The book ends with the line "No one has taken responsibility" — echoing an earlier rant by Bruce that we have created a blame free society in which any problem or shortcoming can be blamed on others rather than accepting responsibility for our own actions. It won the 1996 Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger Award. Elton penned a play based on the novel, which premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse in 1996, and later played in London's West End.