Quite enjoyable. The bizarre means of murder, I suspect, is a trademark of the series rather than a writer running out of ideas, and the whole thing held together well, with even a sad ambivalence in the ending reminiscent of some of Sue Grafton's stories. Another trademark is the focus on the personal life of the detective. I was able to deal with her trying to sort out her niece's love life, but the continual detailing of which of her friends she went to the movies with and how they disapproved of her life got old after a while. But enjoyable overall. ( )