Sara Paretsky has packed a huge amount into a single novel, probably enough for 4 or 5 thriller movies. I've had the same sense of surprise with another of the V.I. Warshawsky novels -- after 30 or 40 pages to be only that far into it. The behaviour of many if not most of the men in this book is implausibly stupid, serving perhaps as an inexcusable excuse to examine abuse and inhumanity between and among the sexes. V.I.'s tendency to argue unproductively with most of the other characters in the novel is annoying at times, too, but there's always a lot going on, continuous plot motion, and plenty to think about. And it's nice to have a PI who doesn't pull out a gun and threaten to blow the bad guy's head off if he doesn't come across with the information. This is a slow read and a good one.