I have read a couple of Tyree's other offerings (A Do Right Man and For The Love Of Money) and tried to read Sweet St. Louis and promised myself NO MORE TYREE! However, this book was on the discount rack and I needed something to read on a trip - so I bought it. This time I mean it - NO MORE TYREE!!! This book was absolutely, downright, incredibly boring. I didn't care about the characters one bit. If you must read it, get it from the library.