This third book was a return to form after the pointless second one, even if he did lay it on a little thick a little too often (yes, it hurts the clubfooted torturer every time he moves, do we need a paragraph about it every time?), and went straight over the top on a few other occasions (let's just put everyone in charge, that'll really move the plot along). The "War and Peace"-style urban disaster climax redeemed much of it and (most of) the main characters, though.