I don't think it was book one - it was one of them I'd picked up for a plane ride one time. But, er, there was a certain amount of the Sergeant having Issues because of her class and them, of course, turning out to be totally wrong, while Lynley sort of patronized her about said Issues. Plus there was a fair bit of drumming on about her slobbishness and ugliness; fair enough, she doesn't have to be pretty but combined with the other stuff I just got the impression the author had a low view of the working classes all round. Especially when they go up against people who know better. But I haven't read any others so maybe that changes/or is just in one? (Or I imagined it? :) )

I think there's plenty of Americans who write in that tradition of the English polite detective, but hard boiled detective fiction is another beast entirely and has much more obvious (to my mind, at any rate) issues with corruption and wealth.