When I think back to the beginning of this story, the first few pages, I wouldn’t have thought the author could keep me interested. The opening of the plot wasn’t fast-paced at all, and the large number of pages didn’t convince me at all either. Maybe I still had that fear at the back of my mind, a fear that the book in front of me would develop into the same tedious reading as the previous one, around the time when Inspector Linley lost his wife Helen. For me, that’s where the dry spell began. Maybe a much-needed change for the characters’ further development. All the more am I happy that the character of Inspector Linley is slowly coming back to his former self, and is more enjoyable to read. It takes a while to find the line; there certainly is one. Hidden behind the formidable crafted twists, no one would expect. With the biggest coming at the end, I didn’t expect it at all. But this last twist was exactly what the story needed; it wouldn’t have been complete without it. I have come so far in reading this series, I won’t stop now. Not when I am close to reading the author’s newest creation. And with Barbara Havers slowly getting more into the spotlight, one has to wonder what the author has in mind with this character.
