As with his other books, Griffin's narrative style carries this story swiftly.

Foremost is his eye for detail. While there is some bloodshed and conflict, the bloodshed (that is, that we see, rather than that we learn about) is largely limited; most noteworthy are a book-ended murder at the beginning and its retributive revenge at the end. Griffin brings the reader in with his realm of otherwise-trivial detail and spreads them thickly through the book; there are few scenes that are straight narrative. Griffin seldom leaves the reader with an unfinished scene or incomplete character; rather, the minutia of the dialogue and the seemingly offhand details complete the tableauxlike scenes. For example, we learn all about Suboficial Mayor (Sergeant Major) Rodriguez through the description of his bearing and the oft-repeated "a susordenes" (as you order). The description of the uniform of the Husares Pueyrredon (an Argentine regiment), of...