Inspector Minogues and his boss no longer engage in Irish banter. They attack. The fun of Kaddish is missing. The detectives' back and forth is no longer a spectator sport for us readers, it is simply tiring.

Also, Brady pulls one on you. Near the end, he hides important decisions, something he does not do in earlier chapters. So the ending sneaks up on you if you are not careful.

Finally the twin caper seemed like a long-planned, well-drained twist. As though, the plot were in the drivers seat. You expect the characters and their Irish rants to drive Brady's books. At least I do.

But I liked it. The characters all lived and I look forward to my next murder with Brady. ( )