In Vermont, where his wife Sandra's mother is close to death, Emile Cinq-Mars becomes involved in yet another murder investigation when a friend of his niece is murdered on a college campus. As usual, the story doesn't provide the reader anywhere near enough information to figure out the crime, so the pleasure is watching Cinq-Mars interact with the state and local police and with various persons connected with the University. The details of the crime are sordid in the extreme--Farrow never has an issue with being gruesome and disgusting, but the conversations carry the book. Like the local and state police, we find ourselves watching Cinq-Mars to see if we can understand his technique and what he is up to. The secondary plot of Cinq-Mars and his wife's marital issues is also continued, though given much less space here than in the previous two entries in the series. Finally, for those who haven't read the first two books in the so-called "Storm Murders Trilogy", be aware that it is only a trilogy in the sense that storms play a part in each book. There is no continuing story other than the fascinating one of Cinq-Mars own life. For that reason alone, you should read the books in order, starting with City of Ice. This is an incredibly fascinating series, and Cinq-Mars is one of the great characters (not just detectives) in literature. ( )