Before I Sleep

September 1, 2022

A beautiful and quietly self-assured older woman named Felicity Holland fails to return home after a pottery class, and her husband is convinced that she's been abducted. But without evidence of foul play--or any reason for it--DCI Bill Slider of London's Shepherd's Bush murder squad, doesn't know where to start looking. Next in a durable series after the well-received Dying Fall.

Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2022
DCI Bill Slider lands a case as puzzling as it is unwelcome. Henry Holland's wife has gone missing. Felicity Holland went out on her usual errands--a pottery class, lunch with some friends--and never came home. Since her husband is a historical novelist of some repute and an old schoolmate of Borough Commander Mike Carpenter, who admires his work, he phones him directly, and even though Felicity presumably disappeared from Notting Hill, not Shepherd's Bush, Carpenter orders Slider to take on the investigation personally. The missing woman hasn't left much of a trail, but the discovery of her handbag in Burnham Beeches, exactly the sort of venue that would be ideal for disposing of a body, turns up the heat, though not the light. The few leads Slider picks up point him toward Josh Milo, an old lover Felicity hadn't seen in years; an unidentified, much younger man she repeatedly had lunch with; and her own father, Sir John Aubrey-Harris, Queen's Counsel, a retired barrister so eminent that Slider dares not accuse him or even question him. To top it off, Holland keeps calling his higher-ups to complain about Slider's lack of progress. "If ever he had been handed a poisoned chalice, this was it," reflects Slider ruefully. The climactic developments in the case, when they arrive in good time, aren't exactly surprising, but they're highly satisfying. As a bonus, Slider gets something that might almost pass for an apology from one of the powerful people he's been thrown up against. A model British procedural with nary a wasted word, scene, or gesture.

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January 16, 2023
A missing person’s case drives Harrod-Eagles’s intriguing 24th mystery featuring London Det. Chief Insp. Bill Slider (after 2022’s Dying Fall). When Felicity Holland, the wife of author Henry Holland, who writes popular novels “about a ship-captain in the Napoleonic Wars,” doesn’t return home to Holland Park after her weekly pottery class, Henry is sure something untoward has happened. Fortunately for him, Henry has friends in high places, including the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who ensures that Slider takes charge of the investigation to find Felicity. Progress is slow, Henry’s patience is nil, and Slider is under immense pressure to uncover a solid lead. As tiny clues turn into wildly divergent paths of inquiry, Slider and his merry band of officers discover that the esteemed Mrs. Holland had her share of secrets. From posh manses in West London to Burnham Beeches, a woodland outside the city, Slider doggedly pursues the truth, however ugly it may be. Witty prose (Carpenter, Slider’s immediate boss, has “all the warmth, charm and empathy of Vladimir Putin with a toothache”) helps carry the clever plot to a satisfying conclusion. Harrod-Eagles reliably entertains.

February 1, 2023
Harrod-Eagles delivers another outstanding Bill Slider police procedural. Featuring Slider and his team of talented, hardworking detectives, plus Slider's malaprop-spouting but always supportive boss, this outing has the team looking for the wealthy wife of noted nautical novelist Henry Holland. When Holland's wife, Felicity, fails to return home one night, the novelist asks an old school buddy, now high up in the police, to fast-track a search for her. It falls to Slider to "drop everything" and focus on finding the woman. At first, they suspect she's run away, but when her handbag is found in a wooded area, they fear the worst. Slider is sure there's something odd about the case, but even he can't imagine how soul-destroying and tragic the conclusion will be. A gripping plot, Harrod-Eagles' trademark wry humor, and an authentic look at today's police--the hard slog, the spirit-draining politics, and the struggle for resources juxtaposed against the bravery and persistence of the modern cop--make this a fine read for procedural fans.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2023

Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider knows he's in trouble when the borough commander mentions Slider has been involved in sensitive cases before. In other words, if the investigation goes wrong, it's okay to sacrifice Slider and his team. This time, the pressure comes from the top. Henry Holland, a writer of seafaring adventure novels, went to school with the police commissioner. Holland's wife Felicity disappeared after leaving her pottery class the day before, and he demands a search. Although the couple has been married for 24 years, Felicity had a slightly risqu� youth, and she's alienated from her prominent father. As the investigation progresses, Slider wonders if Felicity chose to disappear, but the discovery of her purse, in a wooded area where murderer often dump bodies, leads the team to intensify their search. Slider questions family members gingerly, until the case leads him right back to Henry and the realization that the man hasn't told them the truth about the day his wife disappeared. VERDICT Harrod-Eagles follows Dying Fall with another delightful mystery for fans of unconventional police teams, witty dialogue, and excellent procedurals.--Lesa Holstine

Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.