While Marcuse is a fairly decent writer, this story is shallow and underdeveloped -- no wonder, considering the book is a slim 288 pages. The mystery plot in itself all right, but all the characters that populate it are all stereotypes -- e.g., holier than thou Jews; overly friendly Witnesses; people who moved to New York from other states; and gay, pretentious artists -- and we never really find out out people's motivations for what they're doing, particularly when they seem to be violating their own religions' dictates. This book reads like it was written by someone who's seen a documentary about life in Brooklyn rather than someone who's lived it.