Dear Departed

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Book 10 of Bill Slider

Language: English

Publisher: Sphere

Published: Sep 2, 2011

Pages: 352
ABC: 10

Description:

Chattie Cornfeld was murdered while jogging in the park. She ran her own small marketing company and lived comfortably, perhaps too comfortably for her income. At first it looked as though she was the latest victim of the 'Park Killer', but it doesn't take Slider and Atherton long to establish that someone was trying to pass the killing off as part of a pattern: only the pattern doesn't fit, this one was personal. Chattie was popular with all who crossed her path, and it was difficult to imagine she had gained any enemies. Turning to the two most popular motives for murder - money and passion - Slider and his team's investigation turn up some puzzling anomalies in her life, not least the number of men who counted themselves as her lover and the tangled relationships of her family. But none of the suspects can be made to fit what evidence they have, unless of course they've been mis-reading the evidence ... ** ### From Publishers Weekly Delightful dialogue and carefully observed details make Harrod-Eagles's 10th Bill Slider mystery a winner (after 2002's *Gone Tomorrow*), despite a somewhat unimaginative choice of culprit. The London police detective and his likable team—especially Jim Atherton, a womanizer who's unexpectedly enlightened on other subjects, and Tony Hart, with her astute observations and wry sense of humor—look into what appears at first to be another strike by the so-called Park Killer. Chattie Cornfeld, however, died in a slightly different manner from previous victims, so Slider starts investigating other avenues. Chattie's notably unsavory half sister, Jassy, and Jassy's equally lowlife boyfriend had been pestering Chattie just before her murder. Chattie's estranged father, the head of a major chemical company, is a possible suspect, as are several of her love interests. Slider's own love interest, his pregnant girlfriend, Joanna, ducks in and out of the story, but fails to light up as the other main characters do. Nevertheless, there's plenty of energy and personality in these pages.* (Dec.)* Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ### From Booklist The tenth in the Bill Slider series showcases both a killer clever enough to slide under the radar and, again, London detective Slider himself, adept at performing under people's expectations before producing a case-breaking confession or discovery. Slider is a British version of Columbo, slow moving but quick witted, irritating to higher-ups, confusing to criminals. In the latest in this somewhat cozy police-procedural series, Slider is called to what police believe is the third Park Killer slaying. A female jogger has been found dead in the bushes, killed in a public park in broad daylight, the trademark MO of the Park Killer. But Slider's take on the scene and his follow-up with the forensic pathologist suggest that this may be a copycat attempting to throw suspicion on the established serial killer. London detectives must sort through two interlocking techniques to discover the real culprit. Deft plotting and solid procedure. *Connie Fletcher* *Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved*