Killing Time

Bill Slider #6

by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Inspector Bill Slider enters the seedy London world of a slain erotic dancer, trying to find her killers without the aid of his recuperating sidekick Atherton, and amidst an unwelcome reconciliation sought by his estranged wife and the jealousy of his violinist girlfriend

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Procedural, Crime, British Literature, Suspense, Mystery Thriller

320 pages, Hardcover

First published December 5, 1996

About the author

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (aka Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett)

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.

She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.

She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.

In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.

Reviews

[Deb Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' Bill Slider series are solid police procedural stories with eclectic characters and insights into human nature woven into interesting plots. I've enjoyed this series from the beginning and look forward to working my way through it, albeit one at a time so as to enjoy the company.

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a series you can always depend upon for uncomplicated but clever plotting and a sensible denouement. The continuing supporting characters are well drawn and seem like old friends. In this entry, Slider's partner, Atherton, is in the hospital after a close call in their last case, and Slider himself probably should have taken some time off work before returning to the job as he has not quite recovered from his injuries in the same incident.

A gay performer seeks Slider's help after he has received death threats but has no proof of those threats or why he is a target. Slider can do nothing and before long, the performer is murdered and Slider is blaming himself. So begins a tour through the seedy nightlife in which the murder victim traveled and Slider is in for quite a few surprises. The author packs a lot of action into a short book but I did guess who the murderer was about halfway through the story......but that doesn't make it any less interesting.A good continuing series.

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read from Cynthia.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a series I find difficult to rate. Good writing, quite witty,endearing characters,but it feels too bland and predictable to me. In this particular book, it was so,so obvious who the culprit was and why,very early.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book 6 in the Bill Slider series taking place in England. He is a Metropolitan Police Department Detective Inspector.
In this book he is recovering from a work injury to his head and his best friend is in hospital from a serious wound. His coworkers think he may have returned to work too soon.
A walk in fellow requested his assistance and seemed very agitated and fearful. He had been receiving phone calls and threatening letters. His stage name is Jay Paloma and he works at a questionable club that caters to the unusual. The act is met with protests from the animal rights group in the area. Jay is roommates with Busty Parnell, dancer, stripper and sometime prostitute. Bill Slider has arrested her in the past.
A new murder has taken place and its Jay Paloma.
Detective Inspector Bill Slider has a temporary replacement for his partner, a female Ms Hart. She is determined to make a good impression and has the youthful exuberance to go with her sassy mouth.
Bill works the case in his usual way, checking all the facts and witness statements.
I like this series and learning the English words for the known American words like gold water is known as Scotch in America, brassic is broke and other words I had to look up in the dictionary.

[Shirley Hartman-Rozee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This can accurately be described as a police procedural, and a very good one at that. With Atherton in the hospital, Slider is paired with Hart, a temporary replacement for Atherton. Hart is a breath of fresh air in the Department, and she is a cool customer, saving Slider’s life at least twice. They are dealing with a murder of a club dancer, Jay Paloma, who is buying drugs to give to his lover, a politician who is being blackmailed; the drugs are payment to keep his mouth shut. Once again Ms Harrod-Eagles skillfully writes each character so that you know them quite well and feel sad at their demise. My favourite character in this book is Percival, a darling curmudgeon who has rooms directly below the murdered man’s apartment and skillfully aids the police investigation despite the fact that he bemoans losing four inches in height. I do so enjoy the author’s ability to breathe life even into secondary and tertiary characters.

[Susan Lewallen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is an amazingly prolific author in more than one genre and her London-based Bill Slider detective series is a hoot. I discovered her during the pandemic and gobbled up three of the books, grinning and chortling all the way at her sharp wit and wicked chapter-title puns. I woke my husband up a couple of times giggling in insomniac nights of reading. I had the sense to stop after 3 books, so I wouldn’t overindulge, but a year later, a PBT Detective tag was the perfect reason to read another. This time, Inspector Slider’s sidekick, Atherton, is in the hospital with “more tubes through him than Kings Cross.” An new underling is encouraged to use his superior’s first name, but does so “with all the ease of a Victorian virgin naming a private part.” Delightful. I read for different reasons at different times and, so far, these books haven’t let me down when I needed lighthearted escape.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading these in order, since the through-story pretty much requires it: the ongoing and developing relationships between the main characters are important. As usual in this series, these characters are likable and engaging, and there are many genuinely funny puns and jokes as they tease each other. This one includes cockney rhyming slang. The author explicitly mentions it once, to bring the reader's attention to it, and then has her characters use it occasionally, not always with explanation. So I learned that hampsteads=Hampstead Heath=teeth; gold watch=scotch; pen=pen and ink=stink; ginger=ginger beer=queer. Who knew? The reader has to be pretty alert, and I imagine I missed some. And on top of all that, a very good mystery: the villain was obvious, once revealed, but I was successfully fooled until the very end.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Should be 3.75 stars.

Detective Inspector Bill Slider investigates the death of a male exotic dancer, Jay Paloma, who had come to Slider asking for help. Paloma claimed the head received threatening letters but had torn them up. Slider still has headache from the beating he took during the investigation in the previous book. That investigation put Atherton, his partner & friend, in the hospital with serious injuries.

The case soon involves possible connections to other investigations. Slider's personal life has become more complicated due to developments with his lover, Joanne, his wife, Irene, and Atherton's temporary replacement, Hart, an attractive young woman.

[Sarah Hearn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy a Bill Slider novel although this one, with Atherton in the hospital, was less amusing than others. The plot was excellent as usual and well laid out with clues peppered through (although you have to know to see them as such). The personalities that Slider meets are engaging, and as usual the author gives you a good feeling of how they speak and think. This book is the introduction of DC Hart, whom you meet in later books, she is a strong, smart-ass woman (as she needs to be in the police) with a good brain and good instincts.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining mystery, though once again I guessed the solution before Bill Slider did. Bill Slider's new temporary sidekick (while Atherton recovers from a knife attack) is enjoyable, but no replacement for Atherton. I am struck once again by Slider's stupidity in relationships, despite being a reasonably competent detective. However, the rest of the book makes up for having to read about his emotional entanglements.

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to enjoy these, although this instalment was again a little dated in some of the language used and attitudes portrayed. I keep guessing the murderer, which makes me feel very clever. The Slider/Irene/Joanna on-going complications are well done.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I knew the villain immediately, it was fun to watch Slider finally put all the clues together. I missed Atherton being at Silder's side, but enjoyed Hart & was glad Atherton still had a role to play.

[Evelyn Sherlock · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read Harrod-Eagles books before and thoroughly enjoyed them. This was a disappointment, I didn't like the faux London accents, the way it was written, the attempts at humour which for me failed. I won't be reading any more in this series

[ElaineY · Rating 2 out of 5]

So tedious I stopped at 80%. And I cringed at the phone call between Irene and Slider when she finds out about Joanna.

I keep going (with this series), hoping I'll reach one that'll have a bit of suspense. So far I havent been at all impressed.

[Harriet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good plot, most of the same cast. Always fun to read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic! best one so far in a fine series

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great series loving it highly recommend

[Elizabeth Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mundane

Not particularly gripping and certainly not a page turner. Lots of padding that is a bit tedious and doesn’t help things along

[Ellen F · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the British slang... until I didn't. It messed up the pacing, at least for me.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

DI Bill Slider’s colleague DS Jim Atherton is in hospital recovering from a stab wound. Slider has gone back to work rather too soon after nearly having his skull fractured in the same incident. A new DC has been allocated to Slider to help with the workload but he wonders whether she might cause more problems than she solves. Feeling like a fish out of water without Atherton and trying to cope with crashing headaches, Slider is presented with a murder case which seems totally baffling the more he learns about it.

Poison pen letters, threats and mysteries galore make this is a page turner which I found I couldn’t put down until all the mysteries had been unravelled. It took me more than two thirds of the book to work out who did the murder. This is a darker book than some I have read in this series but it still has little in the way of bad language and on the page violence. I enjoyed the way the relationship between Atherton and Slider is being developed and I think Slider’s separation from his wife Irene and its ups and downs was convincing.

The seamy side of London life is well to the fore in this book but it is never overdone and I found the characters believable and convincing as were their motivations. If you like your crime stories with some depth but without too much gritty realism then this series may be the one for you. This is number six in the series.

[DolphinBlue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Consistently Entertaining

It is hard to distinguish, ratings-wise, one installment from the other, they are all so constantly interesting and well-written. The witticisms, English dialect and customs add fresh elements versus other mystery series I've read. The continuing personal storylines complete the scene perfectly. Can't wait to read #7.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this one right after finishing the earlier novel. I had to find out what happened to Atherton, one of my favorite characters. He's typical of Harrod-Eagles's snappy word-play.

This novel was quite touching, especially since it dealt with people who are generally thought of as not worth the effort. Here, there are several characters just trying to get by, and Slider taking them seriously and seeking justice. This is one of his fine characteristics.

I must admit that I'm getting tired of Irene--she's not well developed despite her frequent appearances. I am fond of the other characters, though. Slider himself is a kind of naif, but a good guy.

[Gabi Coatsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy these contemporary mysteries set in West London, partly because it's my old stamping ground. But even if you don't know Shepherd's Bush and East Acton, you'll still get the flavour of the place, and Bill Slider, the detective in this series, is a character whose personal story develops through the novels so that I have to keep reading. Recommended for lovers of British contemporary police procedurals with a sense of place.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series the best when the books have a strong musical component. This one doesn't. I was also able to guess the perpetrator before I got close to the end. I have decided that Bill Slider is probably the most passive detective in any of the series I have read. It seems unlikely that someone like that would become a policeman let alone a DI.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One if her best so far.

[Tracyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Bill Slider series is a very good police procedural series set in the UK. I remember them as being very heavy on the personal lives of the protagonist and the other regulars in the series.

[Kyrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the mystery because it wasn't obvious. I loved the introduction of Hart and Hollis. Hart more than made up for Atherton's lesser role. I think this series is my new favorite.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent characters and multiple story-lines, some of which come together in the end.