Phil Hogan, A Pleasure and a Calling

William Heming is a real estate agent who likes to keep an eye on the people he's sold houses to. To that end, he keeps copies of their keys and, well, I won't ruin the plot. But Heming is an intriguing character whom I want to see more of. He reminds me a bit of Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley—a likable sociopath who is sometimes driven to extreme behaviors by his circumstances. Heming is likable too, and his behavior could certainly be described as extreme. I enjoyed his life as a small-town real estate agent—more than the flashbacks to his earlier life, although those early stories helped complete his portrait. I'd like to read more. And now that I think about it, I don't see why this couldn't be the first book in a series. Heming could continue getting into scrapes and wriggling his way out of them just like Tom Ripley does in sequels to The Talented Mr. Ripley. Do it, Phil Hogan! We need more.