If you don't like any of the characters, it's hard to tolerate any kind of fiction. Figuring out the puzzle is one reason I like mysteries, but if partway through I realize I don't even care whodunnit, nor would I mind if they took out the rest of the cast I generally return book to shelf. A plethora of unpleasant people doing unpleasant things to each other in an unpleasant environment nearly drove me out of the SF genre during the "New Age".
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