Point of View

The point of view of this novel is first person. The narrating character is Milo Milogovitch, a private eye in a small town whose business has recently dried up because of changes in the state's divorce laws. Milo has sunk deeper into his alcoholism as he tries to think of another way to make the money he needs to pay two alimony checks and his own expenses. Milo takes on a new case at the beginning of this novel, and the novel is his first person account of the investigation and its repercussions.

The point of view of this novel gives the plot a feel similar to the old fashioned private detective novels that were often gritty and violent. Milo does not attempt to hide anything from the novel, often making comments in his narration that refer to mistakes he has made or things he might...