This latest book from the Booker Prize nominated Irish author Michael Collins is much more than a classical murder mystery that some readers have labeled it. Collins' writing in fact is fierce, lyrical and true.The complex interactions of the characters and situations - the famous writer, the struggling writer, academia versus commercial publishing, the adjunct teacher/PhD career track trap, the political infighting within academic departments, the love interactions, the brutal murder of a young girl, the discovered manuscript, the conflict of dates and the investigative process all mesh together under Collins' complex direction to produce a fierce, lyrical story and narrative which makes one want to read the book again as soon as you are finished. A great book. His best.