Really sweet first half. The relationship between Eli and Charlie is pretty spectacular, and the dialogue has this quirky, old-fashioned rhythm that I loved.

(That said, I also happened to watch Coen Brother's True Grit while reading this book and noticed the very same dialogue quirks that I loved. Namely, the lack of conjunction, which gives these uneducated characters a pseudo-intellectual manner of speaking. After that realization, I don't know if my love of the book is too rooted in my love of the Coens).

The second half is good, but once they meet their target kill (Warm) and find out the truth behind his character, the story loses a significant amount of momentum. Warm is a pretty interesting character, but I couldn't get behind Charlie's transformation. He's such a threatening presence through the first half--a pure joy to read. I couldn't get behind his character turning sympathetic.