A fun, if predictable caper. There were no surprises in the direction the plot took, or the eventual resolution, but still the story was enjoyable. What keeps me from rating the book higher, beyond the predictability, is how stereotyped every character is. The women in the story are especially insufferable. Elena, for example, is a corporate executive and the significant other of Sam. Presumably she is an intelligent woman and would be Sam's confidant - yet the only topics we hear he weigh in on are ones of food and style. The frequent side-tracks into local history and recipes are also distracting.