Lots of potential here, but it reads like the first novel it is—or is as far as I can tell!

Overall, I enjoyed the book, although it only worked when I approached it with a grain of salt—the narrator of the story breaks in to speak to the reader and overuses adjectives and cliches, giving the story an ornate “Victorian” feel; it is kind of gimmicky in that sense, but I think that’s the point. You just have to roll with it.

The characters are quirky and interesting, but flat. There were hints at their background and history; this was not developed. The title misled me as to the point of the story and left me disappointed. The climax was … anti-climactic—I feel like the whole thing could either have been tightened up into a novella or given more depth and lengthened.

Despite the shortcomings, it is a fun book and I will certainly take a look at the upcoming sequel (?), The Domino Men.