roseanna is a melancholy novel: i felt sad for the victim, and sad for the detectives (especially martin beck - the titular detective of the series) investigating her death. as they sought to discover the mystery behind her death and found out more about her, i felt worse and worse. i think the novel tries to underscore the fact that people are complex, that they act and react as the result of their experience and predispositions. roseanna reminds us that pain comes to all, and it isn't really about just desserts.
i'd give this here a 3.5