Before I Sleep

I’m always eager to return to Bill Slider’s world in Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ series. Before I Sleep is the twenty-fourth in the series, and it’s just as delightful as a British police procedural as all the earlier ones.

It’s never a good sign when Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider is pointed to by the higher ups. They say he’s been involved in “sensitive cases” before. He understands that to mean if the case goes wrong, the Borough Commander doesn’t mind sacrificing Slider. This time, the expectations go all the way to the top. Henry Holland, a popular writer of sea-faring adventure novels, went to school with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. He called him directly to say his wife is missing. Although the police normally wait 48 hours when an adult is missing, this time there’s pressure to find Felicity Holland. But, what if Felicity Holland doesn’t want to be found?

According to Holland, he and Felicity have had twenty-four years of a happy marriage. Maybe so, but as Slider and his team dig into Felicity’s past, her sister tells of a slightly scandalous youth that caused her to be estranged from her father, an eminent barrister. Felicity’s history could hold the clue to her disappearance. But, Holland is insistent that his wife may have been kidnapped and killed. When her purse is found in Burnham Beeches, 900 acres of woodland where murderers traditionally dump bodies, there’s reason to fear that Holland might be right.

Harrod-Eagles brings the best of several elements to her Bill Slider mysteries. These are excellent police procedurals, with a quirky team of investigators. For those of us who read for character, there’s always dry, witty humor and a superb cast. The funny chapter headings are worth reading all by themselves.

Before I Sleep is another enjoyable mystery in a series of excellent police procedurals.

I love Bill Slider so was looking forward to the next instalment. Felicity Holland is missing she left her house for her pottery class and never returned she appears to be a sensible middle woman. Her Husband wants results instantly and as he has all the right connections Bill Slider is called upon to deliver......he has no clues and nothing to go on. So, with his usual tenacity he tries to follow in her footsteps. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles produces such a great story with interesting and relatable characters who are funny and engaging. Atherton may have found the love of his life!!!! Watch this space. I would recommend reading this and getting to know Bill Slider.

I'm always very happy to be back in Bill Slider's world. I like him for his humanity and honesty, and his relationships with his wife, his father, his children and his sidekick. And that was all here in Before I Sleep, Cynthia Harrod-Eagles latest installment of her successful police procedural series.

Thanks to his success in resolving high profile cases in the past, Bill's superiors decide he's just the man for the job when the Met Commissioner receives a phone call from an old school friend. His wife has gone missing and the man, a successful author, is distraught. Bill is tasked with finding her and faces an uphill task as and his team try to piece together her last known movements.

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles writes with skill and warmth and an off-beat sense of humour which has me chuckling out loud. Her characters are distinct and leap off the page and into my imagination right from the beginning. In fact, the only problem with this series is that, whenever I read a new title, I want to go all the way back to the beginning and read my way through them from the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is my first read by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles and I didn’t realise this book is part of an ongoing series - the 24th actually! I have to say I really enjoyed this read which I in my opinion can be read on it’s own. I liked the main character DCI Slider and also his team - especially Atherton - and loved the rapport and banter they have with each other. Slider is asked to investigate a case where Felicity Hammond went out one day and never came home. He has pressure from above and from Felicity’s husband to solve the case and follows up every lead. I thought the story was written well and flowed effortlessly and I enjoyed the snippets into Slider’s home and personal life. The author grabbed my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through to the end, and I thought the last quarter of the story was full of tension and suspense and I’d correctly guessed what happened to Felicity, so the ending didn’t wow me. I will look to read previous books in this series when I can and would recommend this book if you are a fan of good solid, police procedurals.

A well written read that I couldn't put down. The characters were well developed and believable. A really good read.

When a school chum of the police commissioner reports his wife missing, Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider catches the sensitive case. Drop everything, he is told.

After decades of marriage, could she have run away with another man? Could a predator have snatched her from a London street in daylight? As Slider and his team investigate every angle, they draw a picture of a beautiful, kind woman no one could wish harm.

Book 14 in Harrod-Eagles' Slider series keeps readers on edge, waiting for the next clue. Her usual pun play among the regulars provides comic relief. Five stars.

256 Pages

5 stars

It’s always a pleasure to dive into a new DCI Bill Slider novel.

Slider gets tapped for a “sensitive” investigation into the disappearance of a wealthy woman named Felicity Holland . She was not seen by her social climbing husband after leaving for her pottery class. The husband knows people in high places, so he calls his acquaintance. Enter Slider. He does not like these cases.

Felicity’s husband is a famous author of nautically-related novels, He is quite upset and is sure she was kidnapped. He wants Slider and his partner Atherton to get with the investigation and quit asking him silly questions. He states that he and Felicity have over twenty years of a happy marriage. They had no complaints.

Slider and his team begin by interviewing witnesses and visiting the places Felicity has been. Their investigation leads them down several paths, becoming convoluted in places. They even have to deal with a somewhat recalcitrant local police department.

This book is a marvelous example of a stellar police procedural. Ms. Harrod-Eagles crafts her characters so very well. They are all real people to the reader. They are a great group of people and the dialog between them is interspersed with small chuckles for those of us witnessing the action. This author has a very special talent,

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

This gifted author has written a cannot put down novel. Mystery and intrigue…a missing wife…a police officer on the job…friends and family…red herrings…secrets…what will happen? What did happen? Questions with answers not coming…these are likable characters who come alive on the pages. Grab a warm blanket…cuddle in a cozy chair…become lost in this story. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
DCI Slider is told by his higher-ups to drop everything and find Felicity Holland, a middle-aged woman married to a man who has all the right connections. She left the house for her weekly pottery class and never came home. Her husband is devastated and wants immediate results, but Slider has nothing to go on, no clues whatsoever.
Luckily his home life is very happy to balance out the stress of the case.
I love this series and Slider and his team are a treat, funny, irreverent, but always coming up trumps.
And it looks like Atherton is head over heels; wonders never cease!
Highly recommended!

I do love this series, although I found some of the banter (especially at the beginning) a bit contrived. I'm glad Atherton's personal life takes the turn it does in this book, and Slider's daughter Kate was very entertaining. The case itself was well-plotted, although so well clued that I kept having to wait for the police to catch up.

What a cleverly conceived detective mystery form the pen of Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. A missing person, an affluent middle-aged woman and a bereft husband who has connections with the police top brass. Poor DCI Slider is given this poison chalice assignment to find the missing woman. What follows is a rather good piece of detective work which leaves few stones unturned. However, it seems one step forward and two back when discoveries are made. Felicity Holland, the misper, is a woman with a secret past and it takes all of Slider's skills to find her.
Whilst a great mystery, the novel also has great humour, which had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. Polson's portmanteau of mixed metaphors I wonder about. Polson is Slider's boss and I have a feeling he does them intentionally to keep his audience engaged. Very funny nevertheless. What about some of the names of the team? Jeremy Fathom who can't fathom a sauce and gets a put down by Swilley......"you have to stop pushing the Q-tip when you feel resistance!" McClaren, being the firm's expert on all things automotive (well, with a name like that?). The allusion to Robert Frost by Slider was well weaved in too.
All in all, a captivating read which I enjoyed immensely and would heartily recommend.

This latest in the long running series (it was fine for me as an almost standalone) sees DCI Bill Slider and his team looking for Felicity, a wealthy woman who didn't turn up for her pottery class. Her husband Henry, who thinks she's been kidnapped isn't really helpful but Slider and his team especially Atherton find lots of clues and issues among the high end neighbors and friends. I liked the glimpses into Slider's home life and that Atherton seems to have a romantic interest. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's a well done procedural that will please new and old readers alike.

A solid four star read. Great premise. Well written. Good characters. Page turner. Plenty of suspense to keep me guessing Would definitely read the next novel. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

I have read most of the books in the Inspector Bill Slider canon and just love the inventiveness of the author. They are stories of serious criminal happenings but told in such a brilliant and often wryly humorous way that it is hard to stop reading you just have to find out what happens next!

Felicity Holland is missing.

She left her handsome West London house to go to her weekly pottery class and didn't come back. She's a mature, sensible woman with a stable home life and a happy marriage - no reason to abscond. Her distraught husband is convinced she must have been snatched.

DCI Bill Slider and his team know that when a woman goes missing, you have to move fast if there's to be a hope of finding her alive. But with no evidence of foul play - nothing to go on at all - where do you even start looking?

The clock is ticking. But as Slider tries to retrace the last known movements of Felicity Holland, he is led ever further down a dark and twisted path into the secret past of this beautiful, enigmatic woman.
This truly atmospheric and brilliantly suspenseful thriller dressed up as a police procedural rushes on to the superb climax. I look forward to the next instalment of Bill Slider's stories Strongly recommended.

Before I Sleep is a book that will have you guessing and following the clues to the last page.

Bill Slider and his team have been charged with finding a missing wife.

Just not any missing wife: she is the wife of a famous author who just happens to know the Commissioner.

It's like treading on ice for Slider and Atherton.

Secrets are revealed and lies discovered.

Although this may be Book 24 in the series you can easily read it as a stand alone though it will leave you wanting to read more of the series . (which I highly recommend).

I love Slider and Atherton and I am off to read the few I missed.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an entertaining and intriguing read.

Although I have read the first book in the series, I have found that one does not have to read them all in order.

Bill Slider is asked by the Commissioner to find Felicity, the missing wife of author Henry Holland. Holland had gone directly to the Commissioner the previous night, because he was a friend. The commissioner had told him to wait until morning, and now Slider is getting the assignment to find her. Holland is an author of novels about a Napoleonic War ship captain. His wife went to a pottery class the previous morning, and hadn't returned. Since Felicity didn't disturb him when he was in his office writing, he had no idea of what clothes she was wearing or even where the pottery class was. They had met at the launch party for his first book, and had no children. Her father, Sir John Aubrey-Harris was a very important lawyer and thought Henry was not an appropriate husband for Felicity, and did not want to talk with Slider about her.

Slider then talks with Felicity's sister Thelma, who is a little more forthcoming and tells him that when she lived with Felicity during her college years that Felicity had ONE TRUE LOVE who was a jazz musician (and already married). Slider gradually finds out more including that her true love is dead, she used a cab and the driver remembers her, and he finally gets something out of Sir John's maid! The big question is whether he can find her before she is killed.

This is a great addition to a very good series.

It is always great to return to characters that you love! Slider is given a missing persons case that has connections to the higher echelons of the force.

When a society wife of a famous author goes missing without a trace, Slider and his team are called in (against his will) to find out what happened to her. Did she leave of her own free will, or were there some sinister forces at play? Slider must figure out how to navigate the brass breathing down his neck and investigating someone who has family in the public eye, as well as friendships with people who could make things difficult for him.

Harrod Eagles does a great job o describing all of the grand homes that they enter, as well as the suspected crime scene. As Slider and his team dig deep into the past to figure out what is going on in the present, we are given a real sense of who Felicity Holland was, and reasons why she might want to leave her life behind. Family secrets and conflicts never end well.

I must confess that I figured out a piece of the puzzle as soon as the character was introduced, as well as how it might tie in to the disappearance. It was still fun getting there.

Atherton is given a love interest, and I am not sure how that will fit in the long run, but it was nice to see some character progression.
All and all it was a solid police procedural and a good addition to a long running series.

An author calls up the Police Commissioner asking for help to find his missing wife. Bill Slider and his team are personally tasked with the investigation. The search is long, slogging, and involved with the author tossing in plausible scenarios before the case is resolved. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles provides a very good entry to the series with the characters developing nicely and in unexpected ways. The chapter titles just add to the story line in surprising ways and the ending does satisfy this reader. Makes you want to shake folks and tell them to listen before acting!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this tale!

The 24th (!) entry in this long-running police-procedural series doesn't lose a step. Henry Holland is a popular author of nautical adventure novels with a personal relationship with the Metro police commissioner. So when his wife Felicity goes missing after leaving to attend a pottery class, he calls in a favor and the case is immediately assigned to DCI Bill Slider and his team for investigation, despite barely any time having passed. There is very little to go on, since Holland has no idea where the pottery class is, when she left, what she was wearing, etc. So the team must delve deep into Felicity's life to understand her and what may have happened. There are enjoyable forays into the personal lives of the police team and a lot of humor and heart in this novel.

Living in in Shepherds Bush it is a delight to read these novels. Particularly when the action slips over into our far posher neighbours in Notting Hill. Even more so when the denizens of that areas are so self aggrandising and quick to take umbrage.

I hadn't realised this series was still being written. A pleasant surprise. I think I read the first dozen or so.

In this novel I found the large cast of police characters rather confusing at first but everything sorted itself out quite fast and I could settle down to follow the storyline.

This is a police procedural with an interesting set of characters, with many an ironic quip and comment thrown in. It was the lack of other candidates which led me to realise what must have happened. This was good involving read with an interesting storyline and a great sense of the personal cost of murder. There is a particularly poignant twist in this novel.

I'm definitely going to return to the series.

I've been reading the DI Slider mysteries by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles for quite a while, and I'm still a fan. The entire team of detectives under Slider's leadership has a wonderful camaraderie that I enjoy. I especially like the banter between Slider and Sgt. Jim Atherton and their witty comments both on and off the job.

This case about a missing woman whose husband is friends with the Commissioner puts a lot of pressure on Slider to solve the case, but without offending the influential witnesses and potential suspects who are involved. There are a lot of twists in this case to keep things interesting. However, some of the developments seemed obvious to me so they should have also been clear to a whole squad of detectives. In spite of that, I was entertained from the beginning to end of this well-written mystery and I'm already looking forward to the next one.

I received an advance copy of this ebook from NetGalley and Severn House at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

It has been a while since I have read a Bill Slider mystery. Now, I am going to catch up on all the ones that I missed. I simply found Before I Sleep to be such an enjoyable read. There is an interesting plot, a range of characters and settings and, of course, the author’s puns and sense of humor. All of these elements combine for a most delightful read.

What happened to Felicity when she did not return home? Was it a voluntary leaving or has something sinister happened? What is the role/opinion of her rather dull, author husband? Of her sister? Her father? Of others around her? Did something happen in the woods? Elsewhere? I recommend that readers pick up this title in order to find out more.

Many thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for this title. All opinions are my own.

DCI Slider, second-in-command Atherton and the team are hand-picked for an anything-but-plum assignment. The homicide unit is told to look for the missing wife of a local author who doesn’t even live in their patch - but who does know the Chief. The team must build a picture of the woman’s life in order to figure out why she might have stepped out -or been taken out - of it. Along with the search we are given satisfying glimpses into Slider’s home life. Harrod-Eagle’s Detective Chief Inspector Slider series is, in my opinion, an under-rated treasure of a police procedural. While this can easily be read as a standalone do yourself the favor of starting at the beginning. Give this to fans of Louise Penny and Deborah Crombie. Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

There seem to be so many police procedural series in the contemporary thriller market that it’s hard to believe that Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is brave enough to add another one – let alone a series of 24 interconnected books, all featuring DCI Slider! This time, Slider is sent to investigate the bizarre disappearance of a financially comfortable and privileged woman, Felicity, who was en route to a pottery class. Her husband, a well-known author, maintains they have been happily married for two decades and don’t keep secrets from each other, but as Slider and his partner Atherton peel back the layers of seemingly ordinary, if wealthy, family life, quite a few secrets emerge and it becomes clear that Felicity is much different from the woman she was held to be. Will Slider be able to clear up Felicity’s disappearance? A well-written thriller, with particularly apt and believable dialogues, this book left me searching for the previous DCI Slider novels, so that I could continue observing this idiosyncratic investigator’s methods. Thank you very much to NetGalley and to the publishers for the free ARC that enabled me to read this police procedural and to produce this unbiased review.

An enjoyable murder mystery
What makes this book fun is the rapport and banter between Slider and his colleagues (mixed metaphors and malapropisms abound) and the affection between Slider and his wife. He's a family man to the core. Doesn't enjoy this case involving the disappearance of a woman who's happily married but seems to have a secret from her husband.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “Before I Sleep.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider and compatriot Jim Atherton have been on the job for a while now; this is their twenty-fourth book. Should we expect something ho-hum from Cynthia Harrod-Eagles? Not a bit of it. “Before I Sleep” is once again a complex investigation, replete with Slider’s ability to figure out who the bad ‘uns are (thanks to Ms. H-E). And never forget that same author’s ability to throw in a quip or two when it’s warranted -- and it’s usually warranted a lot.

Certainly, the case is never made easy for us readers. In this instance, Slider can’t be sure there is a case - of a missing person - to answer. There’s someone definitely not where’s she supposed to be, and the husband (who has the ears of coppers way above Slider’s paygrade) is all in a tizzy; but there’s no sign of violence, and most significantly, no body. Police really like verification of such things to do their work, but Slider’s told to get busy on the case, and so he does. And the proper police work begins, which includes the banter the series is always good for; do look for Atherton’s definition of “foibles;” worth the price of admission, it is, along with the chapter headings, as always. Slider and his colleagues do their best. And their best is very, very good, indeed.

I mentioned this is a long-running series; if you think that the personal side is also ho-hum by now - it isn’t. Our author ensures that we care about these people by putting their stories in amongst the hard work of the investigation. Yes, Slider’s pretty much the same as always and Joanna is doing well with her musical career; but there’s news on the Atherton front.

The plot teases us with multiple scenarios. Which one is the real one? Which one to believe? “Evil casts a long shadow,” Slider reminds us as the book comes to an end. Readers may well think so, too. Fans of the series will be best pleased by this latest series entry, another example of the author’s ability to present us with a competent, thorough police procedural and two terrific main characters.

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles continues Detective Inspector Slider's cases in Before I Sleep. Slider and his team are tasked to find the missing wife of a distraught husband who has influential ties to the police top brass. Felicity Holland left for her pottery class and supposedly disappeared. As she remains unfound the police do track her and find out things from her past popping up. Her father is a prominent retired lawyer with no patience for police enquiries and her husband provides no real help. An excellently plotted police procedural which leads to an ironic and deadly ending for Felicity and her family.

DCI Bill Slider is pulled off his regular work by the police commissioner on a sensitive case to track down Felicity Holland. According to her author husband, Felicity left their house to go to her weekly pottery class and never returned. Felicity is a mature woman with a stable home life and a happy marriage. Was she kidnapped as her husband fears? Or did Felicity run away with a secret lover? Slider and his team tries to retrace Felicity's movements but it's a slow tough slog. Dogged police work finally provides some clues and it becomes clear that several family members are not being fully truthful with the police.

Harrod-Eagles writes great police procedurals that are elevated with plenty of humour, a superb set of characters and glimpses of Slider & Atherton's personal lives. Before I Sleep is another fine entry in the long-running Bill Slider mystery series.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Severn House. All opinions are my own.

Once again, the pages flew past on their own as I was engrossed in this police procedural whodunit from the first page. DCI Bill Slider is all about getting the job done – and that involves keeping himself and his team from attracting too much attention from Them Upstairs. So when a worried husband insists the police start looking for his missing wife – and rings up the Commissioner of the MET to ask that it’s done, he isn’t thrilled when he’s the one who gets the job. Because said husband is a successful author, who happened to go to school with the Commissioner, who’s also a fan of his writing.

Initially, everyone on the team is exasperated that their precious time is being taken up with this annoying case, that is bound to be trivial – and but nonetheless put in their best effort to get it sorted out as fast as possible. After all, some 95% of missing spouses either return, or let their half know where they are within three days. But when those days trickle by and Felicity still hasn’t shown up, despite Slider’s diligent enquiries, the team’s speculations become a whole lot darker.

I love Harrod Eagles’ easy style – she knows her main characters inside out and it shows. There is a lot of banter amongst the team, much of it funny enough to have me laughing aloud. And while this isn’t a gritty, blood-soaked affair, neither would I class it as a cosy anything. Harrod Eagles’ writing might not be unduly graphic, but neither does she ever let us forget that a beautiful, vibrant woman has disappeared – and is likely not going to be seen alive again.

I have also read sufficient books in the series to enjoy watching Bill’s happiness with his second marriage. So many protagonists in police procedurals are dogged loners, living on takeaways and constantly staying late at the office, that I enjoy his happy domestic circumstances and sociability.

I did get a little fed up about halfway through, when I knew exactly what was going on – and probably who’d done it. Although it wasn’t a dealbreaker, I was a little disappointed that the normally well-constructed and twisty plotting I’d become used to enjoying was thinner this time around. Until, it turned out – while I was right about some of it, I didn’t know who’d done it after all. And as events moved forward, I realised that I wasn’t supremely clever – and probably that guess happened just when the author wanted it to. So yes… the plotting is every bit as twisty and well-constructed as usual. And so heartbreakingly poignant that I finished the book with a lump in my throat.

In short, a thoroughly satisfying read and highly recommended for fans who like their police procedurals featuring a likeable protagonist and a memorable victim who certainly didn’t deserve what happened to her. While I obtained an audiobook arc of Before I Sleep from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles writes excellent police procedurals and this one is no exception: gripping, twisty, and fast paced.
A tightly knittted story that kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A woman is missing with no discernable explanation and no clues to follow. DCI Bill Slider and his team of detectives know that time isn’t on their side. As they race the clock they encounter more questions than answers.

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has created a series that never disappoints. It is a well-done and realistic police procedural that has a variety of interesting characters (on both sides of the law) and a plot that is well-conceived. The story moves along at a good pace and, as a reader, I found myself thoroughly invested in the team and the outcome of their case.

I highly recommend this book as well as the series by Ms Harrod-Eagles.

What a refreshing and entertaining book which I see now is one of a series. How have I only just found Slider and Atherton? Yes the missing wife is potentially very serious and no stone is left unturned during the investigation but there are still so many genuinely funny phrases and comments I found myself laughing out loud and you don’t often do that during what is essentially a police procedural story. With characters like Cynthia Harrod-Eagles invents you cannot but be enchanted.

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BEFORE I SLEEP (PolProc-Bill Slider-England-Contemp) – 24th in series – Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Severn House, Feb 7, 2023, 256 pp.
RATING – VG

First Sentence: Jenrich stuck her head – all cheekbones and burning blue eyes – round the door.

Felicity Holland left her home to attend a pottery class and never returned. With a wonderful home, and Henry Holland, a successful author for a husband, there didn’t seem to be any reason for her to leave, nor has there been any ransom demand. Still, her husband is certain she has been kidnapped. In spite of no evidence, Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Bill Slider and his team are assigned to find out what has happened.

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is seriously underread, although she is a clever, and noteworthy author. By that I mean, in addition to her plots, one wants to note down so much of what she has written just from the sheer cleverness of her use of language. From the very beginning, one is both captured, and amused, by the chapter headings. They prepare one both for CH-E’s humor and literary acumen. But don’t be fooled, these are serious police procedurals. Even so, her metaphors are masterful…”Borough Commander ‘Call Me Mike’ Carpenter, Slider’s boss, Porson’s boss, everybody’s boss, who had all the warmth, charm, and empathy of Vladimir Putin with a toothache.”

It is refreshing that Slider’s boss, Porson, supports his team and that they work well together. At the same time, Porson is known for his malaprops and mangling of language. This adds a touch of lightness to the story. There is also wonderful repartee between Slider and Atherton, his second. It is refreshing that the whole team works well together. One also appreciates that Slider has a stable home life and that CH-E has created very realistic characters.

BEFORE I SLEEP is a very enjoyable read, mainly because of CH-E’s talent with language and how cleverly she plots her stories. Even if one does state to suspect the killer part of the way through, she carries it off beautifully and you want to know how she gets to the end…”’There’s no end to this, is there?’ There never is. Evil casts a long shadow.” Slider thought.” Her principal characters are a pleasure to read. It’s nice that she develops them throughout the series and we see them grow and change. This was a very good read.