First of all, a warning. If you are considering purchasing this book, do not read the Amazon plot summary in the description section, which gives away the entire story (including the final revelation).Regarding the book itself, whilst I agree with many of the points made by 'Curiosity Killed The Bookworm', I disagree with the conclusion that if you enjoyed 'The Sweetness of Life', you will enjoy this. I did, and I didn't. 'The Mattress House' has little of the narrative flow of the previous book, and the conclusion is unsatisfying. The writing style feels deliberately obtuse at times, and the sly, leavening wit of 'The Sweetness of Life', whilst present, is also greatly subdued. This is a very dark book. There are also far too many characters for a book of this length - I normally have no problem with large casts but I found it very difficult to keep track.I would struggle to describe this as a 'crime' or 'thriller' novel, as those elements of the story feel hugely under-developed. Kovacs and Horn - the protagonists of the first book - are here relegated to mere ciphers; neither of them does anything much to resolve the plot, instead spending most of the time contemplating their own navels. 'The Mattress House' is much more a fictionalised series of unpleasant psychological case histories, none of which (including the central plot) are pursued to a satisfactory conclusion.Given the disturbing central theme of this book, I would have liked a proper resolution, but perhaps that is the point - that life isn't like that. The upshot, however, is that this is a hard book to enjoy.