Cynthia Harrod-Eagles Dear Departed

Dear Departed

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Dunne, Dec 2005, $24.95, 352 pp.

ISBN: 0312347685

Scotland Yard Detective Inspector Bill Slider looks forward to spending a quality serene day with his pregnant fianc e Joanna, and tomorrow the two will visit his only "relly" his father. However, the plans of mice, men and homicide cops often go astray, so instead Bill and his team, lady's man Jim Atherton and feminist Tony Hart, have what at first glance, seems to be another "Park Killer" murder.

However the detectives quickly see anomalies that make the death of Chattie Cornfeld slightly different than the MO of the Park Killer. They begin looking at family members and lovers. Especially of interest to Slider, are the victim's half sister and her boyfriend, and father; any one of them seems capable of committing a homicide.

The tenth Slider police procedural is a fabulous who-done-it that showcases the police being open minded enough to find clues that take them away from the obvious, to someone cleverly disguising a homicide to make it seem like a serial killer victim. Additionally, the dialogue between the sleuths is amusing yet serious, and feels genuine. The sleuthing is so good, that Joanna and the culprit seem to pale in comparison, though she is a well rounded character (no pun intended) and the killer is a solid choice. Still DEAR DEPARTED belongs to the police.

Harriet Klausner