Death Watch/an Inspector Bill Slider Mystery [Hardcover]

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1993

Called to the site of a motel fire, in which a man registered as John Smith perished, London policeman Bill Slider is unconvinced that the death was the result of suicide.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Grim reality and intimations of immortality confront London detectives Slider and Atherton when they respond to the arson murder of a womanizing salesman. The victim, a deceptive man of failing business, marriage, and personal aspirations, serves as a foil to Slider (himself unhappily married) and ladies' man Atherton, who bounce theories off each other as they gather information and suspects. This sturdy follow-up to Orchestrated Death ( LJ 1/92) features realistic characters, dry wit, and surprising plot twists. See also the review of Harrod-Eagles's Fleur on p. 165.--Ed.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Scribner (February 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684195194
• ISBN-13: 978-0684195193
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,147,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bill Slider is back - just as good, April 17, 2001

By 

A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death Watch/an Inspector Bill Slider Mystery (Hardcover)

Bill Slider, the London Police Inspector from Shepherd's Bush is back - called to a investigate the death of a man found burned in a fire at a motel. One thing I'll say for Harrod-Eagles is she doesn't muck around before introducing the crimes in her novels and I do like that. The crime is done and you get the rest of the book to sift through the past with the detective.

The body might or might not have been suicide and Slider's superiors with the Police are pressuring him to call it suicide - thus saving valuable budget dollars. Slider isn't so keen to do that - there are too many anomalies in the case. The body proves to be that of a known lothario, Richard (Dick) Neal and as usual there are suspects aplenty to be interviewed and eliminated. However a stranger and more sinister pattern starts to show up - what is happening to the members of the Red Watch which manned Shaftesbury Street Fire Station in the 1970's?

Meanwhile Slider's marriage is coming apart and his affair with Joanna is deepening. This part I find hard to understand - Joanna's patience with him - Slider's vacillations. It doesn't convince me really. In fact I find Slider's personal life a bit of a jarring distraction to the main story.

I do like the way the story unfolds and things that are significant are often revealed early on but are only glaringly obvious in the last few pages. I do think Harrod-Eagles can write a great mystery. This is the second book in the Bill Slider mystery series, by the way - the first is Orchestrated Death.

4.0 out of 5 stars Death of a Salesman -- Bill Slider Mystery 2, February 9, 2012

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Death Watch/an Inspector Bill Slider Mystery (Hardcover)

Originally published in 1992, this was the second in the Bill Slider series, preceded by Orchestrated Deathand followed by 1995's Necrochip (AKA Death to Go).

In this book Slider is struggling personally with his disintegrating marriage even as he investigates the death of a womanizing traveling salesman, Dick Neal, whose body was discovered in a compromising position in a burning motel cabin. Murder or Suicide? His superior's superior would plump for suicide-- much cheaper and makes their crime solution numbers look better. Slider, though, has his doubts about this; and with the assistance of his boss, Dixon, he continues to investigate the dead man.

Finally the case is connected with prior cases, two definitely murder. But what is the connection between the men involved?

The book contains loads of puns-- Harrod-Eagles has a real talent for slipping them in along with sly literary allusions. The relationship between the various members of the police force is intriguing and fills the space between the detecting nicely.

If adultery by the good guys makes you twitch you might want to avoid this one, but otherwise recommended for police procedural fans and those who enjoy a good pun.