I'm rather torn with this book, on the one hand the story is rather enjoyable (despite Margaret being a wet blanket at times) and does keep the reader guessing with some intriguing twists and turns. But on the other hand the writing is a little wordy and seems to me a tad flowery and over the top adding unnecessary bulk to an otherwise good story. This does make it a little harder to follow as the main thrust of the story and the characters are a little lost. But saying that the story is just about strong enough to pull through and as the book progresses you find yourself getting more and more engrossed and find yourself despising Haddo more and more (I practically cheered at the end). The characters themselves are quite engaging although as I've said Margaret is a tad irritating and there were many moments when I just wanted to give her a damn good shake and tell her to get a grip (although by the standards of the time I doubt she was that bad). I became very fond of Susie by the end and thankfully Arthur made an excellent turn around and showed himself to be made of stronger stuff than he seemed to be at the beginning. Overall a pretty good read even if it is a little on the wordy side.