KILLING TIME: AN INSPECTOR BILL SLIDER MYSTERY (Inspector Bill Slider Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (Author)

Book Description

Series: Inspector Bill Slider Mysteries | Publication Date: January 1, 1998

Detective Bill Slider confronts the women in his life, past and present, as he hunts down a killer, in this intricately textured entry in this highly acclaimed series. When an exotic dancer is murdered only hours after complaining of receiving poison pen letters, Slider is plunged into a seedy world populated by prostitutes, pimps, and, surprisingly, Cabinet ministers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"This is not an episode of 'Cracker'," London police inspector Bill Slider reminds one of his coppers when he begins to spout psychiatric jargon. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has done such a good job of making her hero a no-nonsense, everyday kind of bloke that she has probably hurt her chances of turning Slider into a TV series character. But readers who enjoy the subtle nuances of flawed reality will relish her pace and polish, as Slider's old friendship with an exotic dancer called Busty Parnell involves him in the murder of her flatmate, gay dancer Jay Paloma. It wouldn't be a Slider story without female problems of a personal nature; in this case the unexpected return of an ex-wife, the jealousy of a current lover, and the amorous attention of a new colleague come into play. There's also a suspicious cabby with smelly feet and lots of acutely observed political infighting, especially a delightfully awful farewell party for a retiring superintendent. Other Sliders in paperback include Blood Lines, Death to Go, Grave Music, and Orchestrated Death.

From Kirkus Reviews

Somebody's threatening to kill him, exotic dancer Jay Paloma tells Inspector Bill Slider (Blood Lines, 1996, etc.); somebody's been phoning him and hanging up, and, besides that, writing him blustering letters. Then, the day after Slider's sent Paloma on his way with an admonition to save the next nasty letter that comes in, somebody beats him to death in the White City Estate flat he shares with stripper-turned-barmaid Valerie (Busty) Parnell. It would be a perfectly ordinary murder--except that White City Estate's already in the middle of a violent crime wave (community patrol copper Andy Cosgrove is lying in a coma after his own beating), and neither Paloma's professional associates at the Pomona Club nor his secretive lover looks to be up to any good. What are the connections among between Paloma's murder, the attack on Cosgrove, and the flow of drugs through the Pomona Club? And how can Slider and his men at Shepherd's Bush--this time including sexy, outspoken Tony Hart (whose status as a black female constable makes her ``the PC DC'')--ever tie the loose ends together when Slider's getting nothing but frowns from his mate, Inspector Ron Carver, and nothing but soporific smiles from his boss, temporary Superintendent Eric Honeyman, who can't retire fast enough to suit Slider? A neatly solved puzzle, the latest installment in the saga of Slider's domestic woes, and some of the best cop talk on either side of the Atlantic. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1st Scribner ed edition (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684837765
• ISBN-13: 978-0684837765
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,719,849 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 If you like English police procedurals, you'll love these., March 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Killing Time: An Inspector Bill Slider Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

Read them, read them, read them. Police procedurals are a genre of their own. You either love them or you hate them. I fall on the side of those who love them. Cynthia Harrod-Eagle's are of course police procedurals set in England, so if you don't enjoy that setting, then don't go here. If you feel a closeness with stories set in England, then you'll enjoy these. I was a little disappointed with Slider being a dim bulb when it comes to women, but I guess that goes with the territory. His crew finds him very insightful and a great interviewer who sees many things that others miss, but he can't see what goes on under his own nose. I am waiting for him to tumble to the fact that Atherton loves JoAnna and I wonder what this will do the relationship amongst the three. I eagerly await the next in this series.

Again - read it, read it, read it

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful sense of humour, December 1, 1999

By 

Nina Frey - See all my reviews

This review is from: Killing Time: An Inspector Bill Slider Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

I love this series because it is different. Funny, witty, streetwise. I'm always looking forward to the next instalment. The only disappointment for me was that some of the characters were a tad too quirky.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another good work in a terrific series, November 11, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: KILLING TIME: AN INSPECTOR BILL SLIDER MYSTERY (Inspector Bill Slider Mysteries) (Hardcover)

When Jay Paloma, a gay man is murdered, Inspector Bill Slider is assigned to lead the investigation. With his partner Atherton still recovering from the injuries sustained on their last case, Bill is assigned to work with a female hot shot rookie, Tony Hart. Bill and Tony quickly learn that the victim's lover was an unknown prominent cabinet member.

At first, the circumstantial evidence points towards Jonah Lafota, a giant body guard to a drug dealer. However, Jonah has an air tight alibi that has him elsewhere at the time of the murder. As Bill uncovers numerous facts about Jay's lifestyle including the identity of his lover, he finds himself still unable to name the killer nor the motive for the crime. However, though most of his clues leave him to a series of dead ends, Bill is getting closer to the culprit, who will do anything to permanently silence the police officer.

KILLING TIME is an interesting British police procedural because of the charm oozed by Bill, who is a normal person with personal problems struggling to survive in a cruel world through humor and wit. The story line has the typical pacing of the British novel, but due to her victim's homosexual preferences, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has written a unique novel that gives readers a glimpse of an England rarely seen in this sub-genre.

Harriet Klausner