felt this was a true reflection of detection.

The women that Jack was investigating were people that I struggled to judge. Some I had a lot of sympathy for, a couple I really liked and wanted to know more about. Some of them made me laugh and there were more poignant moments the more I read. I would definitely be interested in reading the Widows series and I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this series.