A haunting story of love and grief, "Britten and Brulightly" is a gorgeously drawn, strikingly original graphic novel-style murder mystery. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Berry's impressive graphic novel debut-published to much praise last year in Great Britain-mixes classic noir, a timeless story of love and loss and a shot of black humor with gloomy 1940s London as the perfect backdrop. PI Fernandez Britten is known as the Heartbreaker: he's the one who follows cheating spouses and delivers news that ruins marriages. When glamorous Charlotte Maughton, the daughter of children's publishing magnate Maurice Maughton, hires him to look into the alleged suicide of her fiance, Berni Kudos, Britten glumly takes the case. With his trusty sidekick, Stewart Br lightly-who just happens to be a teabag-Britten begins sniffing around Kudos's job at Maughton Publishing, keeping in mind Charlotte's suspicion that her fiance's death could be tied to a blackmailing scheme aimed at her powerful father. The deeper Britten digs, the more mired he becomes in a pit of long-festering family secrets. For a man who's made his living telling the truth, Britten begins to realize that there are some instances when it's best to stay quiet. Gorgeously illustrated with a cartoony but expressive style, with a richly detailed story and empathetically conflicted hero, Berry's debut should be a hit. (Apr.) Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr 10 Up-After years of being hired by jealous or vengeful lovers, Private Investigator Fernandez Britten (aka "The Heartbreaker") is burnt out and feeling culpable for the broken lives his "research" has left behind. When Charlotte Maughan, convinced that her fiance's apparent suicide was actually murder, contacts Britten to investigate, he grudgingly takes on the case, with the assistance of his very-out-of-the-ordinary partner. What follows is a complex murder mystery brilliantly executed as the events and circumstances leading up to the man's death are revealed. Berry has deftly set the time, place, and mood for this novel with her skillful combination of text and image. Well-crafted dialogue and first-person narrative are balanced, and the character development of Britten masterfully done. Although the story is serious in nature, humor is infused throughout, resulting in some laugh-out-loud moments. Berry's artwork is perfect for the story. The muted colors used in the gorgeous illustrations enhance the tone, helping to set a film noir mood. This is a remarkable debut graphic novel that continues to surprise right to the end.-Lara McAllister, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

The distinctive tone of Berry's first graphic novel is established in the first sentence: As it did with spiteful inevitability, the sun rose. With somber, gray-hued illustrations and a running commentary that echoes Raymond Chandler, Berry delivers an inspired new twist on detective fiction. Britten is a private eye whose troubled career has earned him the sobriquet the Heartbreaker. His diminutive stature and vaguely foreign features provoke frequent accusations that he's French. He also apparently solicits advice from a teabag hidden inside his vest pocket. All these liabilities are thrown into the mix as he investigates a case involving the suicide of a publishing heiress' fiancé. Suspecting the suicide was staged in connection with her father's blackmail, the heiress sends Britten on an increasingly dangerous investigation that uncovers disturbing family secrets, awakens Britten's own demons, and almost leads to his execution by unknown henchmen. While the tragic denouement here does not bode well for any sequels, Berry is an exciting new talent whose further contributions are to be eagerly anticipated.--Hays, Carl Copyright 2009 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.