Buried Secrets by Lisa Cutts is a police procedural novel which is very well done and enjoyable to read, although it’s not particularly unusual or brilliant. There are a lot of police procedural crime novels around and most of them are excellent entertainment, as is this one, so it takes something very special to stand out.
This novel starts with a Detective Inspector being seriously injured on his way to work in a car accident. DI Harry Powell is tasked with visiting the injured man’s wife and informing her of the situation. When he arrives at the house he finds that she has been murdered.
This makes for an interesting investigation. Has the injured DI killed his wife and tried to flee ? Did he know that his wife was dead ? Was his accident really an accident ? Are the two events even related ? Who was really the target of the murderer and why ? The investigating team soon reveal hidden secrets in the family of the dead woman, some of which may or may not be relevant. They also begin to uncover suspected corruption within the police service itself which means that they find it difficult to know who or what to trust.
This is the second in a series featuring the same characters but the fact that I hadn’t read the first didn’t affect my understanding of this story. The writer shows how suspicion and doubt affect working and family relationships and how deep an investigation may have to delve into the lives of the victims. There are a couple of minor twists but otherwise the plot is well constructed and coherent.
If you are looking for a crime novel which won’t disappoint then this one will probably be fine for you. If I saw other books in this series I would certainly buy them.
Anne Is Reading 