Reading progress update: I've read 192 out of 422 pages.
I am not entirely sure what the story is about or where this is going - but this is a bit of a thriller: Lacroix is being pursued by two unsavoury characters who will stop at nothing.
They are your typical henchman type, like Kidd and Wynt in Diamonds are Forever, and are pretty scary.
I have no idea, tho, why the plot has taken us to where we are or what Lacroix is trying to achieve here. So, this feels like a pointless meander. I hope there is a purpose that becomes clear...and soon.
Still, this is miles better than the historical fiction book I read last week (The Western Wind) as Miller does not make mistakes with historical research.