By book three, they finally hit their stride. The characterization was spot on with the TV show, the banter was improved, and they managed to work in most of the main characters in a way that worked out exactly how an episode would. The mystery itself was interesting, however it lacked the huge final reveal that we typically get where Shawn makes a big (humorous) speech. However, it worked out out in an interesting way because we get some Gus POV. In my opinion, the best of the first 4 books.