Not Kinsey Millhone who wants ...

Yes I am referring to the heroine of Sue Grafton because the author herself makes her a wink at the beginning of the book.
And indeed, Vic Warshawski, private detective too, much like Kinsey Millhone: they are both funny and nice (see my review for A like Alibi) and their pathways are quite similar, their lifestyles too (cf hyper protector and charitable neighbor), and even their adventures.
But the sauce takes less property here ... This is the "mystery of good novel", and, as in cooking, the ingredients are there but it lacks the chief's leg (the head in this case).
I was embarrassed by the number of characters that I did not identify immediately re each occurrence, I had to go back to find their profile.
In summary: very good novel, lack of fluidity and lightness. I'll still read other novels of this writer!