I’ve been a fan of William Gibson’s unique blend of science fiction and thrillers for a while. I seem to have missed Neuromancer and the earlier, more sci-fi novels he first made his name with, but I really like the way he drives his technology laden plots through seemingly unconnected threads, which always pull together into an exciting and satisfying climax. His more recent ‘set-in-the-near future-or-is-it-the-present’ novels (The Bridge trilogy, starting with Virtual Light, and the 2 earlier novels in this Blue Ant trilogy: Pattern Recognition and Spook Country) use emerging technology in ways which we’re only starting to think about, and plausible criminal conspiracies amongst hidden underworlds. This latest one is, I think, the weakest of his recent tiles. The plot pans out just a little too straightforwardly, the characters are a little too one-dimensional, and the setting in the fashion world, is less compelling than we’re used to. If you’re a fan, it’s a lapse one can forgive, but I wouldn’t start here.