I have nothing against "how we got him" mysteries; I rather like them, though they're harder to pull off well. I don't automatically dislike romance in a mystery, though I think it is not necessary in every book.

But this book just didn't pull either off well enough. There was nothing interesting in how they got him, nothing cleverly plotted or insightfully characterised. The romance seemed tacked on, as if knowing there was a single woman and a single man, they had to end up paired off. (view spoiler)[Whether or not Tony decides to take care of his health, he's still 20 years older than Van. There is no way that a sane person would believe that, since her grandfather died young of untreated pneumonia, if Tony is married to a doctor he will live forever and the age difference will never matter. It doesn't need to end the relationship, but it has to be treated seriously. (hide spoiler)]

The writing is lovely, though the discussion of the cost of talent was better done in A Grave Talent.