"You ever think people would be happier WITHOUT their secrets?"

Of course the answer has to be "no", or there'd be some pretty dull storytelling, and that's not what this series is about: this fourth volume is all plot plot plot.

All of the characters are familiar faces, in whom the readers are invested to varying degrees. Relationships between them have grown more complex and interactions intensify.

One of the reasons that I enjoyed this volume even more than the last, is the humour. Which isn't always laugh-out-loud, but sometimes wry-chuckling, as with the conversation about race, which is not only funny but spot on, in the second installment.

But my favourite installment within this volume is the first, which features Bode (and he's not actually a favourite of mine) in an unexpected role. The artwork in this segment is noteworthy, as there are two contrasting styles which suit the events which unfold (about which I'll say nothing, but they're perfectly matched).

(I also really like the one where the calendar dates are scattered throughout, so that you really get a sense of how topsy-turvy their lives have gotten in just a single month.)

But what happened to the classy presentation, the matte black covers with the single contrast colour imagery, and the satin ribbon? Okay, okay: I get the white/black thing, but where's the ribbon?

Yes, I know this is a quibble: it's a great series. I"m itching for the final volume.