About The Book
Do you know what a Judas Horse is? When the wild mustangs are running free, you corral one and train it. When he’s ready, you release him and he’ll bring his team back into the corral – like Judas betraying them…’
Violent burglars have been terrorising residents across the English countryside. But when a mutilated body is discovered in a Cotswolds house, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary group of opportunist thieves.
As Detective Jack Warr investigates, he discovers locals with dark secrets, unearths hidden crimes – and hits countless dead ends. With few leads and the violent attacks escalating, he will have to act as audaciously as the criminals if he hopes to stop them.
When Warr meets Charlotte Miles, a terrified woman with links to the group, he must use her to lure the unsuspecting killers into one last job, and into his trap. But with the law already stretched to breaking point, any failure will be on Warr’s head – and any more blood spilled, on his hands
My Review
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. Judas Horse is the second book in the Jack Warr series. This series is the only one that I have read by this author and I need to make a determined effort to catch up with a few others. Whilst I liked the previous book, Buried, I enjoyed this one a lot more. It proved that it could stand on its own without the connection to the Widows series. You could read this without reading the former but I would recommend reading them in order.
Jack has calmed down a lot since the events in Buried. He has just become a father and has come to terms with finding out his own father’s identity. He is settled into his new home with the wonderful Maggie, young Hannah and his mother. He enjoys his job more and appears to be less of a hothead and in this novel he is helping a team in the Cotswolds solve a series of house crimes that are getting increasingly violent. But he is no walkover and there is a power struggle within that team that causes more problems than it solves.
I think Jack is a great character. He is encouraging to the less experienced officers and handles the team from Oxford brilliantly. I would love to see that ‘partnership’ in further novels. I can see a lot of animosity ahead! The way he was with the witnesses and the victims showed compassion but a determination not to be ignored or patronised.
Maggie is also a great character. Grounded and loving and she knows that her man isn’t a saint. But she is prepared to let him think that he believes everything she is told because she knows that what he does is done is with a good heart.
It is quite brutal at times but I feel it is more intimidating because of the rural, usually peaceful setting and also because of who is on the receiving end. Nobody is safe from these criminals.
Judas Horse is a great addition to this new series and I’m looking forward to book three and keeping my fingers crossed that like the other books that it will be televised.
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