Headlong

Ms. Harrod-Eagles' Bill Slider series is a very cerebral mystery series. Bill Slider is a man who thinks, and thinks, and thinks. At the same time he manages to motivate his very impressive CID team, This team can do just about anything Bill asks them to, and they waste no time with unnecessary questions. I love everything about this series. Bill is a marvellous character, and his musician wife Joanna is the perfect counterpart for him. In this book Slider and his team are called in by the top brass to what appears to be an accidental death. A man has fallen out of his upstairs window to his death. He lands in a construction site with his head bashed in. Top brass inform Bill that it's open and shut and it's an accident. Hurry up and show more collect the required information and write it up. Why? Bill wonders, and the more he looks at the scene the more little niggles he gets. And of course, being such a deep thinker, he imagines all sorts of other scenarios. Once the autopsy results come back Bill and his team know its murder, so now it's sifting through a seemingly unlimited supply of suspects to find the killer. I found the book started a little slow, but the pace noticeably picked up about halfway through. As usual the book was not an easy one to figure out, and watching this professional team get the answers that they need is always a treat. But the biggest treat is Bill's boss, Porson. As usual he gets his adjectives, adverbs and just about everything else mixed up. It's hilarious to read what he says when he's got a full head of steam going on. Wonderful series, wonderful characters and always a darn good mystery. Slider never disappoints. show less

Another excellent, witty story. Slider investigates the death of aging lothario, writers' agent, Ed Wiseman, who appears to have many female lovers and few enemies. I especially enjoyed Slider's meeting with one of Wiseman's younger lovers. I didn't spot the villain through all the red herrings, but did work what out the blunt instrument might have been.

This is an excellent British police procedural murder mystery, set in present day London.
DCI Bill Slider and his detective team investigate the sudden death of Ed Wiseman, a prominent literary agent. wiseman's body is found several stories below an open window in his house. First impressions are that it is either an accidental death or suicide. Either of these findings would suit Slider's police bosses. However, the pathologist finds that Wiseman died before going out the window. Not too long into the investigation, several potential suspects are identified. The long tedious job of checking alibis and everyone's whereabouts begins.

This is the 21st book in the Bill Slider detective series. The story is told from Slider's point of view show more as the sole narrator. His character and backstory is well developed. On the home front, Slider and his wife are juggling the standard childcare issues of a two-career couple. There's a cast of recurring icharacters on the police side of the story. notably interesting is Slider's sergeant, Atherton.

There's plenty of social commentary about the entitled media types and others of the upper levels of British society. It gives Slider a "chip on his shoulder" attitude that runs through the story.

It's a smooth reading story, well paced and entertaining. Recommended as a standout police procedural. show less

Headlong by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is the 21st in the DCI Bill Slider series however it does read well as a standalone. Ed Wiseman, a 67-year-old literary agent, is found dead in the construction site next to his home and office. The death is deemed accidental in the beginning of the investigation but soon looks like murder. DCI Slider's bosses pressure him to keep the whole thing out of the newspapers and to resolve the case quickly. The potential list of suspects soon grows due to the fact that Ed Wiseman was very popular with the ladies, all of the ladies. This is a good old-fashioned police procedural that flows well and is entertaining. I look forward to reading other novels in the series. Highly recommended. Thank you to Severn show more House and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. show less

I read this one before #20, because I'm waiting for that to be delivered, but it didn't matter. A tight focused plot with just enough of Joanne and George. Surely Kate must be older than 12 by now though...?