A Christian Science Monitor book reviewer, a concert pianist, a brilliant writer, and a wonderful friend. All these terms describe M.M. Bennetts, but it is only the tip of the iceberg really. His brain is about the size of Texas, so he’s really hard to encapsulate in one paragraph, you see… He also just landed a book deal for May 1812, my favorite novel of 2008. And yes, I was privileged enough to read it in full on Authonomy.com before a publisher snatched it up.

Here’s a sneak peek of the book cover and a snippet about the book:

In the war against Napoleon, there are no easy victories.

1812.  Europe has been at war for twenty years. Britain stands alone against the greatest threat to peace the world has ever known, at daily risk of a French invasion and revolution.  In London, a handful of men struggle to protect their country and maintain the war effort.  Among them, the Earl of Myddelton, code-breaker to the Foreign Office, strives to crack the most difficult French code yet—the Grand Chiffre—before still more men die on the battlefields of Europe.

Then, on 11 May 1812, the unthinkable happens—the Prime Minister is assassinated.  Amid widespread panic and fear of a French conspiracy, the government falls.

From the ballrooms of London, to the backstreets of power, to the death-in-waiting coast of enemy France, Myddelton is drawn inexorably into the deepening crisis—his private life unravelling all the while, as misunderstandings, gossip and spite mar his marriage and threaten to destroy his career.

Intrigued yet? Check out an excerpt here: May 1812 opening

For me, this book was like music in words. The prose style is like nothing else I’ve ever read or will ever read again. Stunning. And worthy of study. Oh, but why would you want to? This is a love story for the ages, a delicious bit of yummy to sink your eyes into on a rainy afternoon in winter. And a tale of intrigue and courage. And a showcase of a fascinating time in British history. But, my God, the authenticity of language, the level of research involved–utterly brilliant! Get to know this writer. He’s on his way to being one of the greats of our time. I have no doubt of that.

Lucky for us all, his next novel (set in the same time period with many of the same characters), Of Honest Fame, is to be published next year. Once you’ve finished May 1812, you won’t want to leave the heady world M.M. has created with that golden pen of his. Want to take a peek at that one? Here are a few chapters up at Authonomy.com: Of Honest Fame.

Want to pre-order a signed copy of May 1812? Here is the order page (for U.S. buyers): Snap it up here!