Well this book had its ups and down. The ups were the private vignettes from each neighbor’s perspective. The true feeling each has for the other is hidden when they are together. The porter’s secret former life was interesting once you got past the fact that he wasn’t the killer. Kate’s cat was pretty good. His comings and goings would have made a good perspective vignette but the author didn’t do that.

After the second murder, I guessed about the secret tunnels in the mansion block that turned out to be there and were exploited by the killer. Also, there was really only one person who could a. fit in the tunnels and b. have enough strength to kill the way the killer did. Then when some women’s clothes turned up in a place they shouldn’t be, I knew Gregory was the killer. The obvious finding of the girlfriend’s passport wasn’t necessary but was an eerie touch. After Connie found it though, she still ran blindly to her death – literally ran to his arms. Whatta dunce.

The ending was a bit smarmy though. Kate and her not quite divorced husband whom she left years ago, comes back into her life through the investigation of Gregory. He is still carrying the torch and she comes to her senses. Miles’ wife Claudia has made friends with Miles’ ex-wife and kids and is accepted into the building’s community even though her husband cheated many of them out of their fortunes. Eleni doing her moonlight flit was pretty good; basically she was a prostitute and scammed men out of their money so she could support herself and her madame/mother, Demeter. The porter turns out to be a former archdeacon. Former because he fell in love with a married woman and had to leave his calling and his faith behind. After 8 years of misery, the woman he loves finds him and chooses him. Like I said; smarmy. ( )