I met a lovely lady in the queue for Howard Jacobson's autograph at Hay and we got talking (as you do at Hay) about books we were reading. I admitted rather shamefully that I bought this book along with a copy of Patricia Cornwell's Port Mortuary on a two for £7.99 deal at Sainsbury's in Hereford as I couldn't go any further than page 411 (of 728) of Orhan Pamuk's The Museum of Innocence. I still haven't finished that one as my new friend advised me that nothing ever does happen.
I've read Val McDermid in the past and enjoyed her storytelling and plot construction but the back story of this one left me wondering whether I was a bit prudish about lesbianism. It seemed a little to me to have so much incidental reference to gay issues as to make it read like a 'recently emerged from the closet' work. And, for me, those references added nothing to what was exactly the escape into a world of intrigue and problem solving I was looking for.
In conclusion I can say is that a lot happens in this book, and I finished it within 36 hours of purchase.
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