I was really disappointed in this book. I found many of the plot points contrived (out of the blue, Tallasee just HAPPENS to have a friend in the attorney general's office!), and too much of what we learn about the BIG MYSTERY we have to learn by way of explanation as opposed to action. Similarly, the author relies too much on digression and background information to form his characters and to explain their motivations. The end result is that I felt distanced from the characters and the plot, such that it was difficult for me to care about what happened.