SONS AND BROTHERS in the Old City

I haven’t had a chance to tell you about a launch for Sons and Brothers that took place some weeks ago at a small bookstore in Bern’s Old City (Altstadt). The Münstergass-Buchhandlung sells mostly German-language books, but its two delightful women owners were still happy to hold an event for my second mystery. The shop is at the end of a narrow cobblestoned street leading to a magnificent Gothic church, Bern’s Münster. The main doors of the church open into the Münsterplatz, whose large fountain is dominated by a statue of Moses holding a book! (Okay, I know it’s really the Ten Commandments, but I like to think of him supporting the nearby bookstore.)

The launch was an drop-in event, and over fifty people showed up for the celebration. From two tables set up on the sidewalk in front of the shop, my husband Peter served drinks and snacks; inside the store, its owners rang up books, and I sat at a little table signing copies of Pesticide and Sons and Brothers. By the end of the two-hour party, the store had sold 49 books! Only about a third of the guests at the launch were native English speakers; I find it impressive that so many non-native speakers lined up to buy books in English.

The photographs of the party were taken by one of the bookstore owners and a guest. The picture of the Moses Fountain in the Münsterplatz was taken by David Kraft.