The Lies of Locke Lamora

I just couldn't get into it. The first bit, when Locke was a child was promising. But it quickly moved onto adulthood and just dragged. I don't mind books taking their time if something is added to the experience by the extra pages, but this just felt like padding.  Maybe things would improve eventually, as suggested by the positive reviews, but I've got to the point where I'm making excuses not to read it.