Shadow Play

3.5 STARS When a murder victim is found in the area of a car shop, Bill Slider and is team is called in to investigate. The man is well dressed, but has no identification on him. Eli Simpson, the man who found the body does not know who he was. When a girlfriend of sorts shows up with a name, she also informs them of his colorful past. Medical examination has shown plenty of scars from previous injuries. And when the investigation also comes up with another name ... they begin to wonder just who was this guy? Who would want him dead? Old enemies ? New enemies? Or was this a personal attack? Did he know something he shouldn't have heard? See something? Was he perhaps being blackmailed? With lots of theories and plenty of suspects, team Slider will have to sift through lies and secrets and cover-ups. Although 20th in this series, it is easily read as a stand alone. Not having read any of the previous books, I can't compare the author's writing then and now. I didn't find it especially suspenseful or gripping. I would recommend starting at the beginning to see how the main characters have grown over time. Many thanks to the author / Black Thorn Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.