Here is someone whose name is less spellable/pronounceable than mine.  Having read this book in just over a day (and having already posted a few thoughts) it seemed good to wrap up with an overview of this book.

It is a good read - the style is accessible, in places laugh out loud funny (or I've got a warped sense of humour, or both) and ideas adequately provocative and inspiring.  For anyone who is interested in Biblical studies, and especially the more literary approaches, it is probably a must.  For those of us who preach it is well worth reading.

I found myself postulating who the implied reader of this book might be - and/or who is the target audience - and for that matter, how these two correlate...

It seems to me that the five theses he derived for the New Testament probably also hold - at least to an extent - here

• A stakeholder - someone who is involved in Biblical studies, or maybe in preaching, someone for whom this whole field is important and who may well be employed within it.
• A convert to the gospel - I am taking this as he uses, i.e. what most commonly is termed a Christian.  Whilst Bockmuehl acknowledges and affirms other faith and non-faith insights, a committment to the Bible (and specifically the NT) within a thoroughgoing Christain faith shines through.  Whilst people of other stances will undoubtedly read this book, there is an implication that the Christian story will make spiritual sense to the reader.  Alternatively, and less faith-specific, the person will be committed to the worth of Biblical studies as an academic field within theology.
• A person who sees the NT as authoritative - yes, see above; even if they don't share an overtly Christian faith, they clearly see that this book is at least worth studying and probably has some 'timeless ethical truths' within it. 
• Someone in a faith community, reading within that community.  Less easy to support, except by the previous two answers.  How about 'someone in a Biblical studies research community, reading and working within that'?  The yes, definitely - as seen from some of the references to scholars and the smattering of NT Greek.
• Someone inspired by the Holy Spirit who expects the NT to speak - I think that comes through loud and clear in the essays that form the second part of the book.  More generally, in academic/professional circles, someone who will expect to gain from reading this book.

I think that the ease with which I can find evidence to support these theses is where I see both their strengths and weaknesses.  As he expresses them - explicitly in a faith context - they apply to the Bible or NT.  A little bit of stretching is needed to apply them to his book, yet with a small amount of redefinition, an equivalent set can be identified applicable to academic texts, as hinted both above and yesterday in relation to Baptiast history.  There is something quite ingenious in identfiying something that when you read it seems suddenly absolutely obvious!

The book would be useful for preachers, partly because the author offers some skillful and fascinating examples of careful reading of well known texts, but also because he offers ways of approaching the Bible which combine academic rigour with honest spiritual seeking - in my limited experiecce a lot of stuff is 'either/or.'

Reading this book has been helpful for my research, but has spoken beyond it - and that I think is the wonder of good practical theology.  God can speak through theology text books as well as through beautiful scenery or profoud liturgy; theory and practice feed each other and boundaries can become helpfully blurred at times.  I'm sure that there is plenty in this book that could be challenged or critiqued, but in my view it was money well spent.