Mixed Pickles - the Book log 2012

Thirteen years in the writing
according to the publishers, and they offer a money-back guarantee if you don't "love" the book. 

I really wish that I did - thirteen years is a long time to commit to telling a story, but I am not sure that this one is quite as epic, or deep, or meaningful as its gestation period might suggest.  

A family wins a lottery.  Two feckless young men decide to get themselves a big slice of that pie.  One of them develops delusions of religious grandeur.  A semi-retired cop suspects.  

I know that there are probably some big themes, and that the author has something to say.  Sadly, for me, the characters are underdeveloped, or too crudely sketched, or lack a coherent sense of purpose and personality.  There is no moral centre. Tension is largely absent;  will the old cop get fired or will he uncover the truth?  Will the blackmailers get away with it all?   This reader didn't really care one way or the other.  I kept reading, but more to find out whether things reached a satisfying conclusion or not.  

Unputdownability : Thirteen years to write;  I suppose I had better give him a chance.