I really liked this, although toward the end I started getting impatient with all the unnecessary detail. There were really interesting things happening, and the actual plot development kept getting interrupted by characters' random musings on penguins and how annoying Seattle is! I started having to skim. 
 Here's my other problem with it: (view spoiler)[I can't believe we're expected to forgive Elgie and that damn doctor for what they tried to do to Bernadette. They tried to kidnap and lock her in a mental institution against her will, based on absolutely no evidence that she needed to be there! That's, like, one of the most terrifying things in the world. Her stupid husband was never around, so it's not like he knew anything about her. Instead of talking to his wife, instead of even doing the minimum to verify that the allegations against her were true--which they weren't--instead of checking with the doctor to find out whether Audrey Griffin's foot had actually been run over, WHICH IT HADN'T, or verifying that Bernadette had had the blackberry bushes removed at her neighbor's insane insistence--and why do people keep talking about that "billboard" as though it caused the mudslide? Her sign didn't have anything to do with anything!--he goes straight to what should be Plan Z++++++++. Seriously, what kind of doctor moves ahead with that kind of unverified information? And then they just all move past it, as though all they needed was time to cool off from a little argument. Unbelievable. (hide spoiler)]