Having read instalments 3-21, I have now gone right back to the beginning for this one. As ever Slider has no relationship to speak of with his children and seems to feel this is an inevitable part of his difficulty relating to his wife Irene, a view I do not share.

This is not my favourite of this series, as there are too many loose ends and the big picture solution to the mystery is lazy, but it sets up the Joanna/Irene dynamic well. ( )

This is from the early '90s, the lingo, use of call boxes.... I found it refreshing after all the techno-cop mysteries I've read lately.
You can get plot summaries elsewhere, it was fairly basic, but the execution, the characterization, the fact that it all didn't end tidily was all refreshing.
Will read more of the series. ( )

Hard to believe this is the first Bill Slider story, so complete is his complex personality. The plotting is complex too, but doesn't flag, with various diversions tofill in Bill's back-story of his meeting Joanna, later to be his second wife. The story was published first in 1991, one of the few giveaways is the total reliance on land lines and absence of mobile phones. Highly recommended introduction to the world of Bill Slider. ( )

Inspector Bill Slider is called when a nude body is found in an abandoned apartment building. The examiner is able to tell Slider that according to marks on her body, the lady was likely a player in a local orchestra. Once Slider has an ID he feels he has a handle on the case but that’s just when things begin to slip from his grasp. In her shabby bedsit he finds numerous olive oil cans and, instead of her serviceable violin, a priceless Stradivarius is in her case. Slider digs deeper, a growing sense of unease as more shady characters come into the mix. But what really bothers Slider is his growing feelings for one of his witnesses, making him feel as if his marriage is just another corpse in his life.

I think 2011 is the year of the British novel for me because here’s another one! This poor little thing has been lingering on my TBR shelf for three-and-a-half years. I’m so embarrassed. I got it when I went on a musical-mystery bender and it got left behind. That said, I wish I had not waited so long because I really enjoyed it, even though I did struggle with the British slang and humor. I didn’t give it a full five stars because part of the book did rankle my own morality a little. I still recommend it for mystery lovers. ( )