In my opinion, for a mystery series to be really good, the primary crime-solver needs to be interesting and likeable, and should also have something that makes him/her stand out from the crowd. For Sherlock Holmes, it's his emotionless logic; for Shawn Spencer on USA's Psych, it's wit and attention to detail, etc. As much as I think the mysteries in the first two Inspector Banks books are clever and intriguing, I am having a difficult time identifying Banks' quirk. There doesn't seem to be something unique about him that makes me care for him in the same way that I do for other main characters. I guess I'll keep progressing in the series to see if his character will develop later on.

Honestly, I didn't even care about this book enough to actually finish it. I was expecting a book of lore, and what I got were strange, fabricated anecdotes about the author's not-so-secret desire to be a mermaid. Fine book, but not great by any means.