Kress writes terse, razor-sharp prose. Each word count and each word was a joy to read.I have never balked reading troublesome stories, tales of travesty, violence, dysfunction, as long as -- don't laugh -- it is written with a smile.I was so delighted with this book that it was impossible to not also imagine the author's pleased smile as he wrote it.If you want trite formula, with plotline you can see coming down the pike, forget Kress.If you're intelligent, want an absorbing and stimulating tale, you can't miss.Get Kress.