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Review title: Not her bailiwick
Product review: While the basic plot is solid, for some reason the author seems to have been (uncharacteristically) aiming for gritty, super-hard-boiled characters in this book, so much so that it interferes with the telling of the tale. For example, several characters' smoking habits are covered in excruciating detail, and Sam and Nikki have such jaded world views that you almost stop pulling for them, and retreat to the role of observer instead of participant in the story. In other words, Ms. Hoag's usual sense of humor is conspicuously absent in this one, and I ended the book feeling depressed and let down.
