An outstanding cast of characters with the right mix of mystery and politics. Amazingly, Laguna is not bogged down by the politics as some novels which contain both mystery and politics can tend to be. It is interesting how the effects of a little Texas Gulf Coast along with natural gases can affect the politics in Washington D. C. and bring murders along with it. The setting of the Texas Gulf Coast plays an important role in Laguna but any environmentally sound coast could have worked as the background. The mystery has enough twists and turns to keep readers on their toes. There is a little romance but it does not take away from the main focus of Laguna, the mystery. An overall great combination of power, greed, environmental needs, and politics.