I’m always eager to return to Bill Slider’s world in Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ series. Before I Sleep is the twenty-fourth in the series, and it’s just as delightful as a British police procedural as all the earlier ones.

It’s never a good sign when Detective Chief Inspector Bill Slider is pointed to by the higher ups. They say he’s been involved in “sensitive cases” before. He understands that to mean if the case goes wrong, the Borough Commander doesn’t mind sacrificing Slider. This time, the expectations go all the way to the top. Henry Holland, a popular writer of sea-faring adventure novels, went to school with the Metropolitan Police Commissioner. He called him directly to say his wife is missing. Although the police normally wait 48 hours when an adult is missing, this time there’s pressure to find Felicity Holland. But, what if Felicity Holland doesn’t want to be found?

According to Holland, he and Felicity have had twenty-four years of a happy marriage. Maybe so, but as Slider and his team dig into Felicity’s past, her sister tells of a slightly scandalous youth that caused her to be estranged from her father, an eminent barrister. Felicity’s history could hold the clue to her disappearance. But, Holland is insistent that his wife may have been kidnapped and killed. When her purse is found in Burnham Beeches, 900 acres of woodland where murderers traditionally dump bodies, there’s reason to fear that Holland might be right.

Harrod-Eagles brings the best of several elements to her Bill Slider mysteries. These are excellent police procedurals, with a quirky team of investigators. For those of us who read for character, there’s always dry, witty humor and a superb cast. The funny chapter headings are worth reading all by themselves.

Before I Sleep is another enjoyable mystery in a series of excellent police procedurals.

This gifted author has written a cannot put down novel. Mystery and intrigue…a missing wife…a police officer on the job…friends and family…red herrings…secrets…what will happen? What did happen? Questions with answers not coming…these are likable characters who come alive on the pages. Grab a warm blanket…cuddle in a cozy chair…become lost in this story. This book was sent to me electronically by Netgalley for review. Thanks to the publisher and the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
DCI Slider is told by his higher-ups to drop everything and find Felicity Holland, a middle-aged woman married to a man who has all the right connections. She left the house for her weekly pottery class and never came home. Her husband is devastated and wants immediate results, but Slider has nothing to go on, no clues whatsoever.
Luckily his home life is very happy to balance out the stress of the case.
I love this series and Slider and his team are a treat, funny, irreverent, but always coming up trumps.
And it looks like Atherton is head over heels; wonders never cease!
Highly recommended!

I do love this series, although I found some of the banter (especially at the beginning) a bit contrived. I'm glad Atherton's personal life takes the turn it does in this book, and Slider's daughter Kate was very entertaining. The case itself was well-plotted, although so well clued that I kept having to wait for the police to catch up.