wow. i knew i'd like this book, and it had been so highly recommended to me for quite a while, but i truly fell head over heels for little, no-nonsense, incredibly lonely tova sullivan. i didn't love cameron's character through much of the book - i know he had been dealt a hard hand, but he was so whiny and completely unappreciative of every good thing in his life. frankly, ethan and marcellus and tova were my favorite characters and any deviation from them was boring to me at first, but i eventually understood what cameron's place in the story was and he started irritating me less. i'd read a whole book from marcellus' pov honestly. the mystery was a fun one too - i liked the fact it got wrapped up in the end, and that simon brinks did actually have a connection to cameron beyond being his father - it felt like it with red herrings and all having a part to play, not just taking up space within the story. i did almost cry thrice at the very end there, so i can't pretend like even cameron did not win me over at the end there. it was touching - loneliness is overwhelming, but your family can be just around the corner, waiting to find you too.