I just finished the book and now I'm desperate to find out what other people's thoughts are. Mine aren't too positive. Throughout the book I felt grumpy, although after a while at least the plot managed to suck me in.

I think I'm finally becoming the grumpy sort of feminist. I don't want to be! But really, sometimes I wonder how anyone couldn't be grumpy with all the things that are wrong in this world. Anyway. Did Jo work really hard on making this book look like it was actually written by a man? A sexist man? This is where my main beef with this book lies. The characters adhere to these stupid old gender roles too much. It was disappointing enough that Strike was a clichéd manly man who needs a fucking boundary like Robin's engagement ring, so he won't think his manly thoughts about Robin. It took way too long for me to be okay with him. From the start I imagined him looking like Gene from Life on Mars, because it just fit him so much. I was happy that his assistant was female, but then she went and did things that made it look like the only reason the character is a woman is to do woman things. She has potential and I hope she gets more to do in future Strike novels.

- Due to my aversion for Strike I so did not give a fuck about his past, so every time that came up it fed my grumpiness.
- Yes, I know, Jo isn't writing HP anymore, but that doesn't mean she can drop a fuckload of F-bombs. It just felt horribly overdone.
- The description of Guy's face freaked me out slightly, because I couldn't help being reminded of these guys from the Classic Who episode Terror of the Autons.
- Jeez, why is nearly everybody smoking?

Well, it wasn't all bad.
- The book made me see clearly how people's point of view influences their statement, without them meaning to. I did know of the Rashomon effect before, but before this book I'd only seen it exaggerated, so that it had made little sense.
- I think I've developed a slight crush on Evan.
- There were things other than the description of Wardle that reminded me of Sherlock. For examble how the woman in the pink coat had had a pink phone, which after her death was in the possession of her murderer.