Reading this book was bittersweet. The book is a wonderful little mystery, and it has the minimalist plot that we come to expect from Lovesey. The sad part was that this is the last book in the Cribb/Thackery Series. I don't know why Mr. Lovesey stopped this series with this book. It really didn't have the feel of a final book. I haven't read his Peter Diamond series yet, but will try to get to those someday, but I will surely miss these wonderful characters. This particular book is written so realistically that it seems he has been writing about a true crime. That's a wonderful feat for a mystery from the Victorian era!. I missed Thackery in this book, but Cribb was wonderful! It's always sad when you reach the end of an enjoyable series.