Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ DCI Bill Slider mysteries may be my favorite police procedurals. I’ve read all twenty-six of the books. Deadly Force, the latest in the series, is witty with the teamwork, grunt work, and black humor emblematic of an excellent police procedural.
It’s all hands on deck when Police Constable Peter Bentley is found murdered, his body thrown into a canal. By all reports, Bentley is an upstanding police officer. Although other officers report he was a loner, there are no rumors that he wasn’t an honest policeman. It’s Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider’s London team that works the case. Because the case is the murder of “one of their own”, they have more resources and more officers to do the grunt work, the daily boring jobs such as poring over video from traffic cams and interviewing witnesses. But, Slider and his sergeant, Atherton, are always in the forefront of the investigation.
There’s a great deal of frustration as Slider’s team work the case. When their primary suspect is murdered, killed in the same manner as Bentley was, they know they’re on the right path. But, they’ll need a break to link the two deaths, and there doesn’t seem to be evidence. In fact, both men seem to disappear just before their deaths. That doesn’t mean Slider’s team will give up.
With the witty chapter headings, the humor the officers use to alleviate the tension of their work, and the inclusion of small details of Slider’s family life, Harrod-Eagles changes the routine of the step-by-step procedures of the case. The characters in Deadly Force, the humor, and the fascinating police work make for an absorbing story.
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ website is https://www.cynthiaharrodeagles.com/
Deadly Force by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. Severn House, 2026. 288p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I read a galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.
