Cruel as the Grave: (22 Bill Slider)

The murder of a personal fitness trainer draws DCI Bill Slider and his team into a baffling investigation where nothing is as it first appears. Fitness trainer Erik Lingoss is found dead in his west London flat, his head smashed by one of his own dumbbells. His heartlessly-dumped girlfriend, blood on her clothes and hands, is the prime suspect. She had means, opportunity and motive. But is the case as clear-cut as it seems? Handsome Erik Lingoss had clients in high places and he seemed to engender powerful emotions. If it was a crime of passion, there was plenty of that to go round: love strong as death, jealousy cruel as the grave. Who did he let in to his flat that evening? Where is his missing mobile phone? Why is seven-hundred pounds in cash stuffed under his pillow? The deeper Slider and his team dig, the clearer it becomes there's far more to this case than meets the eye.

About the Author :
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born on 13 August 1948 in Shepherd's Bush, London, England, where was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699, and at the University of Edinburgh and University College London, where she studied English, history and philosophy. She had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, starting as a junior cashier at Woolworth's and working her way down to Pensions Officer at the BBC. She wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award with The Waiting Game. The birth of the MORLAND DYNASTY series enabled Cynthia Harrod-Eagles to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise twelve volumes, but it has proved so popular that it has now been extended to thirty-four. In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award with Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia. Mark Meadows is a British actor with extensive theatre, film and TV credits. He is a frequent contributor to plays, musicals, narrations and readings for BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4. Mark has narrated around 80 audiobook titles and was a nominee for the 2013 Audible Narrator of the Year award. He also provided the voice of the ship’s computer in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus.

Review :
'A cracking police procedural ... Another sterling entry in a truly outstanding series.' 'Highly entertaining ... Harrod-Eagles shows once again why this series ranks high among contemporary British police procedurals.' 'A witty, thoughtful mystery ... Fans of Deborah Crombie's 'Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James' series will be moved by this carefully constructed tale.' 'If you're in the mood for a witty, engaging British police procedural, listen to this 22nd addition to the DCI Bill Slider series for a real treat. Narrator Mark Meadows masterfully differentiates the large cast of police investigators and suspects. Listeners will accompany Slider and his team through London as they dig into the life of murder victim Erik Lingoss, a personal trainer who provided extra benefits to his wealthy clientele. Listeners will also gain insight into Slider's family life and learn more about what drives him. Meadows expertly conveys the personalities of the key characters through pacing, accents, and dramatic expressiveness. The many puns, witticisms, and literary allusions heighten the listener's enjoyment of this audiobook.'