I only started reading the Inspector Bill Slider police procedurals in the last couple years, but I’m always eager to pick up the latest one. I’ll admit though, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ Dying Fall was a little slow to get going. While Slider’s team, including Atherton, his growing family, and those wonderful chapter headings with literary humor and puns, are all present, the crime itself dragged.

PC D’Arblay doesn’t expect to see Chief Inspector Bill Slider show up when he calls in a suspicious crime scene. He had responded to an anonymous phone call saying there was a dead woman at the foot of the stairs in the shabby Dunkirk House. It looked to him, though, as if someone had tried to set a scene to show the woman fell down the stairs. D’Arblay was right.

It doesn’t take the responding officers long to find the woman had been hit in the head, and probably dragged from the kitchen. But, who was this well-dressed woman without a purse? Why was she in Dunkirk House?

Politically, the resources of Slider’s team should have been devoted to Operation Foxglove, a case the department was working on that dealt with underage boys and drug running. But, Slider claims his victim was murdered, and murder trumps drugs. He’s given just a short time to identify the victim and investigate. But, one of the desk sergeants has an interesting story of a death in Dunkirk House, one that wasn’t properly investigated twenty years earlier.

It seems the victim has changed her name. Her brother is missing. And, her father claims he hasn’t seen her in twenty years. To complicate the case, a number of people involved in this case have changed their names over the years. Dunkirk House has its share of secrets, and it’s up to Slider’s team to reveal them and find a killer.

While I love a good police procedural, it’s Harrod-Eagles sly humor and fun chapter headings that are so entertaining. There are sentences such as, “Paxman was a mighty man, six foot two and built by the same firm that did Stonehenge.” Can’t you just picture him? Slider and his second-in-command, Jim Atherton, have a relationship based on friendship, trust, and humor, and their conversations are delightful. Chapter headings relate directly to the chapters, but have to be read; “The Fault Is in Our Stairs”, “Jason the Argue-Not”, “You Can’t Have Your Kate and Edith Too.”

As I’ve said before, police procedurals are more engaging when the reader gets to know the characters personally. In the course of this series, Bill Slider has divorced, remarried, and had two more children. His relationship with his wife is always evolving. It adds to the enjoyment of the series. Slider has also evolved over the course of the series, and you can see his change in attitude toward a bag lady and other street people. You can also observe his careful treatment of a man with mental health issues.

Harrod-Eagles builds up the suspense in Dying Fall, until there are dramatic details revealed. However, she also contrasts Slider’s family life with other situations, the victim’s, Atherton’s, and others. It’s obvious how much Slider cares for the people involved in his life and his cases. That’s what makes police procedurals most appealing to me.

256 pages

5 stars

DCI Bill Slider, DS Jim Atherton and the rest of the team are back in this newest episode of the series.

The new case is one of a woman’s death poorly disguised as a suicide. She was supposed to have fallen down some stairs, but the huge gash in her head gives lie to that theory. She has no identification, no purse or anything in the house that gives even a remote clue as to her identity.

After a period of time, Slider and his team learn that she was Prudence “Prue” Chadacre. Prudence was a very private person. The only thing she shared with co-workers were stories about her brother, Philip. She lived very frugally. No personal letters or photographs at all. She got on with her co-workers, but did not feel comfortable with the public. She had her name changed from Kate Armstrong.

Extensive interviews with employers reveals a few nuggets of information to follow. Prue’s father is Magnus Armstrong. He is a very wealthy man and will be running for Parliament soon. He is arrogant and self-centered.

As the police clear one suspect after another, Philip drops a bombshell. Could it be true? Is the young man just confused?

Closing in on a new suspect, the police find copious evidence to further their case. It seems like a very solid case.

I love the way that the cops constantly mix their metaphors. It’s funny, and oddly, enough, it works. The chapter headings are a hoot, too. This book is extremely well written and plotted, as are all of Ms. Harrod-Eagles’ novels. The transitions are flawless and the pages flash by as the reader just has to know what will happen next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, as I have all of the author’s works. I look forward to the next in this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and Severn House for forwarding to me a copy of this exciting and remarkable book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

I have found this series consistently of a very high standard, and I think this is one of the best. The investigation centres on the death of a woman in a house hidden behind a wall. It seems the woman didn't live in the house and indeed it is hard to determine if anyone does. The plot moves at a good pace and the various well-rounded characters are all familiar from the previous books. There is something slightly dated (or perhaps timeless) about these books, despite the use of mobile phones and traffic cameras in the later ones, and of course the puns are terrible.

Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Yet another 5-star book in the DCI Slider series. I keep being amazed at how fresh and consistently excellent each book is, if I could give more than 5 stars for the whole series, I would. Not only are the cases absorbing, the humor is so smart and intelligent, I love it!
This book features the death of a young woman who was thrown down the stairs of an old, seemingly abandoned, manor. Slider, Atherton and the team are having a heck of a problem finding her identity and when they finally have it, they realize this was a very shy woman who never shared anything with anyone. She left no trace of herself, threw everything away that she touched and the only thing they know is that she had a brother. It's like she didn't want to be found.
The further they delve, the more the team realize they are on borrowed time, those higher up the ladder want the case closed ... Call it suicide they say, keep within the budget.
Slider can't let go, he feels strongly for the poor young woman and wants her case solved. The ending was so sad, it was a shocker to me, but I'm glad they solved the case and got their person.
Great read, loved it and highly recommend it.