While the jaw dropping realization that Wolfe and his crew were already fully formed in the very first entry in the series is charming, the looming spectres of racism (even anti-Italian racism, though not only that) and prejudice mean that you can't quite write it all off as foibles of characters who Wolfe disapproves of. Since Wolfe, as Estleman explains, is always the same, you might as well skip this one and read one that's better.