Dear Departed, A Bill Slider Mystery by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles -- book review

Dear Departed is the 10th mystery in the Bill Slider series written by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. In this outing, Slider and his crew are looking for a killer who has killed an extremely pretty and pleasant young woman who seemingly had no enemies.

Chattie Cornfield was a PR representative with her own small firm, and she represented creative people, especially in the music industry. Her body was found in the Park early one morning by a dog walker. At first glance, she appeared to be the victim of a serial killer, but on closer examination it turned out that she was probably killed by someone who knew her and that someone had staged the murder scene to look like a killing by the "park killer".

As a consequence, Slider, Atherton, and the members of their unit must investigate the people Chattie had recently been working for as well as her family and friends. As with other Bill Slider mysteries, the character development is a big part of the pleasure of reading this installment, though the mystery is certainly well constructed and enjoyable. Slider and Joanna continue in their amble towards marriage, while Atherton tries to resume his free-roving bachelor ways after being dumped by Sue (a musician friend to Joanna, and Atherton's first serious try at settling down.)

Overall, this is a comfortable addition to the Slider series. Series newcomers really should start with the first book in the series: Orchestrated Death.

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has written more than sixty books, with two major series. You can learn more about her and her books at her web site:
http://www.cynthiaharrodeagles.com/