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Bill Slider #23
Dying Fall
Power, money, murder . . . Investigating a seemingly accidental death leads DCI Bill Slider and his team down a dark path in this gripping British police procedural.
The woman lies dead at the foot of the stairs. It's obvious what happened: she tripped and fell. But PC D'Arblay, called to the dilapidated West London villa by an anonymous tip-off, can't shake the feeling that's exactly what someone wants him to think.
It was the deep head wound that killed her - but her dying fall left no blood trail, so what was it she hit her head on?
DCI Slider, of the Shepherd's Bush murder squad, is soon convinced D'Arblay's right. But with no motive, no murder weapon and no idea even who the victim is, Slider faces steep odds to get a result . . . while each painstaking step towards the truth brings him closer to a ruthless, evil killer.
The woman lies dead at the foot of the stairs. It's obvious what happened: she tripped and fell. But PC D'Arblay, called to the dilapidated West London villa by an anonymous tip-off, can't shake the feeling that's exactly what someone wants him to think.
It was the deep head wound that killed her - but her dying fall left no blood trail, so what was it she hit her head on?
DCI Slider, of the Shepherd's Bush murder squad, is soon convinced D'Arblay's right. But with no motive, no murder weapon and no idea even who the victim is, Slider faces steep odds to get a result . . . while each painstaking step towards the truth brings him closer to a ruthless, evil killer.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2022
20 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
169 books494 followersCynthia 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
January 21, 2022
This is one of the best books in the series, and it was a very sad story about corruption and betrayal and greed.
An elderly woman makes an anonymous call to 911 to report a dead body at Dunkirk House in Uxbridge Road, Shepherd’s Bush. When DCI Bill Slider and his sidekick DS Jim Atherton arrive they do indeed find a dead woman at the bottom of the stairs. She is well dressed and looks fit. But there are some inconsistencies which give them pause for thought - the house does not look lived in, the woman’s handbag is nowhere to be found and a hole in the carpet at the top of the stairs where one might trip looks suspiciously recent. The pathologist confirms that the woman’s head injuries are not consistent with a fall down stairs so now it is a murder investigation.
The woman’s identity is eventually confirmed as Prue Chadacre and, although she had the keys to the house the listed owners are a Phillip and Kate Armstrong. Where are Phillip and Kate? And who are Prue’s next-of-kin? Eventually they learn that Kate Armstrong changed her name to Prudence (her original middle name) Chadacre (her mother’s maiden name) but the woman is still a mystery. People she has worked with describe her as pleasant but very reserved. No one really knows her.
Police learn that Kate and Phillip grew up in the house and their mother died in the house by accident or suicide when they were teenagers. The death was never investigated properly but there was some suspicion attached to Phillip. It was never proven and Phillip is now almost a ghost, very hard to pin down.
Still, nothing is as it seems. And who is the man, using the name of a dead person, who befriended Prue recently through her work? There are still many secrets to uncover but this is where I must leave it. The ending was so very tragic and sad when you learn the lengths some people will go to for their own advancement. Many thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
An elderly woman makes an anonymous call to 911 to report a dead body at Dunkirk House in Uxbridge Road, Shepherd’s Bush. When DCI Bill Slider and his sidekick DS Jim Atherton arrive they do indeed find a dead woman at the bottom of the stairs. She is well dressed and looks fit. But there are some inconsistencies which give them pause for thought - the house does not look lived in, the woman’s handbag is nowhere to be found and a hole in the carpet at the top of the stairs where one might trip looks suspiciously recent. The pathologist confirms that the woman’s head injuries are not consistent with a fall down stairs so now it is a murder investigation.
The woman’s identity is eventually confirmed as Prue Chadacre and, although she had the keys to the house the listed owners are a Phillip and Kate Armstrong. Where are Phillip and Kate? And who are Prue’s next-of-kin? Eventually they learn that Kate Armstrong changed her name to Prudence (her original middle name) Chadacre (her mother’s maiden name) but the woman is still a mystery. People she has worked with describe her as pleasant but very reserved. No one really knows her.
Police learn that Kate and Phillip grew up in the house and their mother died in the house by accident or suicide when they were teenagers. The death was never investigated properly but there was some suspicion attached to Phillip. It was never proven and Phillip is now almost a ghost, very hard to pin down.
Still, nothing is as it seems. And who is the man, using the name of a dead person, who befriended Prue recently through her work? There are still many secrets to uncover but this is where I must leave it. The ending was so very tragic and sad when you learn the lengths some people will go to for their own advancement. Many thanks to Netgalley and Severn House for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.
November 6, 2021
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
I have found this series consistently of a very high standard, and I think this is one of the best. The investigation centres on the death of a woman in a house hidden behind a wall. It seems the woman didn't live in the house and indeed it is hard to determine if anyone does. The plot moves at a good pace and the various well-rounded characters are all familiar from the previous books. There is something slightly dated (or perhaps timeless) about these books, despite the use of mobile phones and traffic cameras in the later ones, and of course the puns are terrible.
Highly recommended.
I have found this series consistently of a very high standard, and I think this is one of the best. The investigation centres on the death of a woman in a house hidden behind a wall. It seems the woman didn't live in the house and indeed it is hard to determine if anyone does. The plot moves at a good pace and the various well-rounded characters are all familiar from the previous books. There is something slightly dated (or perhaps timeless) about these books, despite the use of mobile phones and traffic cameras in the later ones, and of course the puns are terrible.
Highly recommended.
January 3, 2022
Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the opportunity to review Dying Fall. All opinions and comments are my own.
Dying Fall is the latest entry in the long-running Slider and Atherton series, and a good ‘un it is, too. You have to enjoy a book that describes one of its policemen as looking like the man was “built by the same firm that did Stonehenge.” That’s what you get when you read a Cynthia Harold-Eagles/Bill Slider novel, that and solid police work, and plotting that doesn’t waste any time. Slider and Atherton wouldn’t hear of it. Add to that the usual, creative chapter headings and the glimpses of family life; this is book 23 after all. Long-time readers need to be kept up to speed on Joanna, and Atherton’s love life, of course. Dying Fall fits the bill on all points.
This time it’s a woman found dead in a house at the foot of the interior stairway. Slider pegs it as a homicide from the beginning. No ID, so they have to spend a little time figuring that out. They finally get an identification; turns out the dead woman had changed her name, and led a very reclusive life. She has a brother, who has “issues.” He’s a suspect, of course, but Slider’s not buying it. They also determine the brother and sister have a very rich father.
Step by step, our author creates a scenario for us to ponder, while throwing in the zingers we’ve come to love, and including the private life moments readers expect. Nothing is overlooked. One gets a complete reading experience – full police and forensic investigation, description of the characters and the environment, and a following along of how Slider, Joanna, Atherton and everyone is actually “doing,” living, thinking, even. And keeping a sense of humor throughout.
Our plot starts to thicken as more people turn shady. And little by little, Slider gets a motive for murder. But will he be able to make it stick? Before you can say knife, he does. The sad part is that it can’t fix the past, can’t make up for the damage. But Slider and Atherton get their murderer, and that’s what they’re there for.
Dying Fall is the latest entry in the long-running Slider and Atherton series, and a good ‘un it is, too. You have to enjoy a book that describes one of its policemen as looking like the man was “built by the same firm that did Stonehenge.” That’s what you get when you read a Cynthia Harold-Eagles/Bill Slider novel, that and solid police work, and plotting that doesn’t waste any time. Slider and Atherton wouldn’t hear of it. Add to that the usual, creative chapter headings and the glimpses of family life; this is book 23 after all. Long-time readers need to be kept up to speed on Joanna, and Atherton’s love life, of course. Dying Fall fits the bill on all points.
This time it’s a woman found dead in a house at the foot of the interior stairway. Slider pegs it as a homicide from the beginning. No ID, so they have to spend a little time figuring that out. They finally get an identification; turns out the dead woman had changed her name, and led a very reclusive life. She has a brother, who has “issues.” He’s a suspect, of course, but Slider’s not buying it. They also determine the brother and sister have a very rich father.
Step by step, our author creates a scenario for us to ponder, while throwing in the zingers we’ve come to love, and including the private life moments readers expect. Nothing is overlooked. One gets a complete reading experience – full police and forensic investigation, description of the characters and the environment, and a following along of how Slider, Joanna, Atherton and everyone is actually “doing,” living, thinking, even. And keeping a sense of humor throughout.
Our plot starts to thicken as more people turn shady. And little by little, Slider gets a motive for murder. But will he be able to make it stick? Before you can say knife, he does. The sad part is that it can’t fix the past, can’t make up for the damage. But Slider and Atherton get their murderer, and that’s what they’re there for.
May 6, 2022
It was nice to read another book in the series although this one was a bit easy to figure out !! Love the word play and the dry sense of humor throughout ….
April 17, 2022
First Sentence: 'I thought after all this time I'd know everywhere in Shepherd's Bush,' said Slider.
An anonymous call leads the police to a house where a woman lays dead at the bottom of the stairs. First glace indicates a suicide. Police Constable (PC) D'Arblay disagrees, and Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Bill Slider agrees. Without an initial identity of the victim, witnesses, or motive, it's a hard case for the Shephard's Bush homicide team to solve. The more they learn, the more complex the case becomes and the harder it is to prove.
From the first chapter heading, one is treated to Harrod-Eagles' skill with words. Her unique descriptions—"Shepherd's Bush Green was littered with sun worshippers, the men stripped to the waist – the glare off their blue-white bodies could have brought a plane down."—and her humor. The description of characters is unique yet brings a visual image immediately to mind. Phrases such as--"Atherton moved like a cat, except that he did not spray the furniture as he passed."—make her writing is such a pleasure to read. And who but Bill Slider would quote Tennyson at a murder scene.
Bill Slider's family is an element in the series. Their involvement is realistic without overshadowing the plot. Slider's wife, Joanna, is in a position common to many women, a mother with her own career. The family adds dimension to Slider and contrast to his second in command, confirmed bachelor and ladies' man, Detective Sergeant Inspector(DSI) Atherton.
One of the best things about the book is that it is a true mystery with an ensemble cast. Each member of Slider's team is fully developed and plays an important role. Also appreciated is the loyalty Slider's boss, Detective Superintendent (DS) shows for his men.
The case is unusual and interesting. Clues are tracked down from learning the victim's identity, piecing together her associates, bit-by-bit learning the motive, eliminating suspect, and to finally identifying the killer. A young man plays a significant role in the plotline and Slider's interactions with him are both sensitive and extremely well done. There are excellent twists when the team uncovers a second, and possibly a third death, which were also thought to be suicides. This forces the team to go back and investigate the past.
DYING FALL is a first-rate police procedural/mystery based on a murder and what is needed to solve the crime. There are no car chases or gun fights, just a hard, nose-down investigation with twists, humor, and an excellent cast of characters.
DYING FALL (PolProc-DCI Bill Slider-London-Contemp) – VG+
Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia - 23rd in series
Severn House, Feb 2022, 256 pp.
An anonymous call leads the police to a house where a woman lays dead at the bottom of the stairs. First glace indicates a suicide. Police Constable (PC) D'Arblay disagrees, and Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Bill Slider agrees. Without an initial identity of the victim, witnesses, or motive, it's a hard case for the Shephard's Bush homicide team to solve. The more they learn, the more complex the case becomes and the harder it is to prove.
From the first chapter heading, one is treated to Harrod-Eagles' skill with words. Her unique descriptions—"Shepherd's Bush Green was littered with sun worshippers, the men stripped to the waist – the glare off their blue-white bodies could have brought a plane down."—and her humor. The description of characters is unique yet brings a visual image immediately to mind. Phrases such as--"Atherton moved like a cat, except that he did not spray the furniture as he passed."—make her writing is such a pleasure to read. And who but Bill Slider would quote Tennyson at a murder scene.
Bill Slider's family is an element in the series. Their involvement is realistic without overshadowing the plot. Slider's wife, Joanna, is in a position common to many women, a mother with her own career. The family adds dimension to Slider and contrast to his second in command, confirmed bachelor and ladies' man, Detective Sergeant Inspector(DSI) Atherton.
One of the best things about the book is that it is a true mystery with an ensemble cast. Each member of Slider's team is fully developed and plays an important role. Also appreciated is the loyalty Slider's boss, Detective Superintendent (DS) shows for his men.
The case is unusual and interesting. Clues are tracked down from learning the victim's identity, piecing together her associates, bit-by-bit learning the motive, eliminating suspect, and to finally identifying the killer. A young man plays a significant role in the plotline and Slider's interactions with him are both sensitive and extremely well done. There are excellent twists when the team uncovers a second, and possibly a third death, which were also thought to be suicides. This forces the team to go back and investigate the past.
DYING FALL is a first-rate police procedural/mystery based on a murder and what is needed to solve the crime. There are no car chases or gun fights, just a hard, nose-down investigation with twists, humor, and an excellent cast of characters.
DYING FALL (PolProc-DCI Bill Slider-London-Contemp) – VG+
Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia - 23rd in series
Severn House, Feb 2022, 256 pp.
June 20, 2022
A worthy entry in this series, full of humor and charm, with a thoroughly warm-hearted detective. In fact I'd say the best scenes are the ones of his home life with loving wife, small children, and his mother and father in a separate apartment but available for babysitting. On the other hand I have to admit, when the police finally corral enough evidence to arrest the murderer, the long awaited confrontation is very satisfying.
January 8, 2022
Was a joy for me to immerse myself back into the lives of Bill Slider and Atherton and his cohorts. I love reading the malapropisms, the play on words between Slider and Atherton and laugh out loud over the headings for each chapter. It was pure delight to read this book after a long absence. I savoured the reading because I did not want it to end.
August 6, 2025
It's always a great day when I dive into the latest Bill Slider, and this one, #23, was no exception. For one thing, I also got to open my brand-new "BIG" (and spiral-bound) London A to Z to follow the routes and locations through the streets of London. I read them straight through until done, can't help it, but am always so sorry to get to the end.
Among other things, the chapter headings are clever and remarkable. Here are the first few:
1 - The Fault is in our Stars
2 - False Premises
3 - Fortune Favours the Bald
4 - Sham Prue
The ensemble cast, led by DCI Bill Slider and his "tall and lean, always elegant" side kick, Atherton, are in fine form. The murder, investigation and eventual solution - terrific!
One more thing: I really appreciated what Joanna says to Bill about her previous conversation with Jim Atherton (on p. 169-170): "I'll let you in on a secret. Musicians hear music in a very different way from non-musicians. We think about it differently. It affects entirely different parts of the brain. Jim's knowledgeable but he's still only a music-lover, not a player. He doesn't know it from the inside. He can't talk about it in my particular way....And I don't fancy him, either."
Read first February 2022.
Read second January 2025. Even better the second time around. Thanks to the incomparable Cynthia Harrod-Eagles for using real London street names so I could follow the action on my large format A to Z.
Among other things, the chapter headings are clever and remarkable. Here are the first few:
1 - The Fault is in our Stars
2 - False Premises
3 - Fortune Favours the Bald
4 - Sham Prue
The ensemble cast, led by DCI Bill Slider and his "tall and lean, always elegant" side kick, Atherton, are in fine form. The murder, investigation and eventual solution - terrific!
One more thing: I really appreciated what Joanna says to Bill about her previous conversation with Jim Atherton (on p. 169-170): "I'll let you in on a secret. Musicians hear music in a very different way from non-musicians. We think about it differently. It affects entirely different parts of the brain. Jim's knowledgeable but he's still only a music-lover, not a player. He doesn't know it from the inside. He can't talk about it in my particular way....And I don't fancy him, either."
Read first February 2022.
Read second January 2025. Even better the second time around. Thanks to the incomparable Cynthia Harrod-Eagles for using real London street names so I could follow the action on my large format A to Z.
March 31, 2022
Excellent police procedural, with lots of humorous touches (although the punny chapter titles are perhaps a bridge too far). The solution was pretty easy to guess, but the journey to it was most enjoyable. I will be reading more of this series.
February 1, 2022
Bill Slider and Jim Atherton are called to the scene when a woman’s body is found at the foot of her stairs, but seems to be posed to make it look like an accident. The top brass are frustrated when Slider insists on finding out who killed Prue Chadacre, especially when he learns there was another suspicious death in the same house twenty years earlier.
Dying Fall is part of the long-running Bill Slider Mystery Series and I have enjoyed many of the prior books in the series. Bill Slider is a good boss, husband, and father and the author does a great job of showing him at home as well as on the job, without detracting from the main plot of the book. There is just enough information about his personal life that you get to know him as both a detective and a person.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is a master with words. The dialogue throughout the book is very realistic, and the clever, “punny” chapter titles added to my enjoyment of the book. There is plenty of the expected banter between Bill and his colleague and friend, Jim Atherton. I really liked the new team member DS Leanne Jenrich who is temporarily filling in on the case and hope she can become a permanent member of Slider’s team. This is a well-written book, and I love the details of the case, which turns out to be heartbreaking. I like the way it takes hard work on the part of the whole team to solve the case.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
Dying Fall is part of the long-running Bill Slider Mystery Series and I have enjoyed many of the prior books in the series. Bill Slider is a good boss, husband, and father and the author does a great job of showing him at home as well as on the job, without detracting from the main plot of the book. There is just enough information about his personal life that you get to know him as both a detective and a person.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is a master with words. The dialogue throughout the book is very realistic, and the clever, “punny” chapter titles added to my enjoyment of the book. There is plenty of the expected banter between Bill and his colleague and friend, Jim Atherton. I really liked the new team member DS Leanne Jenrich who is temporarily filling in on the case and hope she can become a permanent member of Slider’s team. This is a well-written book, and I love the details of the case, which turns out to be heartbreaking. I like the way it takes hard work on the part of the whole team to solve the case.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
January 6, 2022
Classic Bill Slider story with many delightful examples of mangling language from Porson eg fat accomplice for fait accompli. Playing with words continues in the chapter headings eg when shall we chew meat again. Atherton has regressed in his expectations of women and needs to grow up but perhaps men like that can't. The characters involved in the murder were well developed especially the brother Philip and I especially liked the semi homeless character they affectionately called Very Little Else
February 3, 2023
I don't know...it had the usual elements—an involving puzzle, the intriguing police procedural details, the really bad puns for comic relief, but it was lacking...something. Atherton has increasingly become a cartoon character. Slider seems grimmer than ever. There wasn't much of the personal in this one. And the ending was effective, but really abrupt—I had to go back and see if my Kindle had just shut down, or if that really was the last page in the book.
I do have to give credit, though—CH-E has still got it when it comes to Porson's malapropisms. My favorite was "it's a fat accomplice."
I do have to give credit, though—CH-E has still got it when it comes to Porson's malapropisms. My favorite was "it's a fat accomplice."
November 7, 2021
256 pages
5 stars
DCI Bill Slider, DS Jim Atherton and the rest of the team are back in this newest episode of the series.
The new case is one of a woman’s death poorly disguised as a suicide. She was supposed to have fallen down some stairs, but the huge gash in her head gives lie to that theory. She has no identification, no purse or anything in the house that gives even a remote clue as to her identity.
After a period of time, Slider and his team learn that she was Prudence “Prue” Chadacre. Prudence was a very private person. The only thing she shared with co-workers were stories about her brother, Philip. She lived very frugally. No personal letters or photographs at all. She got on with her co-workers, but did not feel comfortable with the public. She had her name changed from Kate Armstrong.
Extensive interviews with employers reveals a few nuggets of information to follow. Prue’s father is Magnus Armstrong. He is a very wealthy man and will be running for Parliament soon. He is arrogant and self-centered.
As the police clear one suspect after another, Philip drops a bombshell. Could it be true? Is the young man just confused?
Closing in on a new suspect, the police find copious evidence to further their case. It seems like a very solid case.
I love the way that the cops constantly mix their metaphors. It’s funny, and oddly, enough, it works. The chapter headings are a hoot, too. This book is extremely well written and plotted, as are all of Ms. Harrod-Eagles’ novels. The transitions are flawless and the pages flash by as the reader just has to know what will happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I have all of the author’s works. I look forward to the next in this series.
I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this exciting and remarkable book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.
5 stars
DCI Bill Slider, DS Jim Atherton and the rest of the team are back in this newest episode of the series.
The new case is one of a woman’s death poorly disguised as a suicide. She was supposed to have fallen down some stairs, but the huge gash in her head gives lie to that theory. She has no identification, no purse or anything in the house that gives even a remote clue as to her identity.
After a period of time, Slider and his team learn that she was Prudence “Prue” Chadacre. Prudence was a very private person. The only thing she shared with co-workers were stories about her brother, Philip. She lived very frugally. No personal letters or photographs at all. She got on with her co-workers, but did not feel comfortable with the public. She had her name changed from Kate Armstrong.
Extensive interviews with employers reveals a few nuggets of information to follow. Prue’s father is Magnus Armstrong. He is a very wealthy man and will be running for Parliament soon. He is arrogant and self-centered.
As the police clear one suspect after another, Philip drops a bombshell. Could it be true? Is the young man just confused?
Closing in on a new suspect, the police find copious evidence to further their case. It seems like a very solid case.
I love the way that the cops constantly mix their metaphors. It’s funny, and oddly, enough, it works. The chapter headings are a hoot, too. This book is extremely well written and plotted, as are all of Ms. Harrod-Eagles’ novels. The transitions are flawless and the pages flash by as the reader just has to know what will happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I have all of the author’s works. I look forward to the next in this series.
I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this exciting and remarkable book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.
November 4, 2021
Thank you Netgalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Yet another 5-star book in the DCI Slider series. I keep being amazed at how fresh and consistently excellent each book is, if I could give more than 5 stars for the whole series, I would. Not only are the cases absorbing, the humor is so smart and intelligent, I love it!
This book features the death of a young woman who was thrown down the stairs of an old, seemingly abandoned, manor. Slider, Atherton and the team are having a heck of a problem finding her identity and when they finally have it, they realize this was a very shy woman who never shared anything with anyone. She left no trace of herself, threw everything away that she touched and the only thing they know is that she had a brother. It's like she didn't want to be found.
The further they delve, the more the team realize they are on borrowed time, those higher up the ladder want the case closed ... Call it suicide they say, keep within the budget.
Slider can't let go, he feels strongly for the poor young woman and wants her case solved. The ending was so sad, it was a shocker to me, but I'm glad they solved the case and got their person.
Great read, loved it and highly recommend it.
Yet another 5-star book in the DCI Slider series. I keep being amazed at how fresh and consistently excellent each book is, if I could give more than 5 stars for the whole series, I would. Not only are the cases absorbing, the humor is so smart and intelligent, I love it!
This book features the death of a young woman who was thrown down the stairs of an old, seemingly abandoned, manor. Slider, Atherton and the team are having a heck of a problem finding her identity and when they finally have it, they realize this was a very shy woman who never shared anything with anyone. She left no trace of herself, threw everything away that she touched and the only thing they know is that she had a brother. It's like she didn't want to be found.
The further they delve, the more the team realize they are on borrowed time, those higher up the ladder want the case closed ... Call it suicide they say, keep within the budget.
Slider can't let go, he feels strongly for the poor young woman and wants her case solved. The ending was so sad, it was a shocker to me, but I'm glad they solved the case and got their person.
Great read, loved it and highly recommend it.
November 10, 2021
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles continuously draws her readers into her Slider novels with her use of imaginative and innovative plots. Her police procedures do not bog down the reader with endless recaps of the crime. I think her real talent lies in her ability to infuse her characters with viability. She captures their feelings and desires with her intense descriptions. I like how she incorporates unexpected humor in all her characters.
This book stresses the fact that Slider is a policeman for everyone, with equal justice for all with no exceptions.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This book stresses the fact that Slider is a policeman for everyone, with equal justice for all with no exceptions.
Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
March 7, 2023
A solid old-fashioned crime novel and although published 2022 it has that retro ring to it. The hardback book I read was firmly bound and the printed pages well filled, nothing airy about it. The expected dry wit was sturdily packaged and I enjoyed the chapter headings wordplay. In the past I have read Harrod-Eagles police procedurals but pre-Goodreads so I don’t remember particular stories. I do remember liking them. Quote “In a case with so little to go on, you had to hope that everything meant something.” This time around I am either more crime literate or DCI Bill Slider and his police team haven’t quite grasped the meaning of equality and impartiality in the 21st century. Gossip and sexism may be low on the reading scale but just because a woman demeans another woman doesn’t make it okay. Bill’s wife Joanna is not above slipping in comments about suspects and co-workers and thinks Bill’s urbane offsider Atherton needs a woman in his life, ignoring the fact that his main recreation is sleeping around with any woman who takes his fancy.
The whole premise is that sex is what the current crime is all about. Naturally this means offspring with paternity scattered to the four winds; yet another subject bandied around. The dead woman Prudence Chadacre’s brother Phillip has mental health issues and corroborating evidence is hard to find thus the plot moves slowly in order to squeeze every last drop out of the suspects. I started off enjoying the full immersion experience (London environs and citizens) the unseen character analysis (Bill Slider instinctively imagined cord trousers and a check shirt) and ended up disliking said characters and the whole sick sleazy outcome. Why? No saving grace? A lot of the characters seem to be stuck in the past. My responsiveness kicked in and this story highlights issues without offering kindness, consideration or empathy so it was a disagreeable read for me.
The whole premise is that sex is what the current crime is all about. Naturally this means offspring with paternity scattered to the four winds; yet another subject bandied around. The dead woman Prudence Chadacre’s brother Phillip has mental health issues and corroborating evidence is hard to find thus the plot moves slowly in order to squeeze every last drop out of the suspects. I started off enjoying the full immersion experience (London environs and citizens) the unseen character analysis (Bill Slider instinctively imagined cord trousers and a check shirt) and ended up disliking said characters and the whole sick sleazy outcome. Why? No saving grace? A lot of the characters seem to be stuck in the past. My responsiveness kicked in and this story highlights issues without offering kindness, consideration or empathy so it was a disagreeable read for me.
November 19, 2021
I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Dying Fall, the twenty third novel to feature DCI Bill Slider of the Met.
PC D’Arblay calls in the murder team when he sees a woman dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Did she trip? He doesn’t think so as there’s nothing to cause her head wound and her body looks posed. Slider agrees and opens an investigation, but with no identification and precious few clues it might go nowhere.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dying Fall, which is an absorbing read with some sly humour. I was late to the Slider party, having only read a few novels in the series, but it is now a firm favourite with me and I keep vowing to find the time to read the back catalogue.
I like a good police procedural, especially one that makes me laugh, and this is excellent example. The author takes the time to build the case, brick by brick. Identification comes first and then they can start investigating her life to find a motive. Fortunately for them she led a very quiet life, so there are only two main suspects. I found the nitty gritty of checking alibis and the discussion of motive absolutely riveting, but then I don’t get out much myself. The author saves the bombshell revelations for late on in the novel and they come as quite a contrast to the rather sedate story told up till then.
Bill Slider is a very likeable protagonist. He’s a pleasant, fairly unremarkable man with a sly sense of humour, but give him an investigation and he’s remorseless. He refuses to be intimidated and follows every thread until he has a solution. He’s also a pragmatist and that’s what I like most about him. He knows that not every solved case results in a guilty verdict, but he’ll do his best to provide enough ammunition.
Dying Fall is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
PC D’Arblay calls in the murder team when he sees a woman dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Did she trip? He doesn’t think so as there’s nothing to cause her head wound and her body looks posed. Slider agrees and opens an investigation, but with no identification and precious few clues it might go nowhere.
I thoroughly enjoyed Dying Fall, which is an absorbing read with some sly humour. I was late to the Slider party, having only read a few novels in the series, but it is now a firm favourite with me and I keep vowing to find the time to read the back catalogue.
I like a good police procedural, especially one that makes me laugh, and this is excellent example. The author takes the time to build the case, brick by brick. Identification comes first and then they can start investigating her life to find a motive. Fortunately for them she led a very quiet life, so there are only two main suspects. I found the nitty gritty of checking alibis and the discussion of motive absolutely riveting, but then I don’t get out much myself. The author saves the bombshell revelations for late on in the novel and they come as quite a contrast to the rather sedate story told up till then.
Bill Slider is a very likeable protagonist. He’s a pleasant, fairly unremarkable man with a sly sense of humour, but give him an investigation and he’s remorseless. He refuses to be intimidated and follows every thread until he has a solution. He’s also a pragmatist and that’s what I like most about him. He knows that not every solved case results in a guilty verdict, but he’ll do his best to provide enough ammunition.
Dying Fall is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
July 20, 2024
When Bill Slider and his team got to the body, they saw a woman who had fallen to her death down a flight of stairs. Then they saw more.
Prue Chadacre owned the old house which was devoid of furniture by the time Slider and his team arrived. After further investigation, they determined that the fall didn't kill her. She died when someone slammed something blunt into her head. The fall was an attempt to disguise the actual murder.
Prue’s real name was Kate Armstrong. But she hadn't used that name in years. Her brother, Phillip, deals with schizophrenia. That makes him someone hard to interview, and it probably makes him an unreliable witness. Still, Slider and his crew press on despite growing objections from the bean counters and cop politicians. The young dead woman's father is preparing to stand for parliament, and he is growing tired of Slider's ongoing questioning. He sees it as harassment.
I may have seen the end coming a bit with this book, but I loved the way the author brought everything together and made it all work. There is nothing hasty or sloppy about her excellent plots. Her chapter titles are jewels of the best kind to find in a book. The dialogue among the investigators is delightfully funny in lots of places. The end is horrifically sad, and it leaves you shaking your head at the things we all too often do in the name of greed, power, and fame.
I emphatically recommend that you read the prior books in this series before tackling this. Doing so will give you a more complete and thorough picture of the various characters. I'm impressed so much by how the author enabled Bill Slider to grow and evolve. He was a rather weak character in the first book, and he has most satisfactorily become something far better.
Prue Chadacre owned the old house which was devoid of furniture by the time Slider and his team arrived. After further investigation, they determined that the fall didn't kill her. She died when someone slammed something blunt into her head. The fall was an attempt to disguise the actual murder.
Prue’s real name was Kate Armstrong. But she hadn't used that name in years. Her brother, Phillip, deals with schizophrenia. That makes him someone hard to interview, and it probably makes him an unreliable witness. Still, Slider and his crew press on despite growing objections from the bean counters and cop politicians. The young dead woman's father is preparing to stand for parliament, and he is growing tired of Slider's ongoing questioning. He sees it as harassment.
I may have seen the end coming a bit with this book, but I loved the way the author brought everything together and made it all work. There is nothing hasty or sloppy about her excellent plots. Her chapter titles are jewels of the best kind to find in a book. The dialogue among the investigators is delightfully funny in lots of places. The end is horrifically sad, and it leaves you shaking your head at the things we all too often do in the name of greed, power, and fame.
I emphatically recommend that you read the prior books in this series before tackling this. Doing so will give you a more complete and thorough picture of the various characters. I'm impressed so much by how the author enabled Bill Slider to grow and evolve. He was a rather weak character in the first book, and he has most satisfactorily become something far better.
October 2, 2023
I suppose it must be a few years ago that I read anything from this author. I don't think she was high on my list of want-to-reads. Coming in at #23 in a series is fraught with danger, but when I get a book at the library I don't know about such matters.
Anyway, I found this to be surprisingly good. Time got away from me when I was reading it, even in the rather slow parts. There is quite a cast on the police side, and we only learn about very few of them. DCI Slider is the main character, and outside the police he has a happy married life with two kids. I like the dialogue in this story, as it makes the relationships seem natural and believable. A number of characters are amateur comedians with ready sharp wit - sometimes it's a bit out of place, but mostly acceptable. Even the chapter headings show a comedic talent - "Fortune Favours the Bald". Supt. Porson is an unusual mould for a senior cop, with his regular "Goldwynisms", and this is a bit hard to swallow. Although not a jolly fellow, he's a likeable cove who does his best to support his team against the cost-cutting hordes coming down from above.
As far as mysteries go, I had a strong inkling of the truth after about half way. One must always pay attention to things that are being said by everyone.
Once the mystery started to unravel, it was all over very quickly and Slider was back home with his family. I really liked that the police were not pretending to work 24/7, that in fact they had to eat, sleep, and see their family and friends.
I think it was the strong thread of humour and clever use of language that appealed to me the most.
Rating 3.9.
Anyway, I found this to be surprisingly good. Time got away from me when I was reading it, even in the rather slow parts. There is quite a cast on the police side, and we only learn about very few of them. DCI Slider is the main character, and outside the police he has a happy married life with two kids. I like the dialogue in this story, as it makes the relationships seem natural and believable. A number of characters are amateur comedians with ready sharp wit - sometimes it's a bit out of place, but mostly acceptable. Even the chapter headings show a comedic talent - "Fortune Favours the Bald". Supt. Porson is an unusual mould for a senior cop, with his regular "Goldwynisms", and this is a bit hard to swallow. Although not a jolly fellow, he's a likeable cove who does his best to support his team against the cost-cutting hordes coming down from above.
As far as mysteries go, I had a strong inkling of the truth after about half way. One must always pay attention to things that are being said by everyone.
Once the mystery started to unravel, it was all over very quickly and Slider was back home with his family. I really liked that the police were not pretending to work 24/7, that in fact they had to eat, sleep, and see their family and friends.
I think it was the strong thread of humour and clever use of language that appealed to me the most.
Rating 3.9.
February 12, 2025
Oh how I love Bill Slider, and finding out that I had three books that I hadn't read yet in this wonderful series just made my day. With this book. I have two of them finished and I have number three on my iPad which I'm going to get into now. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has another new book in the series coming out this year, so there is that to look forward to. I love the series. It's ridiculously funny with Bill's dry wit, and his staff as foils for it. The chapter titles are all mixed up song titles, and Slider's boss, Porson, is always there strategically in place full of his malapropisms. For example, "Get it done before the Spam hits the frypan." The mysteries are tricky and the characters so real they walk off the page. In this book, a woman is found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs in what looks like an empty house. Slider knows that something ism't quite right, and when he finds out her head wound wasn't consistent with a fall, he knows he has another murder. Since the victim led such a quiet, reclusive life, it's hard to find anyone at all who knows her, so it's difficult to even determine who might have wanted her dead. After much digging, and with threats from Head Office that he should give up the search, Slider and his team put it all together and dig way back in the past of the woman, and the perpetrator is found. Even though I had guessed the killer and the motive early on in the book, it didn't spoil the fun of the read. Can't wait to crack open (or turn on the backlight) of Before I Sleep. Nothing better for cold winter days like we're having now.
March 25, 2022
Author Harrod-Eagles is busy with other writing pursuits, but we get to revisit Detective Inspector Bill Slider about every other year in this now 23rd, and ours as well, in this set published since 1991. Bill and his well-known band of police cohorts in the London suburb of Shepherd’s Bush are typically dogged in their pursuit of crimes, usually off-screen murders, often hampered by office politics and budget constraints. Herein “Dying Fall”, a hands-off approach to a wealthy and prominent local philanthropist suspect slows down and frustrates overall progress.
As is sometimes the case with these relatively low-brow police procedurals, the middle part of the tale got a little stodgy as the cops muddled along with few clues, especially a set of prints for which they were not permitted to seek all potential matches. Slider’s boss Superintendent Porson enlivens the dialogue with his frequent total butchering of famous platitudes and other malapropisms. The author also entitles each new chapter (of 23) with to us very amusing phrases, such as: “Fortune Favors the Bald”; “Farewell to Alms”; or “Alibi of Birdland”!
So while these tales are a little low on thrills and chills, with glimpses of the Slider family with little kids and wife Joanna, a symphony violinist, substituting for further violence or other disturbing developments, we are more than pleased to welcome each new entertaining story.
As is sometimes the case with these relatively low-brow police procedurals, the middle part of the tale got a little stodgy as the cops muddled along with few clues, especially a set of prints for which they were not permitted to seek all potential matches. Slider’s boss Superintendent Porson enlivens the dialogue with his frequent total butchering of famous platitudes and other malapropisms. The author also entitles each new chapter (of 23) with to us very amusing phrases, such as: “Fortune Favors the Bald”; “Farewell to Alms”; or “Alibi of Birdland”!
So while these tales are a little low on thrills and chills, with glimpses of the Slider family with little kids and wife Joanna, a symphony violinist, substituting for further violence or other disturbing developments, we are more than pleased to welcome each new entertaining story.
December 3, 2022
Of all the British mystery series that I read (and I read a lot of them), the Bill Slider books are my favorite. It's been a year since the last installment, and I'd forgotten how much I enjoy this series. But the second I saw the first chapter title, I was pulled right back into the world of Bill Slider and his creative wordplay.
Slider and his wife have recently given birth to a daughter. His sidekick Atherton is single once again and back to his womanizing ways. Another thing I enjoy about this series is the characterization. All the characters, from minor to major, feel like real people to me.
The mystery revolves around the corpse of a woman who has fallen to the bottom of the stairs. The death doesn't seem all that mysterious at first--but soon new details emerge about a similar crime that occurred twenty years earlier. And the more Slider and his team investigate, the more intricate the crime becomes. The story revolves around a tragic and dysfunctional family. I got wrapped up in the unfolding saga and felt like the victim was as alive as the flesh and blood characters.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles also writes historical novels that are just as good (maybe better) than her mysteries. For anyone interested in British history, I highly recommend her series of novels about the Morland family.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of the book one exchange for my opinions.
Slider and his wife have recently given birth to a daughter. His sidekick Atherton is single once again and back to his womanizing ways. Another thing I enjoy about this series is the characterization. All the characters, from minor to major, feel like real people to me.
The mystery revolves around the corpse of a woman who has fallen to the bottom of the stairs. The death doesn't seem all that mysterious at first--but soon new details emerge about a similar crime that occurred twenty years earlier. And the more Slider and his team investigate, the more intricate the crime becomes. The story revolves around a tragic and dysfunctional family. I got wrapped up in the unfolding saga and felt like the victim was as alive as the flesh and blood characters.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles also writes historical novels that are just as good (maybe better) than her mysteries. For anyone interested in British history, I highly recommend her series of novels about the Morland family.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a free copy of the book one exchange for my opinions.
November 29, 2022
Wow! Harrod-Eagles’s police procedurals featuring Detective Inspector Slide are always excellent but this one takes it up a notch. It involves a very complicated murder investigation with some unique witnesses. One was particularly poignant and will stay with me for some time.
About 3/4ths of the way through the book I was pretty certain as to the murderer but it was fascinating to go along as Slider and his team put together a case that could be prosecuted. In fact my only complaint is that the books concludes without us knowing if the person was convicted. At the same time the extent of the person’s crimes revealed at the end was staggering for all involved.
“[He] looked at him with dumb misery. ‘I can’t get mixed up with the likes of them. I’m sorry for the lady, but there’s them and then there’s us, and it never does you no good to cross the line. Maybe I shoulda…?’ He looked at Slider helplessly, begging for understanding.”
About 3/4ths of the way through the book I was pretty certain as to the murderer but it was fascinating to go along as Slider and his team put together a case that could be prosecuted. In fact my only complaint is that the books concludes without us knowing if the person was convicted. At the same time the extent of the person’s crimes revealed at the end was staggering for all involved.
“[He] looked at him with dumb misery. ‘I can’t get mixed up with the likes of them. I’m sorry for the lady, but there’s them and then there’s us, and it never does you no good to cross the line. Maybe I shoulda…?’ He looked at Slider helplessly, begging for understanding.”
February 1, 2022
Dying fall by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles.
A Bill Slider Mystery Book 23.
The woman lies dead at the foot of the stairs. It's obvious what happened: she tripped and fell. But PC D'Arblay, called to the dilapidated West London villa by an anonymous tip-off, can't shake the feeling that's exactly what someone wants him to think.It was the deep head wound that killed her - but her dying fall left no blood trail, so what was it she hit her head on?DCI Slider, of the Shepherd's Bush murder squad, is soon convinced D'Arblay's right. But with no motive, no murder weapon and no idea even who the victim is, Slider faces steep odds to get a result . . . while each painstaking step towards the truth brings him closer to a ruthless, evil killer.
A good read with good characters. Slow but readable. 3*.
A Bill Slider Mystery Book 23.
The woman lies dead at the foot of the stairs. It's obvious what happened: she tripped and fell. But PC D'Arblay, called to the dilapidated West London villa by an anonymous tip-off, can't shake the feeling that's exactly what someone wants him to think.It was the deep head wound that killed her - but her dying fall left no blood trail, so what was it she hit her head on?DCI Slider, of the Shepherd's Bush murder squad, is soon convinced D'Arblay's right. But with no motive, no murder weapon and no idea even who the victim is, Slider faces steep odds to get a result . . . while each painstaking step towards the truth brings him closer to a ruthless, evil killer.
A good read with good characters. Slow but readable. 3*.
January 8, 2022
So clever, with a truly boffo ending
It's such fun spending a few hours in DCI Bill Slider's world. The witty banter between Slider and his wingman Atherton is as sparkling as ever, with plenty of malapropisms from Slider's grouchy yet supportive boss, Porson. As always, there's a seemingly impossible-to-solve murder for the tenacious Slider to puzzle out, with help from his able team. Plenty of inspired plot twists, with a doozy of an ending. I love the truly clever puns the author employs in chapter titles, with this one making me laugh out loud: "As God Is My Witness, I'll Never Be Humphrey Again."
It's such fun spending a few hours in DCI Bill Slider's world. The witty banter between Slider and his wingman Atherton is as sparkling as ever, with plenty of malapropisms from Slider's grouchy yet supportive boss, Porson. As always, there's a seemingly impossible-to-solve murder for the tenacious Slider to puzzle out, with help from his able team. Plenty of inspired plot twists, with a doozy of an ending. I love the truly clever puns the author employs in chapter titles, with this one making me laugh out loud: "As God Is My Witness, I'll Never Be Humphrey Again."
July 4, 2022
A great series!
Harrod-Eagles is a writer with a great sense of humor, a wonderful way with words, and a precise knowledge of the inner-workings of the London police (at least from a layperson’s POV). I’ll read whatever else is written in this series but it’s good to have completed them so far. My thinking is it’s best to read other authors in between because there is a good deal of repetition in the descriptors she uses. Part of me wishes I had taken a break between readings. However, I still really love the series and the characters and will be thrilled when the next one is published.
Harrod-Eagles is a writer with a great sense of humor, a wonderful way with words, and a precise knowledge of the inner-workings of the London police (at least from a layperson’s POV). I’ll read whatever else is written in this series but it’s good to have completed them so far. My thinking is it’s best to read other authors in between because there is a good deal of repetition in the descriptors she uses. Part of me wishes I had taken a break between readings. However, I still really love the series and the characters and will be thrilled when the next one is published.
October 11, 2023
When Prue Chadacre is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, it initially looks like a tragic accident. But once the forensic evidence and pathology are examined, the case becomes a murder investigation. Miss Chadacre appears to have led an austere and friendless life, and Bill Slider and his team of detectives have great difficulty in establishing a motive. Who would want to kill a woman with no friends and no apparent enemies ? As the police begin to explore her past life, suspects emerge, including her psychologically challenged brother Philip.
An intriguing story, well written with plenty of humour in the interaction between the detective team.
An intriguing story, well written with plenty of humour in the interaction between the detective team.
November 28, 2021
I'm not sure if I've read any of the previous books in this series but won't be reading any than and very nearly didn't finish this one several times..
While the storyline is decent I found the constant misogyny from all of the male characters difficult to swallow, the attitude towards female colleagues and characters was at times sickening.
The additional, personal bugbear of ridiculously superfluous language made for a book that is uncomfortable for all the wrong reasons.
What is particularly disheartening is that the author is a woman
While the storyline is decent I found the constant misogyny from all of the male characters difficult to swallow, the attitude towards female colleagues and characters was at times sickening.
The additional, personal bugbear of ridiculously superfluous language made for a book that is uncomfortable for all the wrong reasons.
What is particularly disheartening is that the author is a woman
February 9, 2022
Bill Slider and his team have another strange case to solve. A woman is found lying at the foot of the stairs after an anonymous phone call. A policeman's suspicions are validated when the postmortem examination proved that it was not the fall that killed her. But now the body needed to be identified, motives found, and culprits bagged. The team had to work hard to find clues, but their hard work paid off in the end when a very nasty person is jugged for multiple crimes. A very twisty addition to this series.
Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title.
Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title.
May 3, 2022
This is a terrific series. I must say it's much better than her non-Slider novels. The prose is tight and funny, the plot has just the right number of red herrings, and the end works.
As in many other mysteries, there seems to be no motive, until lots of digging reveals a buried connection between the bad guy and the victim. This one has lots of sad bits, in relationships perverted, but ultimately works out. Actually, the resolution is a bit sad but perhaps a bit rosier than is realistic. And the series characters continue to be interesting and to grow.
As in many other mysteries, there seems to be no motive, until lots of digging reveals a buried connection between the bad guy and the victim. This one has lots of sad bits, in relationships perverted, but ultimately works out. Actually, the resolution is a bit sad but perhaps a bit rosier than is realistic. And the series characters continue to be interesting and to grow.
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