One Under

Bill Slider #18

by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

For a policeman, there are some questions that have to be asked even if you don t want to know the answers . . .
A middle-aged man jumps under a tube train at Shepherd s Bush station, and a teenage girl is killed in a hit-and-run, in a country lane puzzlingly far from her home on the White City Estate: two unrelated incidents which occupy DCI Bill Slider and his team during a slack period. At least it s a change of speed after the grind of domestics, burglaries and Community Liaison.
But links to a cold case another dead teenager, pulled out of the River Thames create doubts as to whether they are indeed unrelated. And slowly a trail of corruption and betrayal is uncovered, leading Slider and his firm ever deeper into a morass of horror."

Genres: Mystery, Crime, British Literature, Fiction, Procedural, Audiobook

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2015

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

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up.

One under is the term used to describe a person killed by being hit by a train.

This was possibly the darkest Bill Slider book so far and it was a doozy! One Sunday DCI Slider (promoted at the end of the previous book) heads out to Uxbridge after a courtesy call from opposite number to check out a hit and run death. Kaylee Adam’s, 15 years old, lies dead in a ditch. What was she doing so far from home? How did she get there? And why are her strappy sandals neatly placed further down the road? And why are her underpants on inside out? These are questions that puzzle Slider.

On the following Monday morning George Peloponnos throws himself under an oncoming train. CCTV clearly shows that he jumped, no one pushed him. But that is not the whole story. Slider thinks back to a recent unsolved case where 14 year old Tyler Vance was found dead in the Thames. He has a sinking feeling there is a connection to be had but finding it proves fiendishly difficult.

As his team start to make some headway Slider is warned off. That is just like a red rag to a bull, Slider will not be deterred. His team is magnificent in their hard work and dogged persistence and they eventually uncover a stunning web of depravity and corruption. Obviously it’s not so simple but I’ve promised these reviews will not be tediously long so I will leave it there. This can be read as a stand alone but clearly you get more out of each book if you read in order. Superintendent Porson continues to lighten the atmosphere with his wonderful malapropisms. He is growing on me as a character.

[LJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Sentence: A suicide is a detective sergeant’s shout.

When is a suicide not a suicide? When there is something much darker going on in the background and it relates to the deaths of two teenage girls about who no one really cares. Fortunately, Bill Slider and his team do care, in spite of the pressure brought on them to drop the case.

If one wishes to learn British English, reading Cynthia Harrod-Eagles will start you down that road. It is nice to have books which have not been “translated” into American. However, CHE always makes the meaning of the idioms clear through the context.

Either way, it is such a pleasure to read her for her pure mastery of language. From chapter headings, to phrases such as “paucity of ceremony,” to her use of metaphors and malapropos, one who loves language will find themselves smiling with pleasure at her skill. CHE’s descriptions taken the reader and puts them into the scene—“the sun was shining bleakly, but the wind was so bitter, you got no benefit from it. …Just crossing the yard, Slider could feel surgically thin slivers of skin being flayed from his face.”

For those who follow the series, it’s nice that there are a couple new additions to newly-promoted to Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider’s team. And work as a team they do. Not only does the team support Slider, but it is also nice to see him have the support of his superior, even when Porson needs to provide counsel to Slider on the new perspective he must take in his new position. But one can also appreciate that the characters have personal lives about which we learn, particularly Slider and his second, Atherton, who is an excellent balance to Slider—“He was turning into this boss. For one of them to be over-sensitive was a misfortune; two would look like carelessness.”. These are realistic people, with realistic lives, families, and complications. None are perfect, yet each is interesting.

The plot is very well done. It starts with the finding of a body which may, or may not, be a murder. Because the victim is no one important—“Who cared for Kaylee Adams? No one, not even her mother. …Here, in the space after the full stop, there was only Slider and his team left, to say that someone’s death couldn’t just be reduced to a budget decision. He cared—and thank God Porson did too, for all his crustiness.” It is through solid police work that one very well-done connection is made, increasing the case in complexity and significance.

“One Under” is a solid police procedural with excellent characters and a plot which becomes delightfully twisty. It is yet another wonderful book in a very good series.

ONE UNDER (Pol Proc-DCI Bill Slider-England-Contemp) – G+
Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia – 18th in series
Severn House – 2015

[Susan Lewallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes I want something quick and easy and it’s nice to know I can count on Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider and his colleagues to amuse me. I suppose the plots are much like other detective stories set in London (Shepherd’s Bush here) and frankly I can’t remember them an hour after I finish – but I get to chuckle as I read. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is an amazingly agile user of English who keeps her murder mysteries light with puns and jokes. I may forget the plots but I remember and grin for days over Superintendent Porson’s messed up metaphors and malapropisms. My favorite this time was his warning to Slider that his “chickens will come home to roast.” I also enjoyed his demand that Slider drop the “hairy-fairy speculation,” and his caution that he not get his “nipples in a twist.” Now I can go back to something more serious.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bill Slider is curious about an apparent hit and run death because the girl who is the victim seems to be outside her normal territory. Something about the scene of the accident seems wrong but he can't put his finger on what it is. The post mortem reveals that her injuries weren't consistent with being hit by a car. There has also been a suicide on the underground of a middle aged man. Two apparently unrelated incidents which soon seem like causing Slider and his team more trouble than they could ever have imagined.

This is an excellent read and the eighteenth in the Bill Slider series. It is a change from the normal London police procedural in that the police characters mainly get on with each other and don't have horrendously complicated private lives or major personal problems to contend with. There is no bad language and little on the page violence. They are well plotted and the characters are well drawn and there are plenty of amusing asides and some marvellous chapter headings.

I read this book in less than a day and really enjoyed it. The plot is very topical and themes of the book are quite dark and gritty but they are dealt with in a low key way. This is an excellent read and can be read as a standalone novel as well as part of a series. I have read all the series now but read several of them out of series order but it didn't spoil my enjoyment. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review.

[Deborah Pickstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

No 18 in the series. I didn't mention the excellent plotting in the last review (No 17); H-E doesn't miss a beat. And I would have expected some of her more eccentric characters to have become rather hackneyed by now but Porson (for instance - there are quite a few!) with his malapropinqity for manglering the English language still raises a smile. Again, one of the best of the series.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is unusual for the series in that it involves the main character jeopardizing his career by doggedly following clues that will probably reveal very bad activity by senior officers in the police force itself. The plot involves sexual trafficking, with very young girls being victimized by wealthy, comfortable, and almost unprosecutable men. Not fun to read about, and not a good context for the series's usual joking and humor. But timely, and appropriately nuanced and complex. The solution is revealed, but the consequences carry over into the next book in the series.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the darkest Bill Slider book of the bunch, but it is definitely one of the best in the series. I always love Bill Slider and his down-to-earth and honest method of policing. I like his team as well, but this time we are missing the wonderful Sergeant Hollis who committed suicide in the last book. The team is sharply feeling his loss, but Bill's supervisor has arranged for another old friend to join the team, so we welcome back Sergeant Hart, and how badly we have missed her earthiness and matter-of-factness. These books are wonderful police procedurals, but there is a definite humour streak that runs through each book. Porson's malapropisms such as "It'll be properly looked into. Every aspic." and the pun titles for each chapter, as well as the gallows humour of Slider and his team. Even this book's title is a spin on a means of suicide. In this book, Slider innocently goes to look at what looks like a hit and run that actually happened outside of his region. The 15 year-old girl originates from Shepherds' Bush though, so because he's bored with DCI paperwork he makes the trip. This seemingly innocent task sets off a whole maelstrom of bad and illegal business that could reach up to the very highest echelons of society. Slider, in spite of being warned off by some high level people, pursues his investigation doggedly until, all of a sudden, the powder keg blows up. Great book and highly recommended.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

It all starts with a man jumping under a train and a city girl found dead on a country road, but this is no CSI, where "budget" is a word that doesn't exist, waiting for results takes only minutes and one man (or woman) will break the case. Here we have a team of officers balancing overtime and available resources with misused children who are missed by no-one, and teenaged girls desperate for acceptance and social status.

I was very surprised to notice this was #18 in the series. Unlike many, it didn't hammer me with "And here's what happened earlier", making it very easy for a new reader to just slide straight in. A very realistic police procedural, and I'm adding this series to those I follow.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Elite Group · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another easy-reading and enjoyable thriller by this author

It was great to meet up again with newly-appointed DCI Bill Slider and his team, although we are subjected to the funeral and subsequent fall-out of the suicide of one of the team, Colin Hollis.

The plot also starts with a suicide, this time by a seemingly solid businessman, George Peloponnos, choosing a train as his mode of departure, hence the title, “One Under”. At almost the same time, Slider opts to attend the scene of a Road Traffic Accident in the country lanes of Harefield. He immediately finds things do not add up and becomes suspicious that this was not a simple hit-and-run. The victim is fifteen-year-old Kaylee Adams, and when it emerges that her friend, Tyler Vance, was fished out of the Thames earlier in the year, Slider finds his nose definitely twitching.

This is a good, solid thriller, involving some pretty topical subjects, and the more we get into the story, the more we find intrigue, collusion, and even murder, in very high places. Bill Slider needs all of his investigative and bloodhound instincts to bring this case to a conclusion, backed by his boss DS Porson, famous for his misaligned phrases and sayings, like “It’s all cisterns go on this one”, and “his chickens’ll come home to roast”!

Thank you Cynthia Harrod-Eagles for not only giving us a good thriller with big, bold characters but also keeping us amused whilst dealing with some pretty unsavoury subjects.

Sméagol

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review

[Priscilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The mystery is pretty easy to grasp even early in the novel and with the inevitable red herrings, but the pacing, the characters, the humor of her writing, Cyntha Harrad-Eagles' Slider stories continue to be irresistible to me. Whenever I hit a slump in my reading life, she comes to the rescue. I'm only sorry I'm two away from catching up with her. I really have to pace myself! Thank you, Cynthia. Please keep them coming.

This one contained several references to "Dolphin House" and I took a look at what that was all about. How horrifying! The fact that much of this came to light in 2014 likely made it easy for the author to adapt the scandal from the 1970s without, sadly, much imagination, to this story. Her sensitivity to the idea of economically and emotionally deprived children as "commodities" to be used up and discarded was very astute and chilling. I hope we continue to be outraged by such attitudes.

[Robyn Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a change from The last Harrod -Eagles book I read, some simpering thing about the first world war. Harrod-Eagles continues her adventures of Bill Slider, some of which I read years ago and had no idea she was still writing the series.
Slider is a much more ordinary cop than Robert Galbraith's Strike, and much nicer too. As in the other books, he gets his man. There's nothing remarkable about these books, four stars for maintaining a sympathetic character, keeping the action moving and interest high after 30 or so years writing them

[Paul Allard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Police procedural thriller set in London

Part of the Bill Slider series of mystery novels, this one deals with the suicide of an architect, the apparent hit-and-run death of a teenage girl and corruption in high places. I was able to predict the plot which was a bit of a shame (watching too many cop shows etc..!)

A very engaging and relatively short read, this novel has writing which is fluid and interesting. Enjoyable and worth a read.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want a solidly written believable police procedural then Bill Slider is for you.

[John Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

#18 in the Bill Slider series, and he has made DCI. He doesn't really love it though - not much extra money, and tends to take him away from the investigation of crime. Supt. Porson is his usual self, with his malapropisms, but he's more than just a clown. In this one, especially, he shows himself to be a tough, sensible and supportive boss who tries to help Slider face up to his new role, without being too crushing of his typical bolshie but effective behaviour.
There's the usual sprinkling of humour, even in the midst of horrific and disturbing crime, but I don't see this as a weakness. Those officers are what they are, and they deal with the bad side of the job in their own way - maybe more healthy to have a laugh than a drink.
I felt that the author had done a really mature job with this book. "One under", incidentally means the death of a person hit by a train. That's where the book starts, with an apparent suicide. It wasn't really Slider's business to look at this, but he did, and sussed out a possible problem. Eventually he opens a huge can of worms, and gets offside with a powerful superior officer.
I have enjoyed others in this series, but I feel that this late entry has actually lifted to a higher level, rather than deteriorate as you often see.
Rating 4.1.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This opens with the description of a solitary man on a rail platform clinching and opening his hands. Just as a train approaches, he gathers himself and jumps headlong into the face of the moving car. One female passenger on the platform saw him jump and reported it. Just another suicide for Bill Slider and his associates to deal with. But the more you read, the more you realize the suicide was anything but routine. Of course, they never are. But this one has real significance which you’ll discover as you read on.

Within days of the suicide, a 15-year-old girl goes missing, and they find her a few days later. Either someone pushed her to her death, or she fell. She was friends with a young woman who died months earlier, and that had been a case Slider couldn’t solve.

As you read this, you’ll begin to understand the depth of depravity and the common ground these cases all have. Before it ends, a renowned heart surgeon will die at his own hand. Or is that murder, too?

You may want to read the entire series to fully enjoy the character development these cops experience. It’s worth the investment of your time. I promise you can skip book 17 if you wish. I’m glad to see the series is back on track and delivering excellent reading entertainment.

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

First, I must comment on the book(s) titles: they are unique and definitely give a hint to the book’s contents. “One Under” evidently refers to a person who has fallen or jumped under a train, probably the underground. The chapter titles are usually a play on words, such as the hilarious chapter title “Don’t Cry for Me, Ardent Cleaner”; and, yes, I’m still chuckling over that one from an earlier book.

SPOILERS




In this book, one under refers to the suicide death of a man who figures prominently in the deaths of very young girls who are being used in a ring of cruel, vile men who think they are above the law in their sexual proclivities. These are men in prominent positions who use blackmail and threats to keep Slider and his team from bestowing justice on their sick behinds. I do not care for books that feature any type of political machinations, but the search for truth and eventual unfolding of the criminals is well written.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrod-Eagles writes such clean prose, she makes it look easy. It's not.

In this installment, she has Slider come up against the big guys, as usual, but this one is rather different in that you know who the bad guys are right away. Usually, there's some doubt and many suspects are considered. In this one, though, the mystery is will Slider be able to get the big guys. I won't spoil it, but the mystery is really well worked out.

As ever, the characters and plot are compelling and tightly drawn. Well done.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was more of 3.5* for me. I enjoyed reading it and I thought the characters were well developed but there was no suspense as the solution was obvious from the beginning. Vulnerable underage girls slipping out at night and suddenly in the money? Lists of well connected, well off men and a large house reported for parties? The only mystery was why the detectives couldn't see what was under their noses. But, to be fair, several real life abuse investigations seem to have had the same problem.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent mystery with nicely drawn characters--especially protagonists Slider, Atherton, and Connolly. Although the circumstances of the murder were fairly easily guessed well before the end, I wondered up to the denouement how the criminals would be brought to justice without Bill Slider losing his job. The solution was quite neat, and Bill will be able to carry on. (One oddity--I was surprised to note Bill worrying about his daughter "Emma," who I think is the same daughter referred to in other books in the series as Kate.)

[Kyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bill Slider goes out to a hit and run accident on a whim, and winds up with an underage sex crime ring that involves people from upper society, and high ranking political and police types. As always, you're sitting on the edge of the seat, just waiting for him to lose his job or be sent to prison.

Fast paced, malapropisms, bad puns, and a truly dedicated cops.

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good instalment - a coherent plot, familiar characters etc. I am getting a little tired of the constant suggestions that 'the establishment' will conspire to protect their own and not prosecute e.g. murderers, rapists. Maybe I'm being naive, but I trust the British justice system to have more safeguards/separation of powers than that.

Also, I am past caring about Atherton's love life.

[Nini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another enjoyable read even with the sad departure of one of Sliders team. This story was one of intrigue an corruption and it was done well. There were surprises right until the end of the book the characters were well written and believable.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slider really gets himself into big trouble in this one but the author rescues him in an unusual way. By the way, the title has nothing to do with golf, it's police slang for suicide by putting oneself under the "tube" as it makes its way through London's underground.

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very satisfying, as are all the Bill Slider mysteries. I especially like the character of Porson, who mangles the English language.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many characters that it's hard to keep track at first, but once they're firmly in minds, it's a pleasant read.

[Mary Nuttelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent entry into this British procedural series.

[Susan Cabaniss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looking to finish out the most recent four in this series with detective inspector Slider; one down three to go!

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beat of the series so far

I really love this series - the language, the observations, the emotions, the relationships, the character growth. On to the next…

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent but a difficult and disturbing read!

[Claudia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I enjoyed the book and the well-written characters, I felt it dragged a bit in the middle. Would read another Bill Slider book.