I requested this book because it seemed like an interesting topic to read about. Not many books are dealing with these problems, these people. I'm a little uncertain about it, though. After I read it through, I'd say I liked it very much, and I did, but that's mostly only because of the second half, or rather the last third of the novel. I had to get through at least half of the book so that I could be at least a little invested. I can't really put my finger on why exactly, but I felt a little detached while reading.
As I think about it, it may be the 'journalist after a story' thing that made me feel a little distant in the beginning. It sounds like a good concept, and all in all, seeing the whole arc, I'd say it worked well, but it made it hard for me to connect with the story and characters at first. It's mostly talking about things, and not actually seeing how things were done. I expected this book to actually be about those things promised, to see and feel what it's all like, but all I could see was a young journalist trying to gather a story. It's okay, but I felt like I would've been more interested in actually secondhand-experiencing stuff, and not reading about how a guy hears about the actual story. It also results in going through happenings a couple times too much, thus making me feel like I'm in and out of interest for most of the novel.
The second half saved this book for me, though. The story got faster paced, and I started to connect with the characters. Simon seemed like a nice guy after all, even though at first I sometimes couldn't help feeling like he really was in it only for the story (in spite of himself thinking otherwise). This changed by the end, and I happened to like him. I enjoyed his interactions with Soraya, as well as the policeman Carver. The only character I had a problem with was Candy. I don't mean that I didn't like her, I mean that I felt like...well, like she wasn't a real character, a real person at all. She was so obviously there for only technical purposes. As soon as Simon (and the story) didn't need her, she just disappeared. I found that weird. Otherwise, I thought the characters were good and believable.
After finishing this novel, and seeing it as a whole (I had to go back and reread the first chapter to remember how it all started, though), I think this was a fairly good book. I enjoyed (especially the second half), and I'm glad I read it. In most books that at least mention these topics, these are showed only peripherally, and I loved that this one dared to make it the main theme.
If you like a good mystery and have a little patience, this is a book for you!