As of this writing, ROBERT B. PARKER’S BURIED SECRETS is a USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly, and Apple Books bestseller. It has more than a thousand reviews and ratings on Amazon (averaging 4.6 stars out of five) and it’s been featured in stories and reviews from California to New York. It’s been a good couple of weeks.

A picture of me with a picture of the man himself, Robert B. Parker, courtesy of Murder by the Book in Houston.

I visited Diesel, A Bookstore in Brentwood, Murder by the Book in Houston, and The Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale, and got to re-acquaint myself with some of my favorite places to buy books and spend time with everyone kind enough to show up. I also visited (virtually) 50 libraries in Massachusetts, RBP’s home state, and talked with Ben H. Winters, who added a little star power and class to the event.

I know this all sounds like bragging, and sure, it is. But mainly, I wanted to say thanks. Thanks to Putnam for footing the bill for all this and to Katie McKee for arranging it with Swiss-watch precision. And thanks as well to Tarini Sipahimalani, whose edits made the book better.

And thanks to everyone who gave me and Jesse a shot again. I know this character is important to so many, and I want to do my best to live up to the legacy. Thank you to everyone who wrote and told me they liked how I’m doing the job so far. Thanks for caring. I am so glad you enjoyed the book. I am aware that the investment of your time and effort and money is a gift. I’m at work on the next book in the series. Hopefully I’ll do even better next time.

Okay. That’s it for the victory lap. Back to typing. Onward. Forward.

And, as always, thanks for reading.