I think it's only fair to admit I'm a big fan of John Connolly's Charlie Parker novels and I opened this book with high expectations of a standard of writing that elevates a modern novel towards real literature; I wasn't disappointed. The language and descriptive prose are of Connolly's usual high quality, but it at no time overpowers the story or the flow of the narrative. In fact the subject matter lends itself well to the considered turn of phrase that characterises this author's work.