Starred Review in Booklist!

 It's being an exciting week! My publishers at Severn House just sent me this VERY nice review from Booklist for the new Ben January book, "Death and Hard Cider."

It’s 1840, and William Henry Harrison is making his run for the American presidency. Professional pianist and amateur sleuth Benjamin January has been hired to play at festivities in New Orleans. When a woman is murdered, and Benjamin’s friend is accused of the crime, he discovers that the search for the truth will put him up against some of the most powerful people in the country. This is the nineteenth Benjamin January mystery, but it is in every way as fresh as the first in the series, 1997’s A Free Man of Color. January is a wonderful character: he was born to enslaved parents but was freed when he was a child, received his medical training in Paris (he’s a surgeon), and now makes his living as a musician. He’s not a professional sleuth, and in fact we get the impression he’d be perfectly content if he never had to involve himself in another crime, but a good man can’t ignore an injustice. As always, the historical backdrop is vivid, and the writing is exquisite. One of the best in a not-to-be-missed series. — David Pitt

In other news, I'm off to get my second booster shot - I'm in several endangered groups - and on Saturday I managed to break my toe in aikido class: only a mild inconvenience, but it turned some pretty intense colors.

Still curious to see what happens with the Spock-Name-Online-Flap.

Everybody have a lovely Easter.



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