A surprisingly angst free murder mystery. I do like DI Darling's long term partner Trev who's the most understanding partner ever (he even understands when their Christmas plans get usurped by a murder).

Ted Darling himself is easy going and laid back, though I thought his management style could have done with a bit more stiffness (not quite the right word here, but I can not think of a better term). He's almost too understanding with his subordinates. Yet, at one point, he's so uptight and angry at the lack of forward momentum in his case, he takes off late one night, crosses the countryside on Trev's bike, and goes to a dojo where he can get beat up and bloodied. It really contrasts with his laid back character. It's rather jarring, to be honest.

Unfortunately, I found some of the prose choppy and the conclusions in the mystery, when they do come, seem to rely more on jumps to conclusions rather than painstaking detective work. ( )