Take an art dealer that's addicted to sugar-free chocolate candies. Add touch of a mentally unhinged dude that has a heart attack and loses some cash. Drop a dollop of a unemployed thief-in-training. Stir in a host of supporting character (each with his or her own special tragic flaw)and you get this novel.

This was my first book by Ms. Rendell. I was underwhelmed. The writing style was engaging and the the chapter short. And I needed a book for the T rides to work and school. Perhaps that's why I finished it. I'm not a big fan of books that don't have a clearly defined good guy. I love Shakespeare and am familiar with the protagonist and his tragic flaw. But, to me, The Bard is the only one that can make a great story out of a tragically flawed character. The plot wasn't bad, nor was the writing, but I didn't particularly care for any of the characters.