DCI Bill Slider returns in this evergreen series. A new reader could pick up EASEFUL DEATH in search of a London-based police procedural story, equally as well as a longtime fan. This is book twenty-five.
 
Rhianne Morgan, a middle-class eighteen-year-old, has concluded her school leaving exams and is finally taking her ease in the garden. That’s what I think the title refers to anyway, as otherwise, it doesn’t seem apt. Murder isn’t easeful. When Rhianne’s stepfather returns from work, he finds her lying in the kitchen, unresponsive. A suspicious death draws the police, and Bill Slider learns that Rhianne has been strangled.
 
The suspects necessarily include the stepfather, David Morgan, and any boyfriends, fleeting or otherwise, the young woman knew. The Shepherd’s Bush police station covers a mix of residential areas, and the cops try to keep tabs on habitual criminals. One such, released a few months ago for attacking a woman – which he denies – is Andy Denton, known as Handy Andy. Questioned, Andy denies having known Rhianne. The cops also question her most recent boyfriend, Kenton Willans, who adds his older brother to the list of suspects. Then there’s anyone who reads her social media pages. There is no shortage of suspects, and several are lying, but there’s precious little evidence.
 
Cynthia Harrod-Eagles keeps a running soap opera in the background of her books. By now Slider is on his second family, having married his orchestral musician girlfriend Joanna, and they have two small kids, while his two earlier offspring are at college.  Jim Atherton, Slider’s sidekick, is finally settling down with Stephanie, a medical professional, who isn’t sure about tying herself to someone in the Job. I love the vociferous cats. The ins and outs show the difficulties of arranging holiday time and family occasions while working on a distressing and complex murder case. 
 
This police procedural is relatively light by comparison with some, which are more correctly thrillers. There are no stalkers, shoot-outs, or ransom demands. Just a job well done and the satisfaction of knowing that justice is being served.  EASEFUL DEATH has a spread of male characters with unpleasant attitudes towards women. This is an adult read and could be primarily so to warn parents what eighteen-year-old life is like. I don’t know how true this is of modern life, but personally, I would be jailing most of the male suspects, just because they deserve it.