I'm a newcomer to Westlake. Apparently he was a prolific writer of mysteries/thrillers. This is a departure, less thriller, more pitch black comedy. It's not so much that the situations are comedic. They're not. But the narrator's rationalizations to justify killing potential competitors for a middle management job, that's where the humor comes in. But still, not laugh out loud funny. More like head nodding. It's a wonder why more middle aged, middle class, squeezed out middle managers haven't tried something like this in real life, given the almost justifiable rage that the narrator has at the system. He knows the CEOs and shareholders and the whole American Darwinian business model is to blame. But that's too big to take on. He knows little things. He's a manager. He likes order. He can't bump off all the shareholders. But he can bump off a few competitors... for what sounds like the dreariest job imaginable. You may sympathize with this guy, you may hate him. But you certainly wouldn't want to be him.