Gone Tomorrow

November 25, 2002
When a body turns up in a gated Shepherd's Bush playground in the ninth compelling Bill Slider police procedural from Harrod-Eagles (Blood Sinister, etc.), DI Slider and his workaholic staff quickly realize that the victim was an unlikely candidate for murder. The baffling case of unlucky Lenny, a small-time dealer in stolen goods and drugs, blows open when, through a fortuitous but believable coincidence, Slider's sidekick and best friend, Det. Supt. Jim Atherton, discovers a connection between the victim and a mysterious crime syndicate. The meat of the story is how the methodical, intuitive Slider and his people identify the ringleader and unravel the mechanics of his organization, which ensures loyalty by viciously threatening its members. Woven into the story are Slider's personal problems—the tense relationship with his ex-wife, the imposition of his career on the limited time with his two children, the frustrating long-distance love-affair with Joanna, a violinist now playing with a Dutch orchestra—and those of commitment-shy Atherton. The author writes complex puzzles that are lightened with pungent wit, setting the scenes and bringing her characters to life with vivid descriptions (a twitchy, muscular man in a tight black shirt "looked like an unusually well-dressed sack of ferrets"). Although Slider and Atherton often overanalyze, their attention to detail pays off. This satisfying novel ends with surprising personal changes for both of them.

December 1, 2002
Detective Inspector Slider (Shallow Grave) investigates the murder of a fit, expensively dressed man whose body is left in a children's playground. He soon uncovers connections to drugs, scams, prostitution, and more. Another excellent procedural.

Copyright 2002 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2002
Detective Inspector Bill Slider's ninth outing takes him through London's most posh and pathetic neighborhoods. The endearing everyman of Shepherd's Bush is called to action when a man's body is found in a child's swing at a local park. The well-dressed man's identity remains as much of a mystery as who stabbed him--and why. When the man is finally identified, people linked to him refuse to name the "big boss" who ordered him killed. Their terror proves justified, as one by one they are brutally murdered. Slider, whose charm stems partially from his perpetual beleaguerment, is facing trouble on all sides. His lady love, Joanna, who has taken a job in Amsterdam and is rarely home, confesses that she has something "important" to discuss with him, which immediately convinces him that she wants to break up. Slider's boss Porson is struggling with a family crisis that makes him even harder to deal with than usual. The antics of this fascinating supporting cast add humor and spice to another winner in a consistently superb series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)