Solid second episode. Now that I'm comfortably in the author's style and story I can start to complain a bit. There are not a lot of searing insights into the Human Condition in these novels. And some of the machinations he employs to get various characters to meet in the right place are a bit clumsy. But it's all very entertaining and I like the characters. A later chapter featuring a widow's plight was particularly strongly written.

On the fence about binge-reading the rest of the books vs. waiting to trickle them out. They're very entertaining, but I try to space out my "read just for fun" books with things that are more demanding.