'An outstanding series' –NEW YORK TIMES

Detective Inspector Bill Slider and his team investigate a seemingly accidental death in the twenty-third entry in Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' critically acclaimed crime series.

A woman lies dead at the foot of the stairs. It's obvious what happened: she tripped and fell. But PC D'Arblay, called to the dilapidated West London villa by an anonymous tip-off, can't shake the feeling that's exactly what someone wants him to think.

It was the deep head wound that killed her – but her dying fall left no blood trail. So what was it she hit her head on?

Bill Slider, of the Shepherd's Bush murder squad, is soon convinced D'Arblay's right. But with no motive, no murder weapon and no idea who the victim even is, Slider faces steep odds to get a result . . . while each painstaking step towards the truth brings him closer to a ruthless, evil killer.

Written with Cynthia Harrod-Eagles' signature sharp plotting and dry wit, this hard-hitting character-driven mystery is a must-read police procedural for fans of Mick Herron, Ann Cleeves and Peter Robinson.

Praise for the Bill Slider series:

'Slider and his creator are real discoveries'
Daily Mail

'Sharp, witty and well-plotted'
Times

'Harrod-Eagles and her detective hero form a class act. The style is fast, funny and furious - the plotting crisply devious'
Irish Times