Buried

Lynda La Plante

Apr 2020 · Detective Jack Warr Book 1 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this eBook

The first book in a brand-new series by Lynda La Plante, the international bestselling author who "practically invented the thriller." (Karin Slaughter)

Millions of stolen, untraceable bank notes lie untouched in an old Victorian cottage, the hidden legacy of the Dolly Rawlins and her widows.

But the millions are not forgotten. Released from prison, Esther Freeman is determined to retrieve the money. And so too is Mike Withey, Shirley Miller's brother and Audrey's son.

When a fire breaks out at the derelict cottage, with a badly charred body inside along with what looks like thousands of burnt bank notes, it attracts the attention of the police and one young detective in particular, Jack Warr.

Jack's investigation into the fire, and the burnt body inside, coincide with an investigation into his own past. Adopted at birth, Jack discovers his birth father may have been none other than Harry Rawlins, a renowned criminal.

As he finds out the truth about his own identity, Jack finds himself becoming increasingly aggressive, stopping at nothing to find the truth - including breaking the law himself.

Ratings and reviews

This is a the start of a new series starring Jack Warr but I thought it was cool that characters from her previous books also played a part. I enjoyed reading more about the widows (Angela, Connie, et al) and their heist so long ago. I must say, I liked their parts better than Jack's mostly because I got annoyed at him going off on his own search for identity, instead of focusing on the case he was assigned to with the unidentified body found in the burned down cottage. Though that turned out okay because his search led to some answers to other things. But aside from that, it was a fun thriller to read and I enjoyed the various twists and turns that led to an enjoyable conclusion. I would not mind reading more about Jack, especially if the widows show up again!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* First heard of this book on bookish first and later found it on netgalley, I did really like this book and only want to read the first book in this series even more but I did have one big problem with this book and it was the excessive fatphobic comments. they were just never ending and so so uncalled for! giving it a 4 star but only bc im rounding up from 3.5. I did really like the characters and since I recently read widows revenge it was really cool to read a book with such a big time jump. nlg I knew who jack was pretty early in the book, before I knew his moms name tbh but it was, fatphobia aside, a good, entertaining book and im interested in the rest of the series!!

This is the first book in a brand new series by this author featuring the debut of DC Jack Warr. When a house fire is determined to have started by an arsonist, DC Jack Warr is called to investigate when a burned body is found inside. What they also find is millions of stolen, untraceable bank notes, most all burned. Jack's investigation into the fire, and the burnt body inside, coincide with an investigation into his own past. Adopted at birth, Jack discovers his birth father may have been none other than Harry Rawlins, a renowned criminal. This crime .. and the investigation.. will take Jack from the crime today to another crime 20-some years ago to another crime committed a few years ago. After reading this author's Anna Travis series, I was expecting this to be well written, with a tightly woven plot and complex characters. I wasn't disappointed. There are multiple characters from three different times that keep the reader riveted to the story. Jack makes an interesting lead character. I did like the way his past is brought into the present. There are some surprises along the way leading to an unexpected conclusion. This is an excellent beginning to what looks to be an exciting and gripping crime fiction series. Many thanks to the author / Zaffre Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

About the author

Lynda La Plante was born in Liverpool. She is the author of nearly forty novels, all of which have been bestsellers. She trained for the stage at RADA and worked with the National theatre and RDC before becoming a television actress. She then turned to writing—and made her breakthrough with the phenomenally successful TV series Widows.

Lynda's original script for the much-acclaimed Prime Suspect won awards from BAFTA, Emmys, British Broadcasting and Royal Television Society as well as the 1993 Edgar Allan Poe Award.

Lynda is an honorary fellow of the British Film Institute and was awarded the BAFTA Dennis Potter Best Writer's Award in 2000. In 2008, she was awarded a CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to Literature, Drama and Charity.

Lynda La Plante is the first lay person to be awarded an honorary fellowship to the Forensic Science Society. In 2020 she launched the acclaimed Listening to the Dead podcast with former CSI Cass Sutherland, exploring forensic science and its impact on solving crimes.