A series of burglaries among rich countryside occupants leads the local force to request external help. Detective Jack Warr is dispatched to the Cotswolds to aid the investigation. However, his methods lead to conflict within the team. Can Jack unite the police to capture the burglar before they escalate to violence and even murder…?
Judas Horse is the second book by Lynda La Plante to feature Jack Warr, a detective whose moral sense of justice sometimes sees him flouting the law. It isn’t necessary to have read the first book as there are no spoilers but Buried was great so I would recommend reading it!
Jack Warr’s character is hugely likeable and entertaining. Personally, he has a newborn baby and is adapting to life without his biological and adopted fathers. Professionally, he is trustworthy but an irritant to his fellow officers, playing witnesses, manipulating and disregarding protocol. He was instrumental in solving a complicated crime within his own locality so he is transferred to the countryside when they struggle to deal with a spate of burglaries which are escalating.
The case itself becomes more intricate than it initially appears. The burglaries are getting more violent and Warr urgently needs to find out how the burglars are accessing information. He needs a Judas Horse (see book blurb for a definition!) Jack soon has suspects in mind but needs to go undercover to find the truth and cach the ringleaders.
The relationships between Jack and the other characters underpin the whole book and make it very enjoyable. He is a master at reading people, recognising their strengths and weaknesses. He then uses this for his own ends and I think the police should be grateful he is on their side!
Judas Horse is an engaging and action filled police thriller from a confident author.
Book blurb:
Judas Horse – Lynda La Plante
The brand new Detective Jack Warr thriller from the Queen of Crime Drama, Lynda La Plante – now available to pre-order in hardback, eBook and audiobook.
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‘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…
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