After thoroughly enjoying Patrick deWitt's the Sisters Brothers I was really looking forward to reading this one. It didn't disappoint at all but I can imagine others who enjoyed the Sisters Brothers may not like it quite as fondly. Certainly it is much darker. Essentially it reads almost Bukowksi-lite. The usual dive bar and the frequent customers. The focus though is on addiction as the main character (a pill addicted alcoholic bartender) tries to pull himself out of the life he is currently leading - with great difficulty. What the book really does is confirm that Patrick deWitt is an excellent young writer with a huge amount of potential.