Excerpt from The Grand Complication by Allen Kurzweil, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

My facsimile edition of The Universal Penman contained nothing remotely resembling the calligraphy on the call slip, nor did The Scribe's Companion. But I hit pay dirt with The English Writing Master. The anatomical structure of the penmanship – specifically those parts of the bs and hs that rose above the waistline – matched precisely a round hand taught during the late eighteenth century.

"Can't you put things back?"

Engrossed in my sleuthing, I hadn't noticed Nic glowering by the door, milk pitcher clutched accusingly. Apparently, I'd left it on the counter.

My first thought was, This from a woman who uses the fridge as a storage closet. I didn't have the energy for a fight, so I mumbled an apology. That earned me one of those withering shrugs all French women seem to master, and the suggestion that I go see my "shrimp."

Copyright © 2001 by Allen Kurzweil. Reprinted by permission of Hyperion.