often seen in the street without a hat

I would have liked more of Tej, too. I kept feeling that I could like her, and that I would have liked to know more about what it was like growing up basically just wanting to be happy in a society that prized scheming and deals (and with a haut grandmother) but I felt she was kind of kept at arm's length, like Ekaterin in Diplomatic Immunity.

I think I would have liked the book better if it wasn't for the final section and the fate of ImpSec, which just felt off to me - weird and underwritten and jokey and generally not giving enough weight to there being an actual human disaster going on right under these silly privileged people's noses.

I'm glad to hear that Deira is good: I've been avoiding it because I thought it might be annoyingly simplistic about Irish issues, but on your recommendation I think I'll give it a go.