Great Police Procedural

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Judas Horse is the second book in a police procedural series by Lynda La Plante.

DS Jack Warr is at it again. He’s sent to rural England to shake up the investigation into three years worth of burglaries. The impetus is a dog who has been stabbed unnecessarily. While most of the robberies have resulted in insurance reimbursement and a “victimless crime,” the murder of a dog makes the police worry that the robbery crew are becoming violent.

Jack has a problem with authority. Always has. So he helps those below him in rank get better, almost instinctively. But he pulls a bunch of head games on those above him until he eventually makes an enemy on his case who is his superior. I’m guessing this will happen in each book in the series.

The actual crimes require serious detective work and that’s where Jack shines. It’s hard to read some of this book, especially the part about an autistic adult beaten by thugs and Jack’s gratitude that his daughter isn’t special needs. Great buddy, she’s a few months old but thanks for your pity.

This one’s a thriller and other than the fumbling around the issue of disabilities, trying and failing to be sensitive, the book was good. But I did knock it down from a five-star read because of those specific sections.