Hank Palace hits the road in this final volume, and it doesn't spend more than a few pages in New England. But World of Trouble is no travelogue ... Winters tells a tight, focused story that happens in a particular place, with a particular crime.

Palace (and by extension the reader) has spent the first two books calmly watching the world lose its mind, with a sort of detached wryness. In this final volume the crisis finally gets to him, and he becomes gradually more unraveled throughout the book. It's a believable transition, skillfully handled by Winters.

I'm always happy to see a trilogy that doesn't flag at the end, doesn't lose it's steam or seem like a chapter too far. I can't say a thing about the last half of this book that wouldn't give something crucial away, except to say that it's about the best, most fulfilling ending to a trilogy I've ever seen.