Perhaps the best of the series. Gone are the irritating character traits of the lead character (such as his excessive misogyny), and the story itself is well plotted and executed.

This fine product, however, is disappointing to those of us who were attracted to the series due to the conceit that the main character is a bookman, and thus that the stories will in some way involve some angle of his trade. There is none of that here. This is not the first such series that I have seen peter out. Apparently there are only so many tales to be told about book-related murders and such, before the author retreats to more traditional themes.

My favorite line from the book: "he crashed into me with the primeval power of a Dr. Who monster." ( )