When I ordered this novel I had the mistaken impression that it was a series of short stories but not so...Yes, 22 means something..but it is really a continuous story. I won't give away what the "22" means. The main characters are ,of course DS Logan McRae and his boss DCI Steel. If you're sqeamish about strong language and bawdy situations this may not be your book..Truthfully I wondered if it was for me until I got into the flow and couldn't put it down.. I am a Stuart MacBride fan and this book definitely didn't disappoint. The ending was hilarious!! I'd give it 5 stars but took !/2 a star for the over drawing (my opinion) of the DCI Steel character.