Author Ford had me as a devoted fan and I read all of his other books with admiration and envy. But this book just had a lousey, contrived plot and way too much talk with too little action. The book had its amusing moments to be sure, but those are (or should be) sidelights in this genre. The plot and characters have to have some life and meaning; but not in this novel. No one is perfect every time out, though I was beginning to believe that this author was. He convinced me to the contrary. Read all his other books; skip this one.