The middle book of a trilogy seems more often than not to be the weakest book. I was not in love with this one. I figured out the mystery in pretty short order, and found the whole father subplot more than a little silly. Once again, Resau's characters were a delight- and I'm willing to forgive much when this is the case. One cares about these people. A lot. Resau writes well enough that even the pigeons become strong, memorable characters. 3.5