A solid novel with a good storyline and interesting characters. Didn’t realise it was part of a series but worked perfectly well as a stand-alone. There appeared to be a couple of odd words used that jarred me away from the story. Thought at first they were to imply accent or colloquialisms but seemed more like when voice to text picks the wrong word ‘close’ instead of ‘clothes’ for example.

This one is a slow burner and I found it hard to get into. I realised later on that this is the latest in a well-established series, which may have played a role in this. It's a well written police procedural and interesting characters.

Although part of a series can be read as a standalone although I found a few things confusing. Good storyline and characters, would like to read more.

When DCI Bill Slider and his team of detectives are called to the site of a suspicious death in no-man’s land under a London highway, they discover a well-dressed victim without any identification. With no witnesses nor CCTV, the process of identification will take time and patience.

Shadow Play is a well-written, well-conceived police procedural. The cast of characters are varied and interesting, with glimpses into their personal lives, which adds another dimension to the story. The plot, which builds slowly, is well-written, descriptive, and with a sense of humor (be sure to notice the chapter titles). And, even though this is the first book I’ve read in this series, I didn’t find it difficult to jump right in. All in all, this is an enjoyable read that I highly recommend. Meanwhile, I plan to reverse course and read the previous books. All nineteen of them!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Over the past five months, I've read the entire Bill Slider series, of which SHADOW PLAY is the twentieth. This may be the most satisfying mystery reading experience I've had in years. Slider and his cohorts are fully realized characters, with distinct and likable personalities, and the crimes they solve include a good mixture of police procedure, forensic science, and psychology. I came across Cynthia Harrod-Eagles through her excellent Morland Dynasty series, which is a long-running historical series that is also brilliant in a completely different way. I've never been disappointed in a single one of her books.

In SHADOW PLAY, Bill Slider investigates the murder of a body that was dumped in an auto yard. In the process of searching for the victim's identity and for a possible motive for the crime, Slider discovers a flash drive with incriminating evidence against a politician. A potential blackmail scheme, perhaps? But that is only the beginning. Soon the investigation leads to a family of ambitious property developers and a crime that is more than Slider and his team had bargained for.

I love the word play in the Slider books. Harrod-Eagles revels in the English language, and her sense of humor never fails to shine. It's refreshing to read a series of police procedurals where the detectives all work together instead of bucking authority. I can't say enough good things about this series. I can't understand why it hasn't gotten more attention.

Although I have yet to read any of the other books in the Bill Slider series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, I was happy to dive into this 20th book, Shadow Play and I think it worked well as an individual thriller as the story was reasonably self-contained. This was a mightily impressive, cleverly plotted, engrossing read that threw out odd twists leaving me mildly apprehensive throughout.

When an unidentifiable victim is found in a car workshop beneath a London highway, DCI Bill Slider is at a bit of a loss. Eventually someone identifies the body as being 'Mr King' but can't tell the police anything more about him, except that he had a colourful past.

I loved that Bill Slider is happily married, and that he has a home life, as well as a reasonable relationship with his boss for whom he has respect. There are some genial characters on his team, and the reader learns a bit about them as they slog through the various leads and pointers. The actual unravelling of the mystery was well done and engrossing as I was fed morsels about the rather shady victim. Cynthia Harrod-Eagles possesses some fine characterisation skills and the final denouement was a satisfying end to an extremely solid, stylish murder mystery.

Ingeniously plotted and ably executed, Shadow Play was quite a treat. Very highly recommended, I am certain that aficionados of the genre will love it!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Black Thorn via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of detective story. Rey believable characters that you follow until the final pages.

I discovered after I started reading this book, that this was actually the 20th in the series, some areas were a little confusing but overall this reads well as a stand-alone.

The latest installment in the Bill Slider series is a solid police procedural told with the author's trademark humor and delight in language. The victim had hidden evidence perfect for blackmail, but the subject of the damaging video evidence denied ever having been asked for money. Several lines of inquiry are neatly (slightly too neatly) tied together at the end, after contributions from each member of Slider's team, all of whom have the opportunity to play to their individual strengths in investigative or interview technique. The minor characters in Slider's orbit continue to evolve both personally and professionally. Several characters tell actual jokes, which end up feeling overly planted, but the general undercurrent of humor and the wordplay typical of this series make each book a treat.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital advance review copy.

Shadow play by Cynthia Harrod.
The body of a smartly-dressed businessman turns up in the yard of Eli Sampson’s car workshop. It there’s no ID in the pockets and Eli swears he’s never seen the man before.
A girlfriend comes forward and provides a name but she doesn’t know much more. She says the victim told her he was someone’s ‘right hand man’. But old fractures and scars, discovered at the autopsy suggest a more colourful past. For ‘right hand man’, DCI Bill Slider thinks 'enforcer'.
A very good read. Good story. Some good characters. 4*.

A mans body is dumped in an isolated car repair yard. He is smartly dressed but carries no ID, and no one has reported him missing.. DI Bill Slider and his team, from Shepherds Bush police station, investigate, but with nothing to go on, it’s not going anywhere fast.

I’ve not read any of the previous titles by this author in the Slider series but this is a stand alone book. It’s got enough twists and turns to keep you interested, and the characters are likeable in the main. I liked the humorous chapter titles, and the fact that most of the main characters had lives outside of work. An easy to read book, ideal for holiday reading.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review

Bill Slider and his team investigate the body that has been dumped at at a one man garage. No ID but apparently well dressed. As the team start to gather evidence and build their case they struggle to find that elusive thread to tie it and their suspects all together.
Did not realise there was 20 books preceding this one, I would say this would make a good tv series, Slider in my head was John Thaw.

With thanks to #NetGalley for the free read.

Bill Slider and his team has a doozie of a case - older male corpse dumped outside a car repair shop with pockets cleaned out and no ID. And of course, no cameras on the site. The autopsy folks provided a lottery ticket which lead to address and a couple of names. The names lead to a ransacked flat. Then the fun began as they had to locate what was the object of the ransack, find out who the body really was, who he worked for and what lead to his death. And do this all in a reasonable amount of time without causing to much hassle for the working folks and especially the politicians. By carefully pulling on various threads that were showing, dogged footwork, and pure chance and some skill, the team managed to bag the criminals in time for everyone to celebrate another win for the home team. A nice, solid police procedural with the right amount of character building to keep the Bill Slider series going.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this title.

When a murder victim is found in the area of a car shop, Bill Slider and is team is called in to investigate. The man is well dressed, but has no identification on him. Eli Simpson, the man who found the body does not know who he was.

When a girlfriend of sorts shows up with a name, she also informs them of his colorful past. Medical examination has shown plenty of scars from previous injuries. And when the investigation also comes up with another name ... they begin to wonder just who was this guy?

Who would want him dead? Old enemies ? New enemies? Or was this a personal attack? Did he know something he shouldn't have heard? See something? Was he perhaps being blackmailed?

With lots of theories and plenty of suspects, team Slider will have to sift through lies and secrets and cover-ups.

Although 20th in this series, it is easily read as a stand alone. Not having read any of the previous books, I can't compare the author's writing then and now. I didn't find it especially suspenseful or gripping. I would recommend starting at the beginning to see how the main characters have grown over time.

Many thanks to the author / Black Thorn Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

3.5 STARS

The always excellent Cynthia Harrod-Eagles has done it again. This installment of the Bill Slider police procedural series is as wonderful as the preceding ones. Bill Slider is the head of a team of detectives at the Shepherd’s Bush police station in London. In this book, a body is found in a rarely frequented yard near a garage. The police are called in, and the investigation begins.

“Shadow Play” is the twentieth (I think) in the Bill Slider series, but can easily be read as a standalone. For those of us who are familiar with them, the whole gang of detectives is here, and welcome. This is a well-oiled team, and this book flows along, taking the reader on an enjoyable journey. This is not a cozy mystery, of course, but it is not particularly gory either. Harrod-Eagles plays fair with the reader, and one sees the evidence as it is uncovered. I don’t like spoilers, so I will say no more about the plot.

If you like mysteries or police procedurals you can never go wrong with one of Harrod-Eagles books about Bill Slider and the men and women of Shepherd’s Bush. The author shows the human, private side of the characters, as well as always a cracking mystery. Her books don’t drag and you really want to find out whodunnit. Do yourself a favor and pick up, “Shadow Play,” you will be glad you did.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions are my own.

An easy read with great characters. It is well written and the scenery is really well described.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Slider and Atherton are on the case again, me lads, in Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ “Shadow Play,” the twentieth in the series of Brit police procedurals. And as usual, they are well-written, thoroughly plotted and thoroughly entertaining.

I should say at this point that it’s probably not a good idea to jump in to the series with this book – I mean, there are nineteen before this. Okay, go ahead and read this one, and then go back and start from the beginning. You won’t regret it.

Also, as per usual, the chapter headings are hilarious. My favorites – “Never Say Leather Again,” followed in a close second by “In Which We Swerve.” You’ll have your favorites, I’m sure.

Our plot – a body found in an out of the way car repair place. Why there is already a question at the beginning, of course. And who the well-dressed bloke is, another. There’s no identification on the body. Our detectives find out the dead man was presumably a blackmailer, and it’s off to find out why, and who the intended victim was.

In between we get the little domestic scenes that humanize these often-grim detective stories, with Joanna, Slider’s wife, and George, his young son. Then there’s Emily, Atherton’s (current) girlfriend, who’s looking more and more steady. Their little stories bring light and life to the pages, rounding out these fictional people to be near real and near breathing. It’s extremely satisfying to read about them. And we mustn’t forget about Superintendent Porson. His contributions are gold mines, mere tidbits, but they move the story along in supervisory ways and leave you smiling at the same time.

The dead man turns out to be the driver for a local businessman, who of course denies “all knowledge.” One begins to know what this is all about – the thrill is with going along with our senior policemen and the rest of the coppers as they build the case, clue by clue. And it all comes down to greed and cover-ups and dodgy deals guaranteed to bring in more money. Business and power and greed. A recipe for disaster – murderous disaster, anyroad.

And the crew gets to sit around and discuss it, and we get to listen in – ‘tis wonderful, that. And while they’re doing it, Ms. Harrod-Eagles can further entertain with gems like this, writing of one of Slider’s subordinates with a new, luxurious mustache: “There were baleen whales that had less to filter with.” Spend a few hours reading this book, gentle readers, you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

DID Bill Slider, Sgt. Atherton and the Shepherd's Bush team tackle the case of an unidentified body found in a muddy car repair shop. The Bill Slider series is fine example of the British police procedural. Stepping into one of these books is a bit like coming home. The characters feel like old friends, and the settings are comfortable. Herrod-Eagles's sense of humor shines through, lightening even the darkest moments of crime fighting. Shadow Play is the twentieth book in the series, but it is every bit as enticing as the first! Highly recommended. Thanks to Black Thorn and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel in return for this honest review.

When I received this I didn’t realise it was the 20th in a series so I went in blind to the characters.
DCI Bill Slider and his team are investigating the murder of a man whose body turned up in a scrap yard. With no identification can they find out who he is and why he was murdered.
I do wish I had read previous books but this wasn’t gritty enough for me.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A good police procedural, engrossing and entertaining.
I liked the fleshed out cast of characters and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
I like this series and was happy to read this instalment.
A good read, recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine