Buried

In contrast to La Plante’s breakout Prime Suspect books, police procedurals that took an unflinching look at sexism directed against female officers, this series kickoff offers mostly soap opera. Det. Constable Jack Warr, “a strikingly attractive man” with “a naturally attractive physique that looked great in anything,” works for London’s Serious Crime Squad, where his lack of ambition keeps him from advancing in the force. He gets an opportunity to prove himself after a corpse is found in a burned-out cottage in Aylesbury, along with almost £2 million in cash that appears to be linked to a decades-old case—“the biggest train robbery [Britain] had ever seen.” Warr’s ability to focus on the inquiry is hampered by news that the man he considers his real father is diagnosed with terminal cancer; that spurs Warr to seek out his biological father, who just might be a crook with a connection to the train theft. Awkward prose (“Even mumbling through a half-eaten biscuit, Laura thought his mouth looked lovely”) is another negative. Nothing in this subpar outing suggests a return to form any time soon. (Apr.)