Trevor Bates, aka The Needle, is on the loose and trying to kill him. Along with that and a high-profile murder to solve, he must try to find a spare moment to marry Joanna before their baby is born - and to stay alive long enough to see it through.
©2008 Cynthia Harrod-Eagles; (P)2008 Soundings
"An accomplished series." (New York Times)
"familiar faces, easy read"
Well narrated by Wale, this continuation of the Slider series by Harrod-Eagles flowed smoothly and was easy to follow. It helps that most of the characters were familiar to readers of (listeners to?) the series, including district supervisor Porson (sp?), the Yogi Berra of the department.
Two reasons I didn't give it five stars: It seemed to rush downhill for the last couple of chapters, with loose ends being wrapped and tied up like a holiday parcel. Too much closure too fast; I would have preferred it prolonged with a little more character development and character interaction, rather than what felt like a synopsis. Secondly, and this is a personal peeve, Slider and Atherton, the male leads, were referred to by their last names, and Joanna and Emily, the female leads, were always referred to by their first names. Such a practice implies a difference in both maturity and status between the genders, in this case an unfortunate and regrettable misrepresentation of the novel's perspective.