Before I Sleep

Bill Slider #24

by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

The clock is ticking for DCI Slider when a woman goes missing. Can he find her - and does she even want to be found?

Felicity Holland is missing.

She left her handsome West London house to go to her weekly pottery class and didn't come back. She's a mature, sensible woman with a stable home life and a happy marriage - no reason to abscond. Her distraught husband is convinced she must have been snatched.

DCI Bill Slider and his team know that when a woman goes missing, you have to move fast if there's to be a hope of finding her alive. But with no evidence of foul play - nothing to go on at all - where do you even start looking?

The clock is ticking. But as Slider tries to retrace the last known movements of Felicity Holland, he is led ever further down a dark and twisted path into the secret past of this beautiful, enigmatic woman.

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

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2023

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

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it ! Best series . Wordplay, etc..

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

256 Pages

5 stars

It’s always a pleasure to dive into a new DCI Bill Slider novel.

Slider gets tapped for a “sensitive” investigation into the disappearance of a wealthy woman named Felicity Holland . She was not seen by her social climbing husband after leaving for her pottery class. The husband knows people in high places, so he calls his acquaintance. Enter Slider. He does not like these cases.

Felicity’s husband is a famous author of nautically-related novels, He is quite upset and is sure she was kidnapped. He wants Slider and his partner Atherton to get with the investigation and quit asking him silly questions. He states that he and Felicity have over twenty years of a happy marriage. They had no complaints.

Slider and his team begin by interviewing witnesses and visiting the places Felicity has been. Their investigation leads them down several paths, becoming convoluted in places. They even have to deal with a somewhat recalcitrant local police department.

This book is a marvelous example of a stellar police procedural. Ms. Harrod-Eagles crafts her characters so very well. They are all real people to the reader. They are a great group of people and the dialog between them is interspersed with small chuckles for those of us witnessing the action. This author has a very special talent,

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this wonderful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles and I didn’t realise this book is part of an ongoing series - the 24th actually! I have to say I really enjoyed this read which I in my opinion can be read on it’s own. I liked the main character DCI Slider and also his team - especially Atherton - and loved the rapport and banter they have with each other. Slider is asked to investigate a case where Felicity Hammond went out one day and never came home. He has pressure from above and from Felicity’s husband to solve the case and follows up every lead. I thought the story was written well and flowed effortlessly and I enjoyed the snippets into Slider’s home and personal life. The author grabbed my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through to the end, and I thought the last quarter of the story was full of tension and suspense and I’d correctly guessed what happened to Felicity, so the ending didn’t wow me. I will look to read previous books in this series when I can and would recommend this book if you are a fan of good solid, police procedurals.

[Carol Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d love to meet this author.. she has such a great sense of humour! Porson and his muddled up quotes just get me laughing every time :-)))

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley.

I do love this series, although I found some of the banter (especially at the beginning) a bit contrived. I'm glad Atherton's personal life takes the turn it does in this book, and Slider's daughter Kate was very entertaining. The case itself was well-plotted, although so well clued that I kept having to wait for the police to catch up.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The clock is ticking for DCI Slider when a woman goes missing. Can he find her - and does she even want to be found? Felicity Holland is missing.
She left her handsome West London house to go to her weekly pottery class and didn't come back. She's a mature, sensible woman with a stable home life and a happy marriage - no reason to abscond. Her distraught husband is convinced she must have been snatched.

I may be in the minority but I found this book rather slow. I don't think it helped that I did not really warm to either Felicity or her husband as characters. I felt there was no real depth to them and found myself not really caring what happened to either of them. I have read other books in this series and did enjoy catching up with other characters such as Slider, Atherton and the team but unfortunately the pace and plot of the book did not hold my attention. I am sure others may enjoy this more than I did but just think this story was not for me and I have to be honest when providing a review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review Before I Sleep. All opinions and comments are my own.

Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider and compatriot Jim Atherton have been on the job for a while now; this is their twenty-fourth book. Should we expect something ho-hum from Cynthia Harrod-Eagles? Not a bit of it. Before I Sleep is once again a complex investigation, replete with Slider’s ability to figure out who the bad ‘uns are (thanks to Ms. H-E). And never forget that same author’s ability to throw in a quip or two when it’s warranted -- and it’s usually warranted a lot.

Certainly, the case is never made easy for us readers. In this instance, Slider can’t be sure there is a case - of a missing person - to answer. There’s someone definitely not where’s she supposed to be, and the husband (who has the ears of coppers way above Slider’s pay grade) is all in a tizzy; but there’s no sign of violence, and most significantly, no body. Police really like verification of such things to do their work, but Slider’s told to get busy on the case, and so he does. And the proper police work begins, which includes the banter the series is always good for; do look for Atherton’s definition of “foibles;” worth the price of admission, it is, along with the chapter headings, as always. Slider and his colleagues do their best. And their best is very, very good, indeed.

I mentioned this is a long-running series; if you think that the personal side is also ho-hum by now - it isn’t. Our author ensures that we care about these people by putting their stories in amongst the hard work of the investigation. Yes, Slider’s pretty much the same as always and Joanna is doing well with her musical career; but there’s news on the Atherton front.

The plot teases us with multiple scenarios. Which one is the real one? Which one to believe? “Evil casts a long shadow,” Slider reminds us as the book comes to an end. Readers may well think so, too. Fans of the series will be best pleased by this latest series entry, another example of the author’s ability to present us with a terrific police procedural and two such entertaining main characters.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harrod-Eagles at the top of her game. Although the solution was not hard to guess, this book, like other Bill Slider mysteries, was a joy to read, just for the witty banter among the members of the "cop shop" and Slider's own internal monologue. The characters are well drawn and the process by which the mystery is solved was interesting enough to keep me turning pages until late at night.

[Karen Chapman-novakofski · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series of Bill Slider tales. Quite witty and engaging.

[Julia Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great addition to the Bill Slider series. Always entertaining to visit with well-loved detectives. Slider and his team are only getting more clever as the years roll on. The mystery is sort of beside the point at times in these books but as long as she is writing them, I will be reading them.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a while since I have read a Bill Slider mystery. Now, I am going to catch up on all the ones that I missed. I simply found Before I Sleep to be such an enjoyable read. There is an interesting plot, a range of characters and settings and, of course, the author’s puns and sense of humor. All of these elements combine for a most delightful read.

What happened to Felicity when she did not return home? Was it a voluntary leaving or has something sinister happened? What is the role/opinion of her rather dull, author husband? Of her sister? Her father? Of others around her? Did something happen in the woods? Elsewhere? I recommend that readers pick up this title in order to find out more.

Many thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, the pages flew past on their own as I was engrossed in this police procedural whodunit from the first page. DCI Bill Slider is all about getting the job done – and that involves keeping himself and his team from attracting too much attention from Them Upstairs. So when a worried husband insists the police start looking for his missing wife – and rings up the Commissioner of the MET to ask that it’s done, he isn’t thrilled when he’s the one who gets the job. Because said husband is a successful author, who happened to go to school with the Commissioner, who’s also a fan of his writing.

Initially, everyone on the team is exasperated that their precious time is being taken up with this annoying case, that is bound to be trivial – and but nonetheless put in their best effort to get it sorted out as fast as possible. After all, some 95% of missing spouses either return, or let their half know where they are within three days. But when those days trickle by and Felicity still hasn’t shown up, despite Slider’s diligent enquiries, the team’s speculations become a whole lot darker.

I love Harrod Eagles’ easy style – she knows her main characters inside out and it shows. There is a lot of banter amongst the team, much of it funny enough to have me laughing aloud. And while this isn’t a gritty, blood-soaked affair, neither would I class it as a cosy anything. Harrod Eagles’ writing might not be unduly graphic, but neither does she ever let us forget that a beautiful, vibrant woman has disappeared – and is likely not going to be seen alive again.

I have also read sufficient books in the series to enjoy watching Bill’s happiness with his second marriage. So many protagonists in police procedurals are dogged loners, living on takeaways and constantly staying late at the office, that I enjoy his happy domestic circumstances and sociability.

I did get a little fed up about halfway through, when I knew exactly what was going on – and probably who’d done it. Although it wasn’t a dealbreaker, I was a little disappointed that the normally well-constructed and twisty plotting I’d become used to enjoying was thinner this time around. Until, it turned out – while I was right about some of it, I didn’t know who’d done it after all. And as events moved forward, I realised that I wasn’t supremely clever – and probably that guess happened just when the author wanted it to. So yes… the plotting is every bit as twisty and well-constructed as usual. And so heartbreakingly poignant that I finished the book with a lump in my throat.

In short, a thoroughly satisfying read and highly recommended for fans who like their police procedurals featuring a likeable protagonist and a memorable victim who certainly didn’t deserve what happened to her. While I obtained an audiobook arc of Before I Sleep from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Before I Sleep, the twenty-fourth novel to feature DCI Bill Slider of the Met.

Felicity Holland is missing. Bill Slider and his team have been told to find this middle aged, middle class, happily married woman, whose distraught husband has friends in high places, but how do you find a woman who left her home to attend a pottery class in an unknown location and hasn’t been seen since?

I thoroughly enjoyed Before I Sleep, which is an engrossing police procedural with plenty of twists and turns. It is told entirely from the investigative point of view, which allows the reader to guess alongside the more professional detectives and gives the twists and turns greater impact as there is no foreshadowing or hints of what is to come. Not everything is unguessable, but as a whole it works.

The format of a police procedural really appeals to me and this is a great example. The team starts with less than nothing as Henry Holland does not know where the pottery class is, what time Felicity left the house, how she got there or what she was wearing. I really enjoyed how their perseverance nailed down these details, which, in turn, led to bigger revelations about her life and her family secrets. It is extremely well done.

So, the novel has an absorbing plot, but it also has a healthy dose of humour in the dialogue that made me laugh. There are plenty of puns and dad jokes, but there is also the sniping between colleagues that feels natural and recognisable to everyone who ever worked in an office. The very everydayness of the characters is comforting and familiar.

Before I Sleep is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

[Avidreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is always great to return to characters that you love! Slider is given a missing persons case that has connections to the higher echelons of the force.

When a society wife of a famous author goes missing without a trace, Slider and his team are called in (against his will) to find out what happened to her. Did she leave of her own free will, or were there some sinister forces at play? Slider must figure out how to navigate the brass breathing down his neck and investigating someone who has family in the public eye, as well as friendships with people who could make things difficult for him.

Harrod Eagles does a great job o describing all of the grand homes that they enter, as well as the suspected crime scene. As Slider and his team dig deep into the past to figure out what is going on in the present, we are given a real sense of who Felicity Holland was, and reasons why she might want to leave her life behind. Family secrets and conflicts never end well.

I must confess that I figured out a piece of the puzzle as soon as the character was introduced, as well as how it might tie in to the disappearance. It was still fun getting there.

Atherton is given a love interest, and I am not sure how that will fit in the long run, but it was nice to see some character progression.
All and all it was a solid police procedural and a good addition to a long running series.

[Scilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I have read the first book in the series, I have found that one does not have to read them all in order.

Bill Slider is asked by the Commissioner to find Felicity, the missing wife of author Henry Holland. Holland had gone directly to the Commissioner the previous night, because he was a friend. The commissioner had told him to wait until morning, and now Slider is getting the assignment to find her. Holland is an author of novels about a Napoleonic War ship captain. His wife went to a pottery class the previous morning, and hadn't returned. Since Felicity didn't disturb him when he was in his office writing, he had no idea of what clothes she was wearing or even where the pottery class was. They had met at the launch party for his first book, and had no children. Her father, Sir John Aubrey-Harris was a very important lawyer and thought Henry was not an appropriate husband for Felicity, and did not want to talk with Slider about her.

Slider then talks with Felicity's sister Thelma, who is a little more forthcoming and tells him that when she lived with Felicity during her college years that Felicity had ONE TRUE LOVE who was a jazz musician (and already married). Slider gradually finds out more including that her true love is dead, she used a cab and the driver remembers her, and he finally gets something out of Sir John's maid! The big question is whether he can find her before she is killed.

This is a great addition to a very good series.

[Terry Halligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

I have read most of the books in the Inspector Bill Slider canon and just love the inventiveness of the author. They are stories of serious criminal happenings but told in such a brilliant and often wryly humorous way that it is hard to stop reading you just have to find out what happens next!

Felicity Holland is missing.

She left her handsome West London house to go to her weekly pottery class and didn't come back. She's a mature, sensible woman with a stable home life and a happy marriage - no reason to abscond. Her distraught husband is convinced she must have been snatched.

DCI Bill Slider and his team know that when a woman goes missing, you have to move fast if there's to be a hope of finding her alive. But with no evidence of foul play - nothing to go on at all - where do you even start looking?

The clock is ticking. But as Slider tries to retrace the last known movements of Felicity Holland, he is led ever further down a dark and twisted path into the secret past of this beautiful, enigmatic woman.
This truly atmospheric and brilliantly suspenseful thriller dressed up as a police procedural rushes on to the superb climax. I look forward to the next instalment of Bill Slider's stories Strongly recommended.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book with a conundrum of a mystery for the investigation team. As the book evolves many layers of the victim's life will get exposed, almost as though she is violated twice. The chief investigation, DCI Slider, knows this and tries to respect the victim as much as he can even as he is facing pressure from higher-ups to find her and solve the crime behind her disappearance.

This book is full of witticisms, with delightful and punishing dialogue (emphasis on pun) and chapter titles. Where else could you get dialogue like this:

"What's wrong with woodwind players?"
"They are a sort of bloodless compromise—neither fish nor fowl not good red herring."
"Eh?" said Kate.
"Neither string nor brass, just stuck in between."
"So what was that about the fish?"
"That was just a red herring."
"Quotation." Silder rescued his daughter. "Shakespeare."

Given that most of this plot is one big red herring, which is a staple fish in most cozy mysteries, this was LOL hilarious.

This is an exception English police procedural. Ms. Harrod-Eagels and Ms. Crombie are both tops in that field but this book may have edged Harrod-Eagles to the top of the list. Thank you!

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is my first read by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles and I didn’t realise this book is part of an ongoing series - the 24th actually! I have to say I really enjoyed this read which I in my opinion can be read on it’s own. I liked the main character DCI Slider and also his team - especially Atherton - and loved the rapport and banter they have with each other. Slider is asked to investigate a case where Felicity Hammond went out one day and never came home. He has pressure from above and from Felicity’s husband to solve the case and follows up every lead. I thought the story was written well and flowed effortlessly and I enjoyed the snippets into Slider’s home and personal life. The author grabbed my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through to the end, and I thought the last quarter of the story was full of tension and suspense and I’d correctly guessed what happened to Felicity, so the ending didn’t wow me. I will look to read previous books in this series when I can and would recommend this book if you are a fan of good solid, police procedurals.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felicity Holland is missing. She experienced an uneventful start to her Tuesday, but by Tuesday night, her frantic husband called the cops to report her gone. He has connections with the guy just under the home secretary, so his complaints can motivate others to action.

Bill Slider and his associates catch the case, and they’re under a great deal of pressure to solve it. The blow-hard, angry husband reminds them of that every time they must deal with him.

This is a slow, thoughtful British police procedural that you need to stay with. It’s ultimately worth it, but it’s slow in places. Even more motivating than the mystery is the ongoing story of Slider and his group. If you read the other books in the series, and I hope you will, you’ll become interested in the lives of these cops almost as if they were soap opera characters.

This can’t have four stars because the mystery is a bit anti-climactic. But it’s such a pleasure to catch up to the lives of these cops just to see how they’re doing. Your reading experience with this will be significantly less impressive if you attempt it as a stand-alone.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caught up, and now waiting for the new Bill Slider book to come out later this year. I have enjoyed my little sojourn with Bill Slider, and this one was the best of the three that i have just read. This book starts out a little differently for Slider and his team. They have been asked to search for a missing woman, and even though the team is less than enthusiastic for this task and it's out of their patch, they have to drop everything they are working on and begin this search as they've been ordered by the Police Commissioner to do so. As they start with little to no information about the missing woman or what her routines and movements have been, it's painstakingly slow to build a timeline, and they keep running into road blocks, tripping over red herrings, trying to tell whether or not people are lying and all not in their own patch. They find themselves along a twisty and secretive path and are forced to follow it including all its jigs and jags to get to the bottom of this mystery. I love the characters in this series, and I love the actual police work involved with each case they tackle. Highly recommend.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading the DI Slider mysteries by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles for quite a while, and I'm still a fan. The entire team of detectives under Slider's leadership has a wonderful camaraderie that I enjoy. I especially like the banter between Slider and Sgt. Jim Atherton and their witty comments both on and off the job.

This case about a missing woman whose husband is friends with the Commissioner puts a lot of pressure on Slider to solve the case, but without offending the influential witnesses and potential suspects who are involved. There are a lot of twists in this case to keep things interesting. However, some of the developments seemed obvious to me so they should have also been clear to a whole squad of detectives. In spite of that, I was entertained from the beginning to end of this well-written mystery and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

I received an advance copy of this ebook from NetGalley and Severn House at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased. 

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Bill Slider novels, although I pretty much think that every time I read one. This one should be boring, since it involves all the usual cliches--political pressure on the local police to find a missing woman instantly if not sooner, lead after lead dissolving into nothing, endless scans of footage from seemingly every TV camera in England. But it isn't boring, partly because of the humor on every page, partly because of well-drawn characters, and partly because of skillful pacing. I laughed out loud at Porson's characteristic mixed cliches--"We'd better be careful, or we'll be up a tree without a paddle" "You can't make bricks without breaking eggs" and the team of detectives sounding like the regulars at the bar in the Dortmunder novels, this time arguing about whether marinara means seafood. The chapter titles alone were worth the ride. "If You Knew Sushi Like I Know Sushi." "Gits that Pass in the Night." "Rather Fun and Wholly Toast." The solution was not terribly hard to guess, but it came with surprising and fully appropriate weight and seriousness.

[Jane Sandell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always very happy to be back in Bill Slider's world. I like him for his humanity and honesty, and his relationships with his wife, his father, his children and his sidekick. And that was all here in Before I Sleep, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' latest installment of her successful police procedural series.

Thanks to his success in resolving high profile cases in the past, Bill's superiors decide he's just the man for the job when the Met Commissioner receives a phone call from an old school friend. His wife has gone missing and the man, a successful author, is distraught. Bill is tasked with finding her and faces an uphill task as and his team try to piece together her last known movements.

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles writes with skill and warmth and an off-beat sense of humour which has me chuckling out loud. Her characters are distinct and leap off the page and into my imagination right from the beginning. In fact, the only problem with this series is that, whenever I read a new title, I want to go all the way back to the beginning and read my way through them from the beginning.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good solid entry in the Bill Slider/Atherton series. Nothing particularly remarkable about it, a good, well-plotted mysteries as can be expected from her with the usual puns at the beginning of each chapter, the mangling of the English language by the boss and the clever repartee between the detectives. A few words I needed to look up which I always like, as without boasting, it doesn’t happen too often. And how do you pronounce hegemony? Well that all depends… It’s a bit slower than some of her books and the characters (on the other side of the law) aren’t particularly likeable so didn’t care as much as sometimes. Felicity goes missing and her husband is frantic – and well in with the chief of police so Slider is under a lot of pressure. Is she dead? Is she having an affair? What is going on. For much of the book it could be anything and clues are few and far between. But as usual with Slider and his team, solid police work wins the day.

[Grace Koshida · Rating 4 out of 5]

DCI Bill Slider is pulled off his regular work by the police commissioner on a sensitive case to track down Felicity Holland. According to her author husband, Felicity left their house to go to her weekly pottery class and never returned. Felicity is a mature woman with a stable home life and a happy marriage. Was she kidnapped as her husband fears? Or did Felicity run away with a secret lover? Slider and his team tries to retrace Felicity's movements but it's a slow tough slog. Dogged police work finally provides some clues and it becomes clear that several family members are not being fully truthful with the police.

Harrod-Eagles writes great police procedurals that are elevated with plenty of humour, a superb set of characters and glimpses of Slider & Atherton's personal lives. Before I Sleep is another fine entry in the long-running Bill Slider mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House. All opinions are my own.

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prepare for another absorbing reading experience as you catch up with all the team working with Bill Slider on a case that doesn't feel or look like much of a case. But Slider's head will definitely be on the chopping block if he doesn't solve the case of the missing wife. It seems the husband is a well-known author and the police commissioner really enjoys reading his books. Naturally the author called the commissioner when his wife didn't arrive back home from completing her schedule of activities the previous day. Slider and the team can't seem to find a single clue to get started with.

This is another very well plotted mystery from one of my favorite authors. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has written 24 novels featuring Slider and I've enjoyed each one I've read. This one kept me guessing the whole way through!

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for a digital galley of this novel.

[Rog Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is a prolific author in various genres and the twenty four (so far) books in this police procedural series set in London are only a small part of her output.

I am a big fan of this series and this is the fourteenth book which I have read. The author writes with humour and the dialogue is witty. Detective Chief Inspector Slider and his team are ordered to look for a missing woman as her husband is a friend of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. It's a difficult task as the husband seems to know little about his wife's life and the missing woman's father believes that he is too important to answer questions from the police. It's a compelling read with several mysteries (some of which I worked out thanks to the author's clues) and I read the book in one sitting.

[Judy Odom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I Sleep is a book that will have you guessing and following the clues to the last page.

Bill Slider and his team have been charged with finding a missing wife.

Just not any missing wife: she is the wife of a famous author who just happens to know the Commissioner.

It's like treading on ice for Slider and Atherton.

Secrets are revealed and lies discovered.

Although this may be Book 24 in the series you can easily read it as a stand alone though it will leave you wanting to read more of the series . (which I highly recommend).

I love Slider and Atherton and I am off to read the few I missed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an entertaining and intriguing read.

[Soozee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a tongue-in-cheek murder mystery - although the author does try a little too hard to be amusing and it doesn't always work. I think the police probably take their work a little more seriously than Slider's team (or maybe not). But it makes for a fun read.

A man contacts the chief constable because his wife has failed to return home, so it falls to Slider to find her, and quickly. But the evidence is very thin; eventually they piece together her movements, but will they find her safe and well or dead? The outcome and perpetrator were actually fairly obvious from early on, but it didn't really detract from a good yarn.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman is reported missing by her husband, a popular author of historical maritime adventures (ala Horatio Hornblower). The author has fans and friends among high-ups in the police, so a lot of pressure is being brought to bear on DCI Slider to find the woman. The team has little in the way of clues, so the investigation consists primarily of dredging through CCTV footage. This might be authentic but it does not make for a very exciting story. The inspector even fails to catch a plot twist that is screamingly obvious to the reader. Not much work by the little gray cell in evidence here. The problem that the detectives have is that most of the investigation could be carried out with a great deal more speed and efficiency by AI. They should be a little worried about their jobs.