Weird and wonderful. It's not, exactly, a mystery, though a mystery is a major element; it's certainly not a romance, though a pairing is another major element; not quite a comedy, though misunderstandings run through at least the first half and hilarity ensues. Actually, it's closer to a slice-of-life novel than I usually read, let alone enjoy. Killian's tribulations, especially the ones he produces out of overheard comments and his imagination, are beautifully amusing - and more or less plausible, even. Then he figures out the secret (that isn't a secret, they just forgot to tell him) of Muse, and his tribulations turn a bit darker (correlation but not causation, there). The answers to various mysteries are neatly seeded - when he finally gets told or figures it out, you the reader say 'Oh, that's what that meant!' but 'that' doesn't obtrude as A CLUE when you first read it. Lots of neat stuff. I like Lazette's stuff better than I expected to - and I'm not saying that because I'm now freelancing for her as a copyeditor. When I think about the plot or storyline of her books, they seem obvious and/or completely uninteresting. But when I read them, they immediately sink into my consciousness and become places in my knowledge - I've been there, I know the whole landscape. The parts she hasn't written about (yet) are fuzzier than what she's shown me, but it's a place complete in itself, not just a stage for one playlet. Good stuff. Reread, again - somehow, Zette's stories sneak into my brain and play out scenes until I have to go back and read the whole thing again. Fun! And knowing the solution to the mystery didn't make it any less fun. ( )