I am a big Iles fan so perhaps I am somewhat critical of his work. This was a fun and exciting read, however it lacks some of the spark and poetry of his greatest work, The Quiet Game. The plot was exciting and somewhat credible but on the other hand some of the characters acted out of character at times. For example, Dr. Tarver, the genious mastermind who kills the spouses of unhappy and/or greedy partners for huge sums of money, is not supposed to make mistakes, yet he takes, what I believe are unnecessary chances that considerably increase the odds of his getting caught. I guess his character is just too cocky and believes he will never be apprehended.Overall, this is a worthwhile buy. A little too long.