The Man with the Golden Bullets

Another title to add to your list of books not to be missed in 2009:

The Brothers Boswell, by Philip Baruth (Soho). This is one for the confirmed book lovers. It turns out that James Boswell, the young and ambitious 18th-century Scot whose aim in life was to befriend his literary hero, Dr. Samuel Johnson of Dictionary fame, had a mad younger brother called John. He has just been released from a mental hospital, and--sad to say--is now eager to avenge both real and imagined slights by firing golden bullets from a pair of tiny pistols into the hearts of James and Sam.

We know of course that neither of those historical figures died: James Boswell went on to become Johnson’s confidante and travel companion through the Hebrides. But that hardly diminishes the delights of reading Vermont writer Baruth’s novel. As no less an authority than David Liss (The Whiskey Rebels) says, “The Brothers Boswell is such an impressive book, both for its ability to inhabit its source material and for how well it shines on its own merits. Many novels claim to be literary thrillers, but rarely are they quite this literary and quite this thrilling.”

This work is due out in May.