.
This is book three in a series but I was able to read it fairly well as a stand-alone story although there were some references to previous events.
I found this book to be a little overlong and involved too much of the lead characters' almost too perfect family life. The main plot held my interest however and involved drug dealing on a massive scale and violent murder. This I think is a series best read in order and will appeal to fans of Lynda La Plante more than it did to me

This is Lynda La Plante at her very best. It's even better than Buried, which introduced Detective Jack Warr. I've been reading Lynda's novels since the mid-1980s and can't think of any other writer who has the same ability to produce new and absorbing plots.
Vanished is full of satisfying twists and turns. DS Jack Warr is surely the most likeable detective in fiction today, always willing to bend the rules when needs must. This is one of Lynda's most intensely mysterious premises and moves with breathtaking pace and precision.

With any Lynda La Plante book, you know you are going to be reading a well concocted story that will weave across a variety of characters that you will quickly know and understand. This next story in the detective Jack Warr series is engaging from the very first chapter. You may believe you're getting to know about a very strange and eccentric widow who believes that a former lodger is making her life hell, but she is quickly murdered in a devastating manner.
Warr’s boss is behaving strangely and the detective’s home life, with a future wife directing their marriage plans with an over-exacting intensity, builds the story in various different directions, but never strays away from the central premise, until you learn more.
The detective finds a range of outbuildings that are being used for illegal purposes and Jack is asked to take a secondary role to another Police Department brought in to investigate. All of a sudden we don't know if we're dealing with the British or Dutch illegal connection, whether the lodger still exists, who his girlfriend is and why the story is dealing with art, stolen or forged.
Linda La Plante’s story writing is excellent as always and is guaranteed to keep you gripped until the very last page. While I received a free copy of this book, my review isn't changed at all as this writer continues to bring the very best of British crime to the bookstore. I can't wait until the next in this series. The best quality of this writer is her ability to encourage the reader to get inside all of the characters and be taken along for the ride.

Avril Jenkins, a 70 year old eccentric widow, has made several reports to the police about harassment and burglaries by her former lodger, Adam Border, but none have been taken seriously. DC Jack Warr is one of the few to suspect there substance to her case… and then Avril is found brutally murdered…

This is the third of Lynda La Plante’s novels to feature Dr Jack Warr, but it’s not necessary to have read the two preceding novels in order to enjoy this one. Leap in right here.

Enjoyed reading about Jack Warr as a character; he’s enjoyably nuanced. All in all, I thought this was a well-written crime thriller that kept me turning the pages.

I’m late to the Lynda La Plante party – this is the first of her books that I’ve read. She is undoubtedly a writer at the top of her game.

Recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zaffre publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This the third outing for the DC Jack Warr series and it's one of the best yet.
If you haven't read the previous two don't worry it can be read as a stand alone.
Avril is a little bit eccentric to say the least, and when she makes a report to say she is being stalked no one takes her seriously apart from Jack.
But when she found murdered things change direction and what Jack discovers from her past makes Jack look into his own past and how a decision could have changed his life,and not for the better.

With his upcoming wedding and to try and find out what happened to Avril takes it's toll and with the main suspect Adam Border disappearing doesn't help matters.

This is a brilliant book of international drug dealing, art and forgery with a wonderful plot.

Book 3 in the DC Jack Warr series and the best one yet.

Full of twists to keep the pages turning. I was totally hooked. This us a great series and I can't wait to read more. A brilliant 5 🌟 police thriller.

An elderly lady reports she is being stalked and no one believes her till DS Jack Warr takes over the case from another police station against there resistance and this leads him to an international drugs ring and the murder of the old lady.
The story flows easily and Jack`s character is very likeable and involves his personal life and his impending marriage.
I found it easy to read but a bit long and I got lost in the middle with the drug story. but would definitely read her next book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Having seen several of Lynda’s TV series in the past, it really was about time I actually read one of her books. DS Jack Warr is an engaging character who had a difficult start in life but now has a lovely family and successful career. He is warm and kind but has a gritty determination to find the truth at all costs. When a rather eccentric elderly lady keeps calling the police complaining of an intruder who steals bizarre objects, many believe she is imagining it or is just lonely or confused. Jack however, digs a bit deeper but gets no answers before her body is found, horrifically murdered. The story develops at an alarming pace revealing an incredibly complex plot that twists and turns with sub plots aplenty. As Jack gets closer to the truth, he finds his own career in jeopardy but is determined to bring those responsible to justice. The characters in this book really make it stand out. They are all strong, distinctive and criminals apart, are likable. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and as there were a few unanswered questions remaining, I can’t wait to read the next in the series.

This is book 3 in a series which I hadn’t realised. I don’t think you need to have read books 1 & 2 but possibly it would have helped explain a bit of background to our main characters.

At the start, I quite liked Jack but soon discovered him to be quite manipulative and I felt a bit let down by his choices. Also felt sorry for his colleagues.

The main storyline seemed a bit slow to progress but at the same time had lots of other storylines going on. Some of them I’m not sure were necessary.

There wasn’t a lot of violence but I did find the murder scene quite horrid!

Overall I enjoyed the book and when reading it I thought a few times it would make a good tv show.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first Lynda la Plant book I’ve read…I’m now off to buy the lot!! What a fantastic book, it is the 3rd in a series however it read easily as a stand alone. Such an interesting plot, it rolled along at speed keeping me up until after 3am last night, I had to finish it it was so absorbing. Believable characters, twists and turns galore, not too much violence, a bit of humour and a nice wedding to make me cry!
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review

This is book three of this series so, although the main story is self-contained, to get the very best from the characters re backstory and development, I do recommend you start from book one and read in order.
So, what starts off as an elderly lady being dismissed when she reports her former lodger stalking her swiftly degenerates into a multi national drug ring when she is brutally murdered! In fact, going back, it is actually only Jack who takes her seriously but sadly, not in time to save her. But he can make up for it now as he throws himself into the case. And even though the case escalates very very quickly, there was never anything that felt either forced or too far fetched. Everything was plotted with due care and attention and the narrative flowed well throughout.
Outside the main plot, we also see a bit more of Jack and his home life, as well as his relationships with others, giving him a more rounded personality. Never in any danger of overshadowing what is going on in the case, but good background and development nonetheless.
Pacing is good and matches the narrative all the way through. Characters, both main and extras, are all well described and play their parts to aplomb. And the ending, when it came, well, looking back at when I started the book, I never thought we were going there!?
All in all, a cracking addition to what is shaping up to be a solid series. Roll on next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Another excellent read from La Plante .
Jack Warr is back in the third book of the series.
Jack is asked to look into a case of theft and possible stalking which is reported by an eccentric old lady called Avril.
The case quickly escalates and Avril is found murdered and dismembered , and what ensues is an investigation into an international drug ring as well as art forgery.
The writing is excellent , and the plot is fast paced and kept me reading late in to the night .
I like the character of Jack Warr both his insecurities due to his past and his double edged natured where he could easily be on the wrong side of the law make him an interesting and at times fallible character.
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
A great read!

I got this book not realising it was the third in the series. Its easy enough to read as a stand alone but I definitely felt I would have benefitted from reading the first two to get a bit more understanding into Jack's character. An entertaining, well paced whodunnit. Would definitely recommend

Jack Warr is asked to investigate when an old lady, Avril, has made multiple complaints of theft and harrassment. As Jack is about to dismiss the case, Avril is found murdered and the subsequent investigation shows up some surprising results.
This was an easy read with a good plot. Not sure the blast from the past was necessary.
But I couldn't like the main character. Just when we thought Jack had a good personal life, we find out about the other side of his character and I was disappointed.

I enjoyed this book, the third in the Jack Warr series although I haven’t read any of the previous novels that didn’t detract from the story.
Jack is asked to checkout reports from an elderly widow who appears to have been wasting police time with multiple reports of minor burglaries and stalking by her former lodger. Just when Jack is about to conclude that Avril is indeed a time waster she turns up dead. What follows is a fast paced tale of international drugs gangs, forgery and art theft as well as murder.
I found Jack to be a likeable character and look forward to the inevitable TV series.

This was only the 2nd book by Lynda that I’ve read and although it’s the third in the series it reads as a stand alone. It was interesting and also exciting at times and I loved it. In fact I’ve bought the first two in this series already which shows how much I enjoyed this one. I can understand why Lynda is so successful with her books if this is what her others are like. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

When an eccentric widow complains to the police that she has a regular intruder that sometimes steals items but at other times is trying to just scare her, it is initially thought that she is imagining it. When days later she is found brutally murdered and a massive drugs operation is discovered in the grounds it is time to take this seriously.

Typical Lynda La Plante writing - totally gripping

This is an enthralling reader which does not at any point bore the reader with unnecessary description. Every word is relevant to the engrossing story as it unfolds. DS Jack Warr takes seriously the accusations of a grumpy widow in a large house with vast grounds. She maintains her former gardener is stalking her. Then she is murdered and it becomes evident that the estate is crucial to a drugs ring. Jack is getting married as the book unfolds and his personality is cleverly developed. He is not what seems. He becomes involved in tracking down an international drugs ring with potentially harmful consequences for him and his family. This book is a must. One of the author’s best! I strongly recommend it.

Lynda La Plante is an excellent storyteller and this is another gripping and entertaining crime story. It kept hooked and guessing till the end.
The plot is complex, full of twists, and I wasn't able to guess the culprit or the twists.
The characters are fleshed out and interesting.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I used to be a massive fan of this author but for some reason I haven’t read her for years. My loss. I didn’t realise until I’d finished it that this was book 3 of the DC Jack Warr series so clearly it can be read as a stand alone novel. I however will be reading the two previous one as this was so good. I mean blindingly good. Unputdownable. A page turner. Brilliant. And all those often dragged out expressions for an amazing read.

Briefly, the very eccentric Avril has reported she is being stalked. No one but Jack believes her. But when she is murdered the investigation into her life and death give us insight into Jack’s own upbringing and how close he came to ending up on the wrong side of the law. As the investigation continues It becomes a complex and far reaching case involving Art Theft/ Forgery, international drug dealing and murder. The prime suspect, Adam Border, however cannot be found. Jack finds himself having to deal with his own wedding whilst becoming more desperate by the hour to locate the missing suspect to the end that he takes matters into his own hand. So how far will he go?

Jack is a wonderful character, he doesn’t get close to many people but he is a determined and dogged officer who has a kind and caring side. There are a number of threads to the story, masterfully interwoven and meeting seamlessly. A very cleverly written thriller with a complex and well thought through plot which I simply could not put down, and it’s quite a long book! I’m ready for the next in the series please. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️