I'm giving this book an extra star for Robert Glehnister's amazing narration - a cornucopia of voices and accents, never dull and often droll, worth the price of admission in and of itself.
As a novel, this is a fun mystery, totally in genre, with a likable but troubled detective, a plucky Watson-figure and plenty of juicy characters, plot twists and reveals. I think if you enjoy mysteries - especially "British" mysteries - you'll enjoy this quite a bit. I enjoyed Harry Potter, but didn't bring a lot of JK Rowling baggage to the book, and I suggest you'll enjoy it more if you forget about all that (although the discussions of wealth, the paparazzi, etc. hold a certain interest when you realize that the author (unlike most fiction writers!) is speaking from first-hand knowledge).
It is certainly a bit verbose (although for anyone who can manage an Elizabeth George or a Tana French, it won't seem overly long - wordiness is something of a genre-wide failing).
Overall though, I found the hero and heroine sympathetic and engaging, the plot fun and lively, and the ambience interesting. I don't read many mysteries but will keep an eye out for more "Robert Galbraiths" should they emerge.
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