Orchestrated Death

Rating:
Summary: Hurray for British Detective Novels
Review: This is my first time reading a book with Inspector Bill Slider, and this is the first in the series. I will certainly be reading the rest. This is a great detective story. Tight plot, great characters, and enough human interest to keep your attention. Slider is an endearing hero, a good cop, a sweet man, and enough humbleness to make you like him a lot. I definitely recommend this series.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging British police procedural
Review: This is the first in Ms. Harrod-Eagles' engaging police-procedural series featuring the likable and very human policeman Bill Slider. While he's content with his rank of inspector, his socially ambitious wife constantly nags him to go after promotion. The intricately plotted story involves a murdered female violinist, an extremely valuable Stradivarius, some large tins of olive oil from Italy, the mob, a key witness whom Slider finds very attractive, and a veterinarian who isn't exactly James Herriot. There's a good chance that readers who like Ruth Rendell's Wexford novels or Reginald Hill's Dalziel/Pascoe mysteries will enjoy this book.