Sanders solves the always thorny problem of exposition by having a first-person narrator who lays things out and puts them together for us, and by having him talk to people who have just the bit of information he needs. Everyone contributes something to the solving of the mystery, but more than once, Todd misses the mark with his hypotheses, which makes situations a little more believable and unpredictable. A reader may well guess at Thorndecker's secret early on, but the ending is likely to be a surprise, anyway.

Todd may not be totally ethical, but he is totally frank. By letting us inside his head he lets us see and understand what he is doing without judging him, almost as we see ourselves. And at the end, when he is able to reconcile his actions and desires at last, his victory is more meaningful because even his weaker...