Publisher's Weekly Review
In Harrod-Eagles's well-plotted 14th mystery featuring London Det. Insp. Bill Slider (after 2011's Body Line), suspicion falls on three men after the body of missing paleontologist Melanie Hunter turns up in a wooded area of Ruislip. According to all reports, Mel was a lovely girl, so it's unclear why anyone would want to kill her. Slowly, the alibis of her live-in boyfriend, estate agent Scott Hibbert; her well-meaning but strict stepfather, Ian Wiseman; and her ex-con neighbor, Mr. Fitton, unravel, leaving Slider and his detectives with more questions than answers. The author imbues each of her detectives with a distinct personality, and evokes a real sense of urgency as the action moves deftly from suspect to suspect as well as from clue to clue, though the heavy use of British slang may distract some American readers. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* The always reliable Harrod-Eagles adds another winner to her excellent Bill Slider series. London Detective Inspector Slider's latest case has the intrepid copper trying to solve the murder of Melanie Hunter, a pretty young woman with a sad past and a future that looked bright until she was killed. There are plenty of potential suspects, from the oddball who lived downstairs and who'd served time for killing his wife to Melanie's stepfather, a teacher whose respectable facade covers a brutal nature, to Melanie's boyfriend, a real-estate agent sorely lacking in scruples. Slider is frustrated when the investigation moves at a snail's pace, but even when a light-bulb moment leads to a solution, the case is so full of sadness and tragedy that resolution brings little satisfaction. While Harrod-Eagles conjures up an absorbing police procedural, it's her ability to capture the foibles of her characters, to make them come alive, to show the playfulness and passion of human nature, and to evoke the reader's empathy that makes her books stand out. Highly recommended for all readers of police procedurals.--Melton, Emily Copyright 2010 Booklist
Kirkus Review
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Library Journal Review
A female anthropologist vanishes, and Detective Inspector Slider digs out clues and dark secrets in his team's fourth outing (Body Line). [See Prepub Alert, 11/14/11.] (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
