I'm always on the lookout for new mysteries with different characters. Kaufman's debut, Drink the Tea fills the bill. I like the character, a part-time PI who works in a record warehouse, and the location, Washington, D.C. Willis Gidney was abandoned by his parents and grew up on the streets, in a series of foster homes and in a juvenile detention facility. In fact, he got his name from the 2 cops that arrested him since he wouldn't (or couldn't) give them his name. He is a born liar & con man with a heart. This charming, white, juvenile delinquent is somone who knows his way around the system. He did have one good influence in his young life, Captain Shadrack Davies of the D.C. Police, who took him in for a while when he was twelve and instilled in him to "do the right thing". Willis has been trying ever since, but sometimes he gets in his own way. Thank goodness he has some supportive friends, including a possible new girlfriend, that can help him along the way.

The novel begins with Willis' good friend, jazz saxophonist Steps Jackson asking him to find his daughter who has been missing for twenty-five years. He finds a woman who may be the girl's mother, but she ends up dead and the cops arrest him for her murder. However, the charges don't stick. As he keeps searching for the girl, it becomes obvious to him that maybe digging into the past for a friend wasn't such a good or healthy idea, but he doesn't have a lot of time to change his mind. This search pits him against a multinational company, a sleazy congressman, and a young woman who desperately does not want her past uncovered. Will Willis come out of this in one piece and "nail" the bad guys? Will he find the daughter?

I like Willis and look forward to his next case, Steal the Show, which, luckily for me, is waiting on the hold shelf even as I type this review. ( )

Loved it. Willis Gidney helps a friend of his search for a long lost daughter. In pursuit of this goal, Willis takes on the task of a typical P.I. , while he is nothing of the sort. The product of the state system he was raised in foster homes and what passes for juvenille housing. Willis' name is even not his own. But he has learned a lot from the many who try to love and foster him, all of which he uses to solve this case.

An FMC pick for 2010 ( )

Willis Gidney is a man who started life off on the wrong foot. He was raised in the Washington, D.C. area – the product of years in foster homes and detention centers, as well as the subject of juvenile proceedings as an "at risk" youth. (Unsure of his real identity, he acquired his name from two cops who arrested him.) When the story starts, Gidney is an adult and a private eye, who walks the mean streets where he once ran.

Gidney is hired by jazz musician Steps Jackson to find his missing daughter. Although the daughter has been missing for 25 years, making for a pretty cold trail, Steps is one of Gidney's closest friends, so he feels compelled to take the case.

Gidney manages to track down various people who know the daughter. The investigation takes him all over D.C., which is described with just enough detail to make you feel you're there.

The more Gidney investigates, the deeper he gets in over his head. Little does he know he's dealing with powers much higher than he's ever handled. The dangers become more evident as the story progresses and people start dying.

Gidney is a welcome departure from the usual private eye protagonist, in that he comes from such a poor background. The story is told from an ever-so-slightly jaded point of view, as a result. And the book delves into Gidney's background in enough detail and with enough suspense about his past to keep readers turning the pages to learn more. And Kaufman has a gift for telling Gidney's backstory without bringing the main narrative to a screeching halt.

Kaufman does follow the hardboiled tradition of making Gidney a wise-cracking detective. The narrative is laden with Gidney's clever, sardonic views, which make him even more likable. Gidney's friends also make a compelling cast of characters.

To read the entire review, go to: http://detective-fiction.suite101.com/article.cfm/review-of-drink-the-tea ( )

Watch Bethanne Patrick interview Thomas Kaufman about his new book Drink the Tea on The Book Studio.