Bollen gleefully lays on the melodrama and teases out the unmasking of his very unreliable narrator, escalating to a cymbal-crashing finale of revelations and violence.
Bollen also knows when to back off, allowing Maggie to show how truly dangerous she is and that maybe she’s not as good at her 'trade' as she professes to be. Bollen is, though, and how enjoyable it is to watch him work.
The author excels at ratcheting up Maggie’s unreliability until her suit of armour falls apart in dramatic, if hastily sketched, fashion. A few too many unanswered questions remain, but it is easy to forgive these omissions while revelling in such a distinctively deluded character.
