This second entry in Healy's John Francis Cuddy series shows a big step up from the first. It's a tighter, more focused, and more complex story than that one. It's also a much more violent one with several deaths.Cuddy investigates the torture-murder of an MP buddy from his days in Vietnam. We also see Cuddy taking the first steps into a relationship with a woman since the death of his wife.Cuddy has more depth here and comes across as much more human.I plan to read the rest of the books in this series and wish Healy would write more.