Lynda La Plante, best known for creating the Prime Suspect TV series, has an ear for writing that can be listened to. Judas Horse is the second outing of her promising police detective Jack Warr. He has been seconded from the Met to investigate a wave of increasingly brutal burglaries in the Cotswolds; La Plante has fun naming and shaming the indecently wealthy celebrities who throng the streets of Charlbury. When suspicion settles on Charlotte Miles, the owner of a stables, Warr risks using her as a “Judas horse” — a trained horse that lures in wild ones. There is lots of creeping around dark houses and wicked women (a La Plante speciality).
Warr’s rich backstory and his touchingly tender relationship with Maggie, his beloved wife, keep the listener hooked to the last. You don’t need to have listened to his origins in Buried, but I recommend it. It too is read by Alex Hassell, whose time with the Royal Shakespeare Company and playing multiple roles with the pop-up Factory Theatre Company, explains the high quality of his narration. Well matched to Warr in darkly brooding good looks and brisk confidence, he would be a great choice as the lead in a television version.
The Judas Horse by Lynda La Plante, read by Alex Hassell, Zaffre, 9hr 33min
