Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, STAR FALL

If you like police procedurals set in London, you will definitely enjoy this book, which is the seventh in the Inspector Slider series.  Here the star of a television antiques show is stabbed to death in his west London home.  A missing Impressionist painting and a Faberge box suggest that it was a burglary gone wrong. However, as Slider and his team dig into the case, they find that the victim’s complex social life provided many more reasons for murder.

Harrod-Eagles does a fine job with this type of story.  The dialogue is witty, each member of the investigating team is clearly delineated, and their personal life at least hinted at. Slider’s home life is particularly well developed and plays an important part in the subplot. Aside from the occasional Britishism that may leave you scratching your head, this book travels well while remaining true to its origins.