So, compared to first book, there seemed less character building, more story in it.
Though, story was complex and tied multiple strings together. In particular, it showed how dirty money is hidden and plays out in not only underworld, but also existing insitutions. So in that sense it is not a nice reading or simple crime story. It’s rather serious depiction of real life.
It is also interesting to see the themes of God vs satanism play out in the book, where cultism was just a simple cover and the truth is revealed at the end.
Compared to the first book, where the culprit was individual maniac, in this case we see a lot more (side) characters introduced and revealed (organized) crime relations between multiple actors. In this book, the justice was not served, since while Rebus uncovered the case of the network, things got a cover-up by the system and Rebus himself came to terms with it by burning some evidence.
Actually, Rebus seems fairly fun character, which makes him fairly likeable (at least to me). He has funny situations, sharp tongue, simple facade, clever, yet sometimes slow and foolish, restrained relationships with others, complex relation with himself, family, women and God. This makes me hope to explore them more in sequels.