For a freshman effort, this is a good book. The story kicks off as a dictator, of some unnamed country, is overthrown and locked up for his alleged tyrannical reign. But when the freedom fighters nab him, they also take the dictator's chef, barber and portraitist hostage. The entire story shifts between their memories and viewpoints and they, like everyone else in the book, are never given names. We only know them by their relationships to each other.

The first half (of this short read) is great! Lots of insight into the human side and vanity of the dictator as seen through his closest servants. But, then the second degree of people begin to share their viewpoints. As short as the book is, we never get to enjoy them as much as we do the chef, barber and portraitist. It really feels like they get peppered in towards the end to help wrap up the plot in two or three quick twists all done in a six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon sorta way.

But I really enjoyed the first part of the book and I'm looking forward to the author's next book.