The female characters are not believable. Why do they go for these older, wretched men? They are mercurial, stereotypical and falsely mysterious. The author seems to have no notion of how to get into their heads, even briefly. The men who dominate the book are better drawn but mostly unlikeable. An alcoholic pathologist whose every drink is accounted for and a boring detective who doesn’t like sex, booze or life. Who are we to root for? The writing has flashes of brilliance but the plot is clumsy and implausible. Not his best effort.
