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

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.

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.

Buried is a new book from this author, introducing the reader to D.C. Jack Warr. Having just transferred to London from Devon so his partner Maggie a trainee surgeon can gain more experience, he is thrown into the case of an unknown corpse found in a burnt out cottage with over a million pounds in ashes in the fireplace. Jack appears to be an apathetic police officer with little ambition or drive, but when this case is linked to a £27 million train robbery in the past he starts realising his potential and has a real gut instinct for things. The connection to the past takes us back to the era of Dolly and Harry Rawlings of ‘Widows’ fame and the story moves seamlessly from past to present. Jack was adopted at the age of 5 and his adoptive father is now terminally ill, as Jack discovers some links in this case to his as yet unknown biological father he investigates his own past as well as the present case. There are many threads weaving their way through both cases, lots of twists and turns and a cast of great characters, well described and full of personality. Gradually Jack gains motivation and starts enjoying his work finally impressing his boss DCI Ridley who had begin to think he’d made a mistake bringing Jack onto his team. I personally thought the investigation into the train robbery was interesting but the whole aspect of Jack finding his birth father seemed very disjointed and odd in the book. I felt it took away from Jack's character and the whole robbery investigation.

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.