If Mr. Shirley had cut out about one-third of the words, it might have been a reasonable read. The action would have been sustained. Ngaio Marsh, Charles Dickens used lots of words; but then Mr. Shirley is not in their class.Once you realize what is happening, the author repeats and repeats the action in different situations. But it's not suspense from here on out, it's just repetition. He makes a good point about technology, but it's necessary to wade through too many useless words to discover the point.