This book was a huge disappointment.

The characters are thinner than the paper they are printed on and the plot as predictable as the sunrise. Twists and setups are presented - only to fizzle out. I only managed to finish this book because I had already invested enough hours reading it, that stopping would make me feel even dumber than the main character, Alex McKnight.

McKnight is a crappy lead. Hamilton attempts to portray him as dark and brooding, but he just comes off stupid, self-centered and childish.

There are a few of the minor characters that work, like Vinnie the Indian dude and Jackie the grumpy barkeep. That's about it though, and neither play a central role in the actual plot.

The villains (there are quite a few) are all pretty ridiculous. I've seen more believable badguys in James Bond movies. As they started dying off in various ways, I found myself getting more and more bored, until I just wanted it to end.

And when it did, I actually breathed a sigh of relief.

It's just really badly written. Steve Hamilton actually uses the HUGE cliché of "little did I know..." (or a variation thereof) about six or seven times, most often at the end of a chapter. As if that actually works as a page turner trick. In my case, it only made me want to close the book for good.

I read "A Cold Day in Paradise", featuring the same main character, and thought it was decent enough to give Hamilton a second chance. I will not be reading any more of his garbage.

How this made it past the editors is probably the biggest mystery of them all...