The plot and a couple of the characters stood out as real people but Jacqueline Kirby, this series' sleuth was not one of them. I was most of the time repelled by her. She's a little like the Wizard of Oz bringing things to the final solution, and occasionally being maternally protective with not an iota of grace about her, but we never get a peak behind the curtain except that she is free of obligations and her apparent goal is to fully indulge her freedom in any way that entertains her, and with a parade of men who catch her fancy, but never do more than that. You can't say it is a midlife crisis, but instead a woman who has for too long had to say no to herself and now she absolutely won't to a ruthless degree. She is heady with the freedom, but her measure of well-spent time seems, at least where people are concerned, what will entertain her the most in the most unique and idiosyncratic way. I admit though as the reader I did not guess who did it until 2/3 of the way through (late for me), and the why was a surprise I never saw coming.