Cruel as the Grave

November 1, 2020
Harrod-Eagles' latest DCI Bill Slider novel brings the series to a new level, with one of Slider's most challenging and unusual cases to date, plus droll humor, hilarious malapropisms, offbeat badinage between Slider and his team, and even a heartwarming human-interest angle. Slider needs to solve the brutal killing of Adonis-like fitness trainer Erik Lingoss. There are plenty of suspects--Lingoss not only offered his clients fitness training, he also provided other "services" for a fat fee and was quite the womanizer, leaving behind a string of bitter male and female conquests. As with most murder cases, there's not much glamour. Instead, Slider faces the usual hard slog of checking alibis, scrutinizing suspects' backgrounds, and watching CCTV for clues. The higher-ups expect the case to be solved ASAP, and to add to the pressure, Slider's wife, Joanna, is expecting their second child at any minute. Dedication and talent plus days of grindingly hard work lead to success in cracking the case--luckily, just in time for Slider to rush to Joanna's side to greet their new baby. An outstanding mix of hard-boiled action and interpersonal give-and-take, perfect for those who like something a bit different from the standard police procedural.

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November 15, 2020
DCI Bill Slider investigates the death of a personal trainer who rubbed everyone the right way. Kelly-Ann Hayes, the teenage manicurist who discovered the body of Erik Lingoss beaten to death in his mirrored bedroom with one of his own barbells, is inconsolable that her boyfriend is dead. Her grief is undiminished even though he'd just broken it off with her the night before and she'd used a duplicate key she'd secretly made to let herself into his flat and make the gruesome discovery. Others are more dry-eyed about Erik's death, but that doesn't mean they weren't involved with him too. Jack Gallo, a trainer who owned his own gym, publicly ended his friendship with Erik when his old buddy took Jack's sister, Lucy, to bed. Trainer Ivanka Anosov acknowledges that she had it off with Erik during his breaks in between other girlfriends. Popular mystery writer Gilda Steenkamp was evidently only one of any number of wealthy older women who loved the way Erik gave massages. Even Jerrika Chamberlain, the beauty therapist who looks down her nose at Kelly-Ann even as she rents a bedroom to her, acknowledges that Erik was "gorgeous-looking." How can Slider and his mates possibly single out the lover or jealous partner who took out the Adonis who seems to have spread his seed all over Shepherds Bush and environs? And, to emphasize the most suspenseful question here, will Slider wrap up the case in time to make it to the hospital for the birth of his second child? A model no-frills British procedural, written with the author's cool confidence and lashes of humor.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from November 30, 2020
In Harrod-Eagles’s clever, frequently funny 22nd police procedural featuring Det. Chief Insp. Bill Slider (after 2019’s Headlong), Slider and his friend and partner, Det. Sgt. Jim Atherton, arrive at the London apartment of Erik Lingoss, a personal trainer, to find the man dead, his head bashed in, and Erik’s recently jilted girlfriend, 19-year-old Kelly-Ann Hayes, covered in blood. Though pressured to pin the murder on Kelly-Anne, Slider isn’t convinced of her guilt. A search of the victim’s apartment leads to a series of tantalizing suspects, including Erik’s wealthy private clients and a long list of discarded lovers. Sparkling dialogue complements a plot that provides satisfyingly shifting motives and persons of interest. However, it’s Harrod-Eagles’s ability to create authentic relationships between Slider and his colleagues and family that lifts this series into a league of its own. Slider’s marriage to Joanna, a concert musician, is certainly one of the most well-balanced in detective fiction. This entry will garner new readers and delight loyal fans.