Better. A nice return to the form of earlier books with some interesting changes and additions (Thailand/Hong Kong, Dox/Delilah). The author's personal convictions still seem to bleed through in some of his characters (hatred of bureaucracy/government oversight, obsession with Israel, etc) but overall it seemed a little more toned down. I was ready to put away this series after this book since it's the last one I physically own but I still might come back to it. The ending leaves enough ambiguities and threads that I'm curious where everyone ends up and this book was a pleasant and quick enough read.