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Bill Slider #22
Cruel as the Grave
The murder of a personal fitness trainer draws DCI Bill Slider and his team into a baffling investigation where nothing is as it first appears.
Fitness trainer Erik Lingoss is found dead in his west London flat, his head smashed by one of his own dumbbells. His heartlessly-dumped girlfriend, blood on her clothes and hands, is the prime suspect. She had means, opportunity, and motive.
But is the case as clear-cut as it seems? Handsome Erik Lingoss had clients in high places; and he seemed to engender powerful emotions. If it was a crime of passion, there was plenty of that to go round: love strong as death, jealousy cruel as the grave.
Who did he let in to his flat that evening? Where is his missing mobile phone? Why is seven hundred pounds in cash stuffed under his pillow? The deeper Slider and his team dig, the clearer it becomes there's far more to this case than meets the eye.
Fitness trainer Erik Lingoss is found dead in his west London flat, his head smashed by one of his own dumbbells. His heartlessly-dumped girlfriend, blood on her clothes and hands, is the prime suspect. She had means, opportunity, and motive.
But is the case as clear-cut as it seems? Handsome Erik Lingoss had clients in high places; and he seemed to engender powerful emotions. If it was a crime of passion, there was plenty of that to go round: love strong as death, jealousy cruel as the grave.
Who did he let in to his flat that evening? Where is his missing mobile phone? Why is seven hundred pounds in cash stuffed under his pillow? The deeper Slider and his team dig, the clearer it becomes there's far more to this case than meets the eye.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2021
29 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
169 books495 followersCynthia Harrod-Eagles (aka Emma Woodhouse, Elizabeth Bennett)
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.
She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.
She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.
In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy.
She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC.
She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four.
In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
January 20, 2022
This was the last of the published books in the series. Personal trainer Erik (with a k) Lingoss is brutally murdered in his flat, his skull bashed in with a dumbbell. At first DCI Bill Slider and his crew suspect his young girlfriend who called it in as she is covered in blood and had picked up the dumbbell (silly girl). But she was soon cleared of the crime.
Police have no choice now but to do the hard slog of turning Lingoss’s life inside out. It transpires that Erik was an extreme womaniser who often had more than one girlfriend on the go. He worked out of a gym for two days of the week but saw wealthy clients in their homes on the other days. Often a workout would be followed by a massage which would then be followed by action between the sheets. Many of the women were older than him and many were married so the pool of suspects grew and grew.
It was clearly a crime of passion but the clues are baffling. Where is Erik’s phone? Why was there £700 pounds hidden under his pillow? Who came to see him on the night of his death as there were no signs of a break in?
It was only the hard work of the team’s CCTV guru which provided a vital clue. But even then there was a delicious twist. Nothing was as it seemed! I could not have picked the culprit, so cleverly were they disguised! I’ll leave it there for now and will be back to review the arc Dying Fall soon.
Police have no choice now but to do the hard slog of turning Lingoss’s life inside out. It transpires that Erik was an extreme womaniser who often had more than one girlfriend on the go. He worked out of a gym for two days of the week but saw wealthy clients in their homes on the other days. Often a workout would be followed by a massage which would then be followed by action between the sheets. Many of the women were older than him and many were married so the pool of suspects grew and grew.
It was clearly a crime of passion but the clues are baffling. Where is Erik’s phone? Why was there £700 pounds hidden under his pillow? Who came to see him on the night of his death as there were no signs of a break in?
It was only the hard work of the team’s CCTV guru which provided a vital clue. But even then there was a delicious twist. Nothing was as it seemed! I could not have picked the culprit, so cleverly were they disguised! I’ll leave it there for now and will be back to review the arc Dying Fall soon.
January 9, 2021
A police-procedural crime with a linear storyline.
I found the murdered personal trainer Erik Lingoss a little off-putting in his antics and life before his untimely murder. The police procedural aspect held my attention but I did have the killer marked out before halfway. Not the most original plot ever conceived but it works.
The author endeavours to add suspects and motives but most were unwarranted and easy to spot as plot fillers. This novel really revolves around the victimology and some rather low on self-esteem women.
The novel is told entirely from the POV of the investigation and sadly I had not read any prior novels featuring detective Bill Slider, so that may be impacting this review. I don't see myself going back to the first 21 books either but faithful followers of the series love the books.
I found the murdered personal trainer Erik Lingoss a little off-putting in his antics and life before his untimely murder. The police procedural aspect held my attention but I did have the killer marked out before halfway. Not the most original plot ever conceived but it works.
The author endeavours to add suspects and motives but most were unwarranted and easy to spot as plot fillers. This novel really revolves around the victimology and some rather low on self-esteem women.
The novel is told entirely from the POV of the investigation and sadly I had not read any prior novels featuring detective Bill Slider, so that may be impacting this review. I don't see myself going back to the first 21 books either but faithful followers of the series love the books.
December 14, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for an e-galley of this novel.
Once again I settled down for an entertaining interlude with one of my favorite groups of British cops. The Bill Slider novels by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles are police procedurals that take the reader along as a murder investigation is worked by a team I enjoy coming back to. This crime takes us into the world of the private fitness trainers who focus on the wealthy clients who are willing to pay top dollar for results. It's all a matter of figuring out what results each client wanted to accomplish. Because this novel is an example of how this team begins with practically no information and develops the case until they can solve it, readers are invited to follow along through all the normal starts and stops of an investigation into murder. Sometimes watching an investigation unfold in this way can mean slow portions of the book where nothing much seems to be happening. However, this author is very good at sensing just how far she can go without any clues or results before readers get antsy.
The team of investigators have been working together for quite a while now and that helps round them off regarding their interchanges with one another. Individual thinking is encouraged, Slider doesn't resent having someone on the team find a pivotal clue just as long as they all work together. Deputy Superintendent Porson is back making comments you might just slip over if you aren't paying attention. There is quite a bit of family interaction in this series, something I don't normally enjoy much but I'm okay with it here because it's kept to essential interruptions to the investigation to supply background for how individuals are responding to their job.
This was another good read for me in the Bill Slider series. It's always nice to come away from a book feeling like you've thoroughly enjoyed yourself.
Once again I settled down for an entertaining interlude with one of my favorite groups of British cops. The Bill Slider novels by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles are police procedurals that take the reader along as a murder investigation is worked by a team I enjoy coming back to. This crime takes us into the world of the private fitness trainers who focus on the wealthy clients who are willing to pay top dollar for results. It's all a matter of figuring out what results each client wanted to accomplish. Because this novel is an example of how this team begins with practically no information and develops the case until they can solve it, readers are invited to follow along through all the normal starts and stops of an investigation into murder. Sometimes watching an investigation unfold in this way can mean slow portions of the book where nothing much seems to be happening. However, this author is very good at sensing just how far she can go without any clues or results before readers get antsy.
The team of investigators have been working together for quite a while now and that helps round them off regarding their interchanges with one another. Individual thinking is encouraged, Slider doesn't resent having someone on the team find a pivotal clue just as long as they all work together. Deputy Superintendent Porson is back making comments you might just slip over if you aren't paying attention. There is quite a bit of family interaction in this series, something I don't normally enjoy much but I'm okay with it here because it's kept to essential interruptions to the investigation to supply background for how individuals are responding to their job.
This was another good read for me in the Bill Slider series. It's always nice to come away from a book feeling like you've thoroughly enjoyed yourself.
March 15, 2021
First Sentence: Atherton was singing in his Dean Martin voice.
Personal fitness trainer Erik Lingoss is found murdered in his flat by a young woman who fancied herself in love with him. A box full of cash in his closet, 700 pounds under his pillow, and his missing mobile phone indicates things may not be as indicated. The more Slider and his team investigate, the more suspects emerge. Under pressure to clear the case, they work to find the who and why of the murder.
Beginning a new book by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is akin to being given one's favorite dessert. First, there is no prologue, not even one masquerading as a first chapter. The story begins on page one and continues to the end. Second, wonderful dialogue filled with wry humor—"Let he who is without sin bore the pants off everybody else." Last, the sense of time and place. Her evocative descriptions employ all the senses.
The characters are alive--"…Atherton stretched, catlike. Tall, elegant, sartor's plaything, he was as out of place at a dreary crime scene as an orchid in a vegetable patch." The balance is Slider, not a Long-Ranger cop, but respected by a team where each has their role to play. The plot may initially present itself as straightforward, yet one knows it won't stay that way long—"Thirteen thousand pounds. …Normal people don't keep large amounts of cash in the wardrobe."
Including characters' families in the story adds humanity and dimension. Unlike the questionable stability of Atherton's relationship, Slider has an extended family of his wife, son and a child on the way, a daughter by his first marriage, a father and his partner. A wonderful hospital scene touches the heart.
The author's use of language, including the chapter headings, is a pleasure. One small caution, or treat, is that it is very British, meaning there are numerous British terms and idioms. It can be confusing, but the meaning is easy enough to glean from the context—"The bathos almost made him smile." The use of malaprops—"Putting the cat before the horse, aren't you?"—and literary references are fun to spot. The banter between Slider and Atherton realistically reflects that of friends/colleagues who know each other well.
The plot focuses on the real police work of identifying the many suspects, following leads, and looking for evidence. What drives Slider as much as finding the killer is discovering the motive which is poignant.
CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is such a good read. Harrod-Eagles is a skilled writer who evokes empathy for the killer. It was truly the dessert's finishing touch.
CRUEL AS THE GRAVE (PolProd-D.S.I. Bill Slider-London-Contemp) – G+
Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia – 22nd in series
Severn House, Feb 2021, 256 pp
Personal fitness trainer Erik Lingoss is found murdered in his flat by a young woman who fancied herself in love with him. A box full of cash in his closet, 700 pounds under his pillow, and his missing mobile phone indicates things may not be as indicated. The more Slider and his team investigate, the more suspects emerge. Under pressure to clear the case, they work to find the who and why of the murder.
Beginning a new book by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is akin to being given one's favorite dessert. First, there is no prologue, not even one masquerading as a first chapter. The story begins on page one and continues to the end. Second, wonderful dialogue filled with wry humor—"Let he who is without sin bore the pants off everybody else." Last, the sense of time and place. Her evocative descriptions employ all the senses.
The characters are alive--"…Atherton stretched, catlike. Tall, elegant, sartor's plaything, he was as out of place at a dreary crime scene as an orchid in a vegetable patch." The balance is Slider, not a Long-Ranger cop, but respected by a team where each has their role to play. The plot may initially present itself as straightforward, yet one knows it won't stay that way long—"Thirteen thousand pounds. …Normal people don't keep large amounts of cash in the wardrobe."
Including characters' families in the story adds humanity and dimension. Unlike the questionable stability of Atherton's relationship, Slider has an extended family of his wife, son and a child on the way, a daughter by his first marriage, a father and his partner. A wonderful hospital scene touches the heart.
The author's use of language, including the chapter headings, is a pleasure. One small caution, or treat, is that it is very British, meaning there are numerous British terms and idioms. It can be confusing, but the meaning is easy enough to glean from the context—"The bathos almost made him smile." The use of malaprops—"Putting the cat before the horse, aren't you?"—and literary references are fun to spot. The banter between Slider and Atherton realistically reflects that of friends/colleagues who know each other well.
The plot focuses on the real police work of identifying the many suspects, following leads, and looking for evidence. What drives Slider as much as finding the killer is discovering the motive which is poignant.
CRUEL AS THE GRAVE is such a good read. Harrod-Eagles is a skilled writer who evokes empathy for the killer. It was truly the dessert's finishing touch.
CRUEL AS THE GRAVE (PolProd-D.S.I. Bill Slider-London-Contemp) – G+
Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia – 22nd in series
Severn House, Feb 2021, 256 pp
November 27, 2020
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Severn House for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review Cruel as the Grave. All opinions are my own.
To begin – fitness fanatic’s been murdered. Conventional wisdom says the latest girlfriend did it. But our Bill Slider has his doubts. They let her go, and have to start putting together a case for other suspects. Who did the guy make angry? What’s the lad been up to? Fella seems rather boring, except for the womanizing and the mounds of hidden cash. Expect Slider and his cohorts to figure it out handily in Cruel in the Grave, the 22nd in the series. How can you go wrong with a book where one of the characters is described as having “teeth so big you could have tiled a swimming pool with them?” Well, you can’t, not with Cynthia Harrod-Eagles behind the words.
Lots of folks in this book have alibis, but wonky ones, and also a lot of ‘em don’t have a whole lot of brains, so Slider and his crew are having to take their time to figure this one out. And what’s the deal when we finally meet the famous writer and her husband? Because it can’t be that easy. Get your little grey cells working.
Jealousy, blackmail, more jealousy. Slider has to remind his detectives they’re not just doing an intellectual puzzle; they have a murder victim. Okay, he was a slimeball, but, still. There’s a bunch of pieces to put together – it’s a good thing that Britain has so many of those traffic cameras, for they help to bring a killer to heel. As Atherton, Slider’s bagman, reminds us, “it keeps us in a job.”
Always happy to dive into another DI Bill Slider book. Guaranteed to be top notch entertainment while offering up a thorough police investigation. And as usual, the chapter headings are hilarious. The book is straightforward, no nonsense prose, with the humor built-in that’s a cornerstone of the series. Oh, and of course, there’s always a side story with family, and thus Joanna, the pregnant Mrs. Slider; for longtime fans of the series (and you should be), it’s time for that baby! Read the book to find out what happens.
To begin – fitness fanatic’s been murdered. Conventional wisdom says the latest girlfriend did it. But our Bill Slider has his doubts. They let her go, and have to start putting together a case for other suspects. Who did the guy make angry? What’s the lad been up to? Fella seems rather boring, except for the womanizing and the mounds of hidden cash. Expect Slider and his cohorts to figure it out handily in Cruel in the Grave, the 22nd in the series. How can you go wrong with a book where one of the characters is described as having “teeth so big you could have tiled a swimming pool with them?” Well, you can’t, not with Cynthia Harrod-Eagles behind the words.
Lots of folks in this book have alibis, but wonky ones, and also a lot of ‘em don’t have a whole lot of brains, so Slider and his crew are having to take their time to figure this one out. And what’s the deal when we finally meet the famous writer and her husband? Because it can’t be that easy. Get your little grey cells working.
Jealousy, blackmail, more jealousy. Slider has to remind his detectives they’re not just doing an intellectual puzzle; they have a murder victim. Okay, he was a slimeball, but, still. There’s a bunch of pieces to put together – it’s a good thing that Britain has so many of those traffic cameras, for they help to bring a killer to heel. As Atherton, Slider’s bagman, reminds us, “it keeps us in a job.”
Always happy to dive into another DI Bill Slider book. Guaranteed to be top notch entertainment while offering up a thorough police investigation. And as usual, the chapter headings are hilarious. The book is straightforward, no nonsense prose, with the humor built-in that’s a cornerstone of the series. Oh, and of course, there’s always a side story with family, and thus Joanna, the pregnant Mrs. Slider; for longtime fans of the series (and you should be), it’s time for that baby! Read the book to find out what happens.
November 7, 2020
I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Cruel as the Grave, the twenty second novel to feature DCI Bill Slider of the Met.
Personal trainer Erik Lingoss is found battered to death with his own dumbbell by the girlfriend he just dumped. With blood on her clothes and an obsession with Erik she is immediately the prime suspect, but she didn’t leave £700 under his pillow or steal his mobile so perhaps there’s more to it.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cruel as the Grave which is an engrossing police procedural that held my attention from start to finish. To be fair, it isn’t the most original plot ever conceived but it works well and the author puts her own original stamp on it. I love a good police procedural as I like the format, the way it starts wide open to suspects and motives and narrows the field as facts emerge. I also enjoy the competing interpretations of these facts and the various interview strategies to obtain these facts. This novel has it all in spades as it revolves around the victimology, Erik Lingoss is hard to pin down, seemingly offering different versions of himself to different people. I think it is a clever novel which offers so many options before honing in on a chief suspect. There is food for thought throughout via a steady stream of reveals.
The novel is told entirely from the investigative point of view, mostly Bill Slider, but other members of the team jump in as required. I love the banter between the characters which makes me smile, but underlines their camaraderie and commitment. There is a good mixture of theory and forensics, not least CCTV which has become the detective’s new best friend. Ok, I won’t rant about big brother, but it’s an interesting topic.
Cruel as the Grave is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Personal trainer Erik Lingoss is found battered to death with his own dumbbell by the girlfriend he just dumped. With blood on her clothes and an obsession with Erik she is immediately the prime suspect, but she didn’t leave £700 under his pillow or steal his mobile so perhaps there’s more to it.
I thoroughly enjoyed Cruel as the Grave which is an engrossing police procedural that held my attention from start to finish. To be fair, it isn’t the most original plot ever conceived but it works well and the author puts her own original stamp on it. I love a good police procedural as I like the format, the way it starts wide open to suspects and motives and narrows the field as facts emerge. I also enjoy the competing interpretations of these facts and the various interview strategies to obtain these facts. This novel has it all in spades as it revolves around the victimology, Erik Lingoss is hard to pin down, seemingly offering different versions of himself to different people. I think it is a clever novel which offers so many options before honing in on a chief suspect. There is food for thought throughout via a steady stream of reveals.
The novel is told entirely from the investigative point of view, mostly Bill Slider, but other members of the team jump in as required. I love the banter between the characters which makes me smile, but underlines their camaraderie and commitment. There is a good mixture of theory and forensics, not least CCTV which has become the detective’s new best friend. Ok, I won’t rant about big brother, but it’s an interesting topic.
Cruel as the Grave is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
February 26, 2021
Personal Fitness Trainer, Erik Lingoss. is found dead in his home, his head having been bashed in by a dumbbell. The woman who called the police identifies herself as a girlfriend ..sort of ... and she's the one who found him. She's got blood on her clothes and her hands ... and immediately becomes the prime suspect.
DCI Bill Slider and his team are called in to investigate ....and what they find ... and don't find ... are quite surprising.
This is more a police procedural as Slider and his team spin their wheels interviewing everyone who knew the victim. Most of those are the women that Lingoss hit on, some are friends, some are working acquaintances. The characters are deftly drawn, not all of them likeable. The action is low-key leading to a not-so-surprising conclusion. Although 22nd in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone.
Many thanks to the author / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction/mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
DCI Bill Slider and his team are called in to investigate ....and what they find ... and don't find ... are quite surprising.
This is more a police procedural as Slider and his team spin their wheels interviewing everyone who knew the victim. Most of those are the women that Lingoss hit on, some are friends, some are working acquaintances. The characters are deftly drawn, not all of them likeable. The action is low-key leading to a not-so-surprising conclusion. Although 22nd in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone.
Many thanks to the author / Severn House / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction/mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
October 19, 2020
256 pages
5 stars
Erik, with a “k,” Lingoss was brutally beaten about the head in his apartment. DCI Bill Slider and DS Atherton respond to the call. A witness or suspect to the murder was also at the scene. A young woman who worked at the same gym as Lingoss. She was dumped the previous evening by Lingoss, is devastated and makes a good suspect. But all who know her don't believe that she is capable of such an act. She is very young and very naive.
Slider, Atherton and the rest of the team begin their investigation with the usual interviews: friends, acquaintances, work place and neighbors. The size of the investigation grows, but few useful leads are found. After several false starts, the police finally gain some traction. A theory is tested and proves to be sound.
I suspected the person who was found to be the murderer about three-fourths of the way through the book, but I was gratified to see that I was right.
Ms. Harrod-Eagles lays out the story in a linear and logical way. Her transitions are seamless. There was one little slip in the plotting, but now I can't recall what it was, so no big deal. When interviewed the characters' reactions are interesting and true-to-life. The bluster and indignation of a few and the calm acceptance of others was how people really do react in these situations. Who knows how I would act when confronted by the police? Eeek! I like Slider's compassion for the people he speaks to and I love Atherton's erudition! He comes out with some real winners. And when the other cops misunderstand him – mostly on purpose I think – it is funny. I truly like Ms. Harrod-Eagles' writing and look very much forward to reading the next Slider/Atherton novel.
I want to thank NetGalley and Seven House for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.
5 stars
Erik, with a “k,” Lingoss was brutally beaten about the head in his apartment. DCI Bill Slider and DS Atherton respond to the call. A witness or suspect to the murder was also at the scene. A young woman who worked at the same gym as Lingoss. She was dumped the previous evening by Lingoss, is devastated and makes a good suspect. But all who know her don't believe that she is capable of such an act. She is very young and very naive.
Slider, Atherton and the rest of the team begin their investigation with the usual interviews: friends, acquaintances, work place and neighbors. The size of the investigation grows, but few useful leads are found. After several false starts, the police finally gain some traction. A theory is tested and proves to be sound.
I suspected the person who was found to be the murderer about three-fourths of the way through the book, but I was gratified to see that I was right.
Ms. Harrod-Eagles lays out the story in a linear and logical way. Her transitions are seamless. There was one little slip in the plotting, but now I can't recall what it was, so no big deal. When interviewed the characters' reactions are interesting and true-to-life. The bluster and indignation of a few and the calm acceptance of others was how people really do react in these situations. Who knows how I would act when confronted by the police? Eeek! I like Slider's compassion for the people he speaks to and I love Atherton's erudition! He comes out with some real winners. And when the other cops misunderstand him – mostly on purpose I think – it is funny. I truly like Ms. Harrod-Eagles' writing and look very much forward to reading the next Slider/Atherton novel.
I want to thank NetGalley and Seven House for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review.
February 26, 2021
We've now read, obviously because we continue to thoroughly enjoy, all (currently) 22 of Harrod-Eagles Bill Slider British police procedurals. Slider's a good supervisor and a nice guy, married to symphony violinist (and herein almost full-term pregnant) Joanna - and while he and his familiar band of police underlings sometimes take awhile to nab their perp, things usually turn out well. Sometimes the getting there gets a little stodgy, as reminiscent of many such procedurals, suspense can occasionally weaken during the long parade of interviews and whodunit speculations.
While we rarely guess the mystery's outcome early on, the narrow cast of suspects led us to a probable answer sooner than the novel's 80% mark when a stray comment by Joanna sicced Bill and us readers onto the eventualities of the case. Nonetheless, we hope the author (like us: aging, amateur musician, and wine lover) has many more of these tales up her sleeves.
While we rarely guess the mystery's outcome early on, the narrow cast of suspects led us to a probable answer sooner than the novel's 80% mark when a stray comment by Joanna sicced Bill and us readers onto the eventualities of the case. Nonetheless, we hope the author (like us: aging, amateur musician, and wine lover) has many more of these tales up her sleeves.
February 5, 2021
Harrod-Eagles is no slouch when it comes to concocting a well-crafted, murder mystery – I always enjoy reading her books for that reason, alone. But this time around, I think she has outdone herself. The plotting in this entertaining police procedural whodunit is masterful. It doesn’t hurt that I now know and like DCI Bill Slider and members of his team. We have all read or watched the moody, workaholic policeman whose dedication to the job takes the place of his family. His team are wary around him, but nonetheless respect his remarkable ability to get the job done. Well, Bill Slider is nothing like that. He’s happily married to a professional musician, who is about to have their second child in this instalment. And his father and stepmother live close-by and provide support in the form of meals and occasional childcare when work commitments become too pressing. It was refreshing to see a career policeman with a happy home life.
While everyone treats the victim and witnesses with professional respect, there were times when I grinned at the humour between Slider and Atherton as they questioned suspects, combed through CCTV footage, and checked out alibis. Indeed, I was interested to see just how crucial that CCTV footage became to the solving of the case. The denouement worked really well, with a sense of sadness over the waste of a young man’s life – by the end of the investigation, I felt that I knew him quite well. Highly personable and incredibly good looking, Erik with a ‘k’ had a gift for making people fall in love with him – not just inexperienced, pretty young girls – but clever, successful people, too.
Along with the strong characterisation, clever plotting and effective scene setting, and a nicely apt title – the full quote is Jealousy is cruel as the grave – I found myself thinking about this story after I finished the book, which is always a bonus. Highly recommended for fans of British police procedural whodunits – and yes… I know it’s the 22nd book in a long-running series and no, I haven’t read all of them. But I still thoroughly enjoyed this one, anyway. While I obtained an arc of Cruel as the Grave from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10
While everyone treats the victim and witnesses with professional respect, there were times when I grinned at the humour between Slider and Atherton as they questioned suspects, combed through CCTV footage, and checked out alibis. Indeed, I was interested to see just how crucial that CCTV footage became to the solving of the case. The denouement worked really well, with a sense of sadness over the waste of a young man’s life – by the end of the investigation, I felt that I knew him quite well. Highly personable and incredibly good looking, Erik with a ‘k’ had a gift for making people fall in love with him – not just inexperienced, pretty young girls – but clever, successful people, too.
Along with the strong characterisation, clever plotting and effective scene setting, and a nicely apt title – the full quote is Jealousy is cruel as the grave – I found myself thinking about this story after I finished the book, which is always a bonus. Highly recommended for fans of British police procedural whodunits – and yes… I know it’s the 22nd book in a long-running series and no, I haven’t read all of them. But I still thoroughly enjoyed this one, anyway. While I obtained an arc of Cruel as the Grave from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10
February 1, 2021
If you enjoy procedurals, especially British procedurals, you will love Cruel as the Grave by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I have been following this series for quite a while, but each book works well as a standalone. The book has an engaging plot with lots of witty banter, puns, and word play especially between DI Bill Slider and his colleague DS Jim Atherton. I have gotten to know these characters and love jumping into a new book in the series to see what’s new in their lives and what case they’ll be tackling now.
When Erik Lingoss, a narcissistic personal trainer with a lucrative side income from his “special clients” is murdered, the evidence starts piling up against one unexpected suspect, but something seems off. Slider and his dedicated team keep digging until they can uncover the full truth about Erik’s death. I was engrossed in this story from the very beginning and was surprised when the killer was revealed. For readers already following the series, there is an important event in Slider’s personal life that takes place towards the end that you won’t want to miss. I really liked the book and would rate it 4.5 stars. I hope this series continues since I really enjoy spending time with the main characters. They are interesting, likeable, and good at their jobs.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
When Erik Lingoss, a narcissistic personal trainer with a lucrative side income from his “special clients” is murdered, the evidence starts piling up against one unexpected suspect, but something seems off. Slider and his dedicated team keep digging until they can uncover the full truth about Erik’s death. I was engrossed in this story from the very beginning and was surprised when the killer was revealed. For readers already following the series, there is an important event in Slider’s personal life that takes place towards the end that you won’t want to miss. I really liked the book and would rate it 4.5 stars. I hope this series continues since I really enjoy spending time with the main characters. They are interesting, likeable, and good at their jobs.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
October 16, 2020
Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
As usual, I hated having to leave the world of Slider, Atherton, his team and of course Joanna. I love this series so much and I'm always amazed at how consistently great the books are, even after so many of them.
This one features the murder of a popular personal trainer, who bedazzled women with his extreme good looks and was not shy about sharing them among many.
The back and forth between Slider and Atherton always puts a smile on my face and the end of the case was excellent. But it was the last chapter that really made me tear up and smile at the same time. Wonderful book, highly recommended 5+++ read!
As usual, I hated having to leave the world of Slider, Atherton, his team and of course Joanna. I love this series so much and I'm always amazed at how consistently great the books are, even after so many of them.
This one features the murder of a popular personal trainer, who bedazzled women with his extreme good looks and was not shy about sharing them among many.
The back and forth between Slider and Atherton always puts a smile on my face and the end of the case was excellent. But it was the last chapter that really made me tear up and smile at the same time. Wonderful book, highly recommended 5+++ read!
January 14, 2022
I enjoyed the camaraderie among Slider, Atherton and the rest of the detective team. The flippant and sarcastic conversations among the team members were amusing. The parts showing Slider's family life gives him humanity, instead of being just a nose-to-the-grindstone detective. The book did go around in circles and bogged down in some part, mirroring the slowdown in the detection. When the denouement came, it was a twist and surprise to me. I look forward to reading future Slider books, and will go back and read some of the older ones I missed.
June 16, 2021
I'm so happy that this is the 22nd Bill Sluder book and Harrod-Eagles hasn't started "just phoning them in" as we say. Characters and plot strong, dialogue still witty, then rightfully serious as needed. Not overrun with police detective angst or soap opera lives. Just a good, intelligent and fun police procedural.
March 11, 2021
Well crafted, really clever plot with marvelous characters and very witty dialogue. And nobody produces better puns or more malapropisms than Cynthia Harrod-Eagles.
May 16, 2021
Readers who enjoy gyms and personal training will like this book more than I did. The police don't get to choose what sort of murder to investigate, of course, so they pry into the grimy corners of the situation on our behalf. The story of the death of a man working his way through women as well as through clients and gyms, resounds with greed and envy. I see no real reason for the man to have been popular, but maybe he had more charisma than we're shown.
Bill Slider, investigating, is also concerned about his wife Joanna, who is expecting, and his teenage offspring make an appearance. Number 22 in the London police series, but who is counting.
I read an e-ARC through Net Galley and Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.
Bill Slider, investigating, is also concerned about his wife Joanna, who is expecting, and his teenage offspring make an appearance. Number 22 in the London police series, but who is counting.
I read an e-ARC through Net Galley and Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.
June 25, 2021
A pretty good police procedural, although I twigged to the probable murderer long before the police did. But as always with this Bill Slider series, the pleasure is mostly from the word play, the many allusions to other literature, the banter and teasing among the detectives. It all starts right out of the gate:
Chapter One
Another Day, Another Douleur
Atherton was singing in his Dean Martin voice. "When you're down by the sea, and an eel bites your knee, that's a moray."
I laughed out loud frequently, sometimes at Detective Superintendent Porson's strangely appropriate malapropisms: "The last thing we need is to stir up another hermit's nest." But Harrod-Eagles is adept at simile too: "Slider stood up and his knees made a noise like a goat chewing on aluminum foil." Ah yes. Been there.
Chapter One
Another Day, Another Douleur
Atherton was singing in his Dean Martin voice. "When you're down by the sea, and an eel bites your knee, that's a moray."
I laughed out loud frequently, sometimes at Detective Superintendent Porson's strangely appropriate malapropisms: "The last thing we need is to stir up another hermit's nest." But Harrod-Eagles is adept at simile too: "Slider stood up and his knees made a noise like a goat chewing on aluminum foil." Ah yes. Been there.
May 1, 2022
Another enjoyable, witty mystery featuring DI Bill Slider and his bagman, Jim Atherton. The clues pile up convincingly (though the police seem to be a little slow in paying attention to a couple of them), and the pace is good.
August 11, 2021
DCI Slider Tackles a Particularly Complex Case
The novel opens with DCI Slider and Atherton arriving at the crime scene. The victim was found in his bedroom that had a large mirror covering the window and much physical training equipment. He turned out to be a personal trainer who had his head bashed in with one of his barbells. Upon a search of his apartment, police found 13,000 pounds in a shoebox in the wardrobe and 700 more in an envelope under the pillow. The main story line proceeds from here.
The main storyline starts like any other police procedural. Things change when the facts and circumstances start to be determined. For me it seems like they were trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle made up with a handful of pieces from several different puzzles. Facts started to fit together, but then they didn’t. They seem to start creating another puzzle. To me, it just didn’t seem like the normal twists and turns that I am used to reading. It kept my interest throughout the novel. This is my major requirement for a high star rating.
The B-storyline was more just the current happening in the main characters lives. It did not go into much depth, but was there with the talk between the major characters that did give depth to the characters. As this is the 22nd novel in the series, it may be difficult for new material for background.
There are not any intimate scenes, but the victim was providing personal services beyond physical training services. As for language, it was surprising light. The violence is all described after the fact. Therefore, these aspects of the novel should not be objectionable to most readers. One suggestion is to read this novel on an e-reader as I had to search the Internet for more British informal words and phrases than any other British author’s book that I have ever read. Several phrases I could not determine at all what they meant. This didn’t affect my star rating.
I have only one minor negative remark about this book. As I mentioned above, I only have read one previous book in this series and that was almost four years ago. The author just used the name for many of DCI Slider’s team the name without their rank so I did not have a clue where they fit in, Detectives or Constables. It appears that after so many novels in this series, it is assumed that the reader knows the basic cast of characters. This was not a big problem but just an interruption in the flow of the novel as I tried to figure out who this new character was and their role in the novel. Many were introduced without even using their police ranks. That would have helped.
This novel did capture my interest, but even ignoring all the minor issues that I had, this novel did not rise to the level that I would want to read late into the night. I could put it down. Since this novel didn’t quite reach to the same level of novels that I rate with five stars, I rate this novel with four stars. This novel was enjoyable read, and will read further novels in this series if written, and recommend reading this novel if it appears appealing to you or have read and enjoyed previous novels in his series.
I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Severn House with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Severn House for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
The novel opens with DCI Slider and Atherton arriving at the crime scene. The victim was found in his bedroom that had a large mirror covering the window and much physical training equipment. He turned out to be a personal trainer who had his head bashed in with one of his barbells. Upon a search of his apartment, police found 13,000 pounds in a shoebox in the wardrobe and 700 more in an envelope under the pillow. The main story line proceeds from here.
The main storyline starts like any other police procedural. Things change when the facts and circumstances start to be determined. For me it seems like they were trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle made up with a handful of pieces from several different puzzles. Facts started to fit together, but then they didn’t. They seem to start creating another puzzle. To me, it just didn’t seem like the normal twists and turns that I am used to reading. It kept my interest throughout the novel. This is my major requirement for a high star rating.
The B-storyline was more just the current happening in the main characters lives. It did not go into much depth, but was there with the talk between the major characters that did give depth to the characters. As this is the 22nd novel in the series, it may be difficult for new material for background.
There are not any intimate scenes, but the victim was providing personal services beyond physical training services. As for language, it was surprising light. The violence is all described after the fact. Therefore, these aspects of the novel should not be objectionable to most readers. One suggestion is to read this novel on an e-reader as I had to search the Internet for more British informal words and phrases than any other British author’s book that I have ever read. Several phrases I could not determine at all what they meant. This didn’t affect my star rating.
I have only one minor negative remark about this book. As I mentioned above, I only have read one previous book in this series and that was almost four years ago. The author just used the name for many of DCI Slider’s team the name without their rank so I did not have a clue where they fit in, Detectives or Constables. It appears that after so many novels in this series, it is assumed that the reader knows the basic cast of characters. This was not a big problem but just an interruption in the flow of the novel as I tried to figure out who this new character was and their role in the novel. Many were introduced without even using their police ranks. That would have helped.
This novel did capture my interest, but even ignoring all the minor issues that I had, this novel did not rise to the level that I would want to read late into the night. I could put it down. Since this novel didn’t quite reach to the same level of novels that I rate with five stars, I rate this novel with four stars. This novel was enjoyable read, and will read further novels in this series if written, and recommend reading this novel if it appears appealing to you or have read and enjoyed previous novels in his series.
I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Severn House with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Severn House for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
November 9, 2024
In this book Bill Slider is on the trail of a killer who has murdered a personal trainer. At first this looks like a fairly straightforward case, but as Bill and Atherton, along with the rest of team are investigating they uncover a whole hodgepodge of motives and suspects. The victim, Erik Lingoss, appears to be a talented con artist and a very successful, professional gigolo. I have to admit that I figured out who the murderer was about halfway through, but the motive behind the killing blew me away. I love Bill Slider. He’s such a no-nonsence copper who sees things realistically all the time and is never surprised no matter how strange the murderer or the victim are. His team loves him and he respects all of them. He’s very good at using different coppers for specific things based on their strong points. I’ve always thought they should make a television series with these books. There’s lots of humour, many malapropisms and cutting puns in the books. Can’t wait to read the next one.
June 3, 2021
This series just keeps getting better! This one had me smiling from the first page. I love how the characters have grown and evolved through the years. Mainly, I love how the author has fun with the English language. Truly, I would enjoy the characters and the wordplay even without the mystery.
Granted, I know that the style isn't to everyone's taste. If you like your mysteries fast paced and action packed, it probably isn't for you. I also think it wouldn't be as enjoyable by someone who hasn't read any of the other books in the series. For me, though, spending time with Slider and his team is like visiting with old friends. I regret it when the visit is over, and already feel impatient for the next one.
Granted, I know that the style isn't to everyone's taste. If you like your mysteries fast paced and action packed, it probably isn't for you. I also think it wouldn't be as enjoyable by someone who hasn't read any of the other books in the series. For me, though, spending time with Slider and his team is like visiting with old friends. I regret it when the visit is over, and already feel impatient for the next one.
October 18, 2020
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
It was great to return to the Slider/Atherton crime solving duo. The rest of the team, with their distinct characters were all still there too. I enjoy the humour, and I thought the first half of the book was extremely good: fast paced and tightly plotted. After that I felt it got a little bogged down and there were an awful lot of characters to keep straight. I didn't ever get much of a sense of what the victim was really like, but nevertheless, this was a good read with a satisfying resolution.
It was great to return to the Slider/Atherton crime solving duo. The rest of the team, with their distinct characters were all still there too. I enjoy the humour, and I thought the first half of the book was extremely good: fast paced and tightly plotted. After that I felt it got a little bogged down and there were an awful lot of characters to keep straight. I didn't ever get much of a sense of what the victim was really like, but nevertheless, this was a good read with a satisfying resolution.
August 28, 2023
I hadn't come across this author before, but found her detective Bill Slider an appealing character, and enjoyed the book enough to make me want to read more of the series.
This story concerns the murder of a fitness instructor whose life involved supplying his clients with far more than fitness training. As the police try to establish his relationships with both his colleagues and his clients, they accumulate a list of potential suspects. But the killer is not always the most obvious , and so it proves in this case. An intriguing read !
This story concerns the murder of a fitness instructor whose life involved supplying his clients with far more than fitness training. As the police try to establish his relationships with both his colleagues and his clients, they accumulate a list of potential suspects. But the killer is not always the most obvious , and so it proves in this case. An intriguing read !
February 6, 2022
I'm addicted to the Bill Slider series which grows in appeal to me. It's probably the appeal of the recurring characters and now that Bill and his Joanna have settled the way too long drama of his family life, the author can concentrate on the mystery and even more importantly those recurring characters - each with his or her very own voice. I love the punning chapter heads and the dialogue - particularly that between Bill and his bagman, Jim Atherton.
May this series continue.
May this series continue.
March 18, 2021
I love these Bill Slider mysteries. Harrod-Eagles doesn’t turn out enough of them for my taste but she claims she does one a year in her defense. I love the dialogue between Atherton and Porson’s faux pas.
April 12, 2022
First Bill Slider mystery but it won't be my last. Well developed plot and lots of good interaction between the police as they track down the guy (or is it a woman?). Puns and wordplay add to the fun.
November 3, 2024
Bill Slider #22. I half hope this is the last one, because the series has become tired. Why the four star rating (it just snuck in)? CHE is a consummate pro, who has many skills and tricks honed after many years and many books. There is the general feeling of light-hearted humour even in a serious investigation. At first I thought Porson had taken an English course, but some way into the story he reverted to his fractured phrases. CHE has a wonderful ability to describe clothes, places and people, so that you sometimes immediately visualise them. She hasn't wasted much time on the well-known plods, who have never really grown much. In my opinion, the home life of Slider is a bit overdone, and probably only one sentence in 30 pages adds to the investigation. It's a complete sideline.
The investigation is complex, and the victim is not one of the cliched types that everyone loves to hate. Nevertheless, where sex is involved, emotions can run high and deep. Despite the myriad of suspects, I did have a strong feeling about the culprit. In the end, modern technology wins the day - CCTV, mobile phone tracing and banking details. I was engaged right to the end, and in that, I differed in reaction to #20, which I recently finished.
If there were to be one more in the series, I'd wish for some closure of some of the characters. Surely some of them must be worthy of promotion? Everyone likes a few extra bucks in the paypacket. Isn't Porson close to retirement? We never really know Slider's age, but we get a clue, as a character "in her fifties" is older than him. It's not really much to go on, though.
Oh, well, rating 3.7.
The investigation is complex, and the victim is not one of the cliched types that everyone loves to hate. Nevertheless, where sex is involved, emotions can run high and deep. Despite the myriad of suspects, I did have a strong feeling about the culprit. In the end, modern technology wins the day - CCTV, mobile phone tracing and banking details. I was engaged right to the end, and in that, I differed in reaction to #20, which I recently finished.
If there were to be one more in the series, I'd wish for some closure of some of the characters. Surely some of them must be worthy of promotion? Everyone likes a few extra bucks in the paypacket. Isn't Porson close to retirement? We never really know Slider's age, but we get a clue, as a character "in her fifties" is older than him. It's not really much to go on, though.
Oh, well, rating 3.7.
June 18, 2024
Someone beat Erik Lingoss to death. That's not a trivial task when you consider that the guy was a fitness trainer, and he was a mass of solid muscle. All that strength did not stop the assailant from using a dumbbell to crush the heck out of his head. He died in bed with £700 under his pillow. Initially, bill slider and his team look at the 19-year-old lovely but not particularly intelligent girlfriend. It soon becomes obvious that she couldn't have killed the guy even though he badly mistreated her by kicking her to the curb just days before he died. But if the weepy teenager didn't kill him, the group must try to figure out who did. They eventually do, and while some readers claim they saw the end coming, I didn't.
This is a great series, and the characters are memorable and people whom you want to know more about as the books continue. Bill's wife is pregnant, and you get to learn how that turns out in this book.
If you want a book that is action-packed and filled with quick scene changes, this isn't your book. It's slow and plodding in some parts, but that's the nature of a mystery. Especially one where the cops are trying to find the killer.
The dead guy gave them plenty to slog through. He trained wealthy clients when he wasn’t working at the gym that employed him. Many of them are rich, young women whose marriage to old, impotent husbands guarantee Lingoss some serious sheet-shaking action on top of all that grunting and sweating. He’s all about full-service work from exercise to sexercise.
This is a great series, and the characters are memorable and people whom you want to know more about as the books continue. Bill's wife is pregnant, and you get to learn how that turns out in this book.
If you want a book that is action-packed and filled with quick scene changes, this isn't your book. It's slow and plodding in some parts, but that's the nature of a mystery. Especially one where the cops are trying to find the killer.
The dead guy gave them plenty to slog through. He trained wealthy clients when he wasn’t working at the gym that employed him. Many of them are rich, young women whose marriage to old, impotent husbands guarantee Lingoss some serious sheet-shaking action on top of all that grunting and sweating. He’s all about full-service work from exercise to sexercise.
December 10, 2024
Cruel as the Grave
I am a fan of Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, having read most of her books in this series. However, this one is disappointing - not on a grand scale of being really awful, but rather it is boring, with an unimaginable plot and third- rate villains.
The story proceeds in spurts as one suspect after another is introduced and all are given a good reason as to why they are innocent. Body building gyms figure largely in the story - the problem being one body builder is very much like another. Nobody has any particular characteristic which differentiates one from another. And none of them are particularly intetesting.
The story drags on; apparently the author believes a lack of clues and a general mixing of possible motives interests the reader. All that happens is the reader is constantly flipping back and forth to re- identify characters and attempt to figure out what the police are doing ( or not doing).
The final resolution is disappointing - the villain is loaded up with so many psychological problems that it is unlikely he will spend a day in prison. His motivation for the murder verges on the ridiculous, and certainly no-one in the cast of characters is worth killing. Nobody benefits from the death and certainly the killer ( who killed the one person who remotely understood him) is more to be pitied than censored.
All-in-all, an unsatisfactory story with unrealistic plotting, a grubby story, and boring characters.
The author can, and has, done better.
I am a fan of Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, having read most of her books in this series. However, this one is disappointing - not on a grand scale of being really awful, but rather it is boring, with an unimaginable plot and third- rate villains.
The story proceeds in spurts as one suspect after another is introduced and all are given a good reason as to why they are innocent. Body building gyms figure largely in the story - the problem being one body builder is very much like another. Nobody has any particular characteristic which differentiates one from another. And none of them are particularly intetesting.
The story drags on; apparently the author believes a lack of clues and a general mixing of possible motives interests the reader. All that happens is the reader is constantly flipping back and forth to re- identify characters and attempt to figure out what the police are doing ( or not doing).
The final resolution is disappointing - the villain is loaded up with so many psychological problems that it is unlikely he will spend a day in prison. His motivation for the murder verges on the ridiculous, and certainly no-one in the cast of characters is worth killing. Nobody benefits from the death and certainly the killer ( who killed the one person who remotely understood him) is more to be pitied than censored.
All-in-all, an unsatisfactory story with unrealistic plotting, a grubby story, and boring characters.
The author can, and has, done better.
May 25, 2021
Cynthia Harrods-Eagle is one of the best writers of British police procedurals out there. In this one, fitness trainer Erik Lingoss and lover of women, sex and even more than those, money, has had his head bashed in presumably by his ‘kind of’ girlfriend – the only kind he really had – as she has his blood on her clothes and hands as well as the motive. But she is pretty quickly exonerated and the cast of potential murderers opens up. Lots of good police work of the kind not done by merely sitting at your desk and waiting for all the forensics results to come in. I guessed the murderer at about the 80% per cent mark but wouldn’t have been able to unravel it all on my own. The family dynamics are always entertaining and Slider and Joanna are waiting for the birth of their second child any day. And unlike in so many mystery series he is just an ordinary guy doing a not quite so ordinary job, ably helped by his likable team. It might be time for Harrods-Eagle to move forward with Atherton a bit… This series is best read in order: although it works perfectly well as a stand alone you would miss out on a lot of what makes this series so good.
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