This book is very well written, with good atmosphere and language. The prose moves well and very effectively conveys the world and people it's creating. That being said, there is nothing that sets it apart. The market is currently awash in female-centric mystery novels of varying quality and plot. Some of them are wholly original and some have more basic stories that we have seen in some form or other before. Unfortunately, this one falls into the latter category. It could be just the chapter that I sampled, but there was very little I saw in it that set it apart from a myriad of other stories about political wives being caught up in the consequences of their husband's indiscretions. Even network TV has taken a whack at this subgenre with shows like "The Good Wife". So while this writer is obviously skilled, and I wouldn't say no to reading this at some point in the future if the mood strikes, the timing is just not right for it. With some of the other books on the horizon this year, I fear that unless this one pulls off an amazing twist in its later pages, it might get lost in the shuffle.