Let me open by stating that I love the Dr. Hackenbush character. I have gleefully devoured every outing that Ms. Mayerson has permitted the good doctor to have. Each of the preceding stories was a delightful read and I recommend them whole heartily.

The issue of Storylandia at hand however, contains a different beast. The author has taken her usual cast of artists and rogues stirred twice and added in everything from murder to Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North. This is a very real urban mystery with just enough foreshadowing and a crushing conclusion.

Let us hope that Ms. Mayerson takes the final step and gives us a full length Hackenbush novel. She has the cast, the setting and the backstory. Given an interesting problem to solve I do believe it would fly out of the ballpark. ( )