A thrilling blend of noir and fantasy.Guardian.In an unnamed city a hardboiled preCivil Rights New York sort of city heroine Lila Mae has succeeded in becoming the very first Black female elevator inspector. In Whiteheads darkly comic otherworld this is a job imbued with an almost mystical significance. But the illustrious Department of Elevator Inspectors is in crisis bitterly divided between the Empiricists check the machinery and the Intuitionists tune in to the vibes. Lila is an Intuitionist and so much better at her job than anyone else that surely it must be those goodoldboy Empiricists who have set up the serious accident which occurs on her watch and just before the Departmental elections too. Lila sets out to clear her name and discover the secret formula of the Perfect Elevator at the same time and the author keeps us on our toes guessing the outcome as he cleverly tweaks and twists his plot catching everybody out. At the same time the story is almost certainly an allegory but of what exactly readers may work out for themselves. A teasing challenging and entertaining read.