Buried by Lynda La Plante

Good Day!  I hope all of you are surviving your enforced time at home.  There are so many resources available online for those who have children to homeschool.  I wish these resources had been available when I homeschooled my daughter.  You can take virtual trips of museums, download books and audiobooks for free (go to Audible), study guide are available from different publishers and so much more.  Let your fingers do the walking on Bing where you can earn points to purchase gift cards (5500 points gets you a $5 Amazon gift card). You can use those gift cards to purchase some reading material for yourself. Anchored Inn by Karen MacInerney is the 10th A Gray Whale Inn Mystery and is now out.  Daybreak by Vannetta Chapman is the third novel in the Cyber Division series.  It releases on April 6. 

Buried by Lynda La Plante has DC Jack Warr and his partner, Maggie have moved to London from Devon.  Jack has been assigned to the Serious Crime Squad under DCI Simon Ridley.  Jack has yet to find his niche in the police force.  Jack should have been a detective inspector by now.  He has the skills, but Jack lacks ambition.  Then comes along a case that excites him.  Rose Cottage in Aylesbury was set on fire.  Inside they found a body along with over a million pounds of burnt bank notes stolen from a train in 1995.  The robbers were never caught, and this is the first break they have had in the case.  Jack soon finds himself drawn into the criminal underworld searching for the robbers and the killer.  It seems that Jack has found his forte.  Jack needs to be careful because he could find himself breaking a few rules in his search for the truth.  

Buried by Lynda La Plante is the debut novel of DC Jack Warr series.  This is the author’s first new series in five years and Lynda La Plante is currently working on the script for Buried.  I found Buried to be well-written with complex characters and an intriguing crime.  DC Jack Warr and his partner, Maggie have moved to London.  The made the move because Maggie will have more opportunities in London to further her career as an orthopedic surgeon.  Jack’s career has been stagnant thanks to his lack of ambition and he has not found an area of police work that excites him.  DCI Simon Ridley decides to give Jack a chance and gives him a place in his Serious Crime Squad.  Then a case from Aylesbury is brought to the unit’s attention and Jack cannot wait to dive into the investigation.  When investigators were able to enter the remains of Rose Cottage, they found a body along with over a million pounds in burnt currency that is now obsolete.  The money was from the 1995 robbery of a train where over 30 million pounds were stolen.  Police never identified the robbers nor had any solid leads.  Jack is quick to dive into the case which takes him into the murky criminal world where a person can quickly find themselves breaking a few rules while searching for answers.  Jack is also dealing with the death of his adopted father who provides him with a file of information that will help him find information on his biological father.  Jack begins digging into the past and uncovers some surprising information.  I found the case to be interesting, though, I was disappointed that the answers are revealed as the book progresses instead of at the end.  One of the reasons I like to read mysteries is because I like solving the case.  The story plays out with flashbacks into the past revealing key details of the crime and about Jack.  Buried is a police procedural story involving the Serious Crime Squad which consists of DCI Ridley, DS Laura Wade, DC Anik Joshi, and DC Jack Warr.   There is intrigue, tricky characters, gangs, stolen money and much more.  It is a multifaceted novel with everything tying together into a cohesive whole.  The ending was unresolved (cliffhanger).  I wonder if the case will continue in the next DC Jack Warr novel.  I did like the epilogue.  I was confused, though, at times and felt I was missing something.   I did not know that this series ties into the Widows series by this author.  I believe it would have been beneficial if I had read Widows, Widow’s Revenge and She’s Out.  I do want you to know that there is foul language and  intimate innuendos (and comments) in this book.  Buried is a fascinating mystery with a flaming fire, police procedures, a by-the-book boss, clever criminals, and a conflicted character.  

Buried will be out on April 7 and it is available from Amazon* (as well as other major retailers like Waterstone's, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo).  The Widows series consists of Widows, Widow's Revenge, and She's Out. You can find other novels by Lynda La Plante here.  I appreciate you reading my review today.  Tomorrow I am featuring The Spitfire Girl:  Over & Out by Fenella J. Miller.  It is the fourth novel in The Spitfire Girl series.  I hope you have a creative day.  We all need a creative outlet (gardening, baking, card making, interior design, etc.).  Here is a little book humor:  Friend--How long does it take you to fall in love?  Me--Oh, a couple of chapters usually.  Take care, stay safe and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader

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