Somebody I know just called me up to talk about my just-published book Dutch Reckoning and how much she enjoyed it.

I have to say, if I never take another breath, that will do just fine. I wish I could tell you how wonderful it feels to bring that kind of pleasure to someone through telling a story in my own words.

The call went on for probably fifteen minutes because she had so many nice things to say about the story and how it kept her attention, how she kept turning pages and wanted to know the ending, but never really wanted it to end. She loved the characters, the lead Tommy Shakespear and especially the women Shiva and Elaine, and she loved the places the book is set, Santa Cruz, Boston and Barcelona. She said it was suspenseful and compared it to Dan Brown’s book, The Da Vinci Code. Okay, I’ll admit my book is suspenseful, but Dan Brown? Yikes…