Bar-B-Q

After last night' disastrous meal we went in search of authentic Texan barbecue, and found it in this ramshackle building on the corner of Kirby and Bartlett, affectionately known as Goode Company. Everyone told us this was the best BBQ in Houston. Inside, the restaurant was crowded with bench tables, and you had to queue with a tray at a counter to order your barbecue meal. I had ribs with sauce, potato salad and jalapeño beans with a slice of jalapeño corn bread. Spicy! You could help yourself to beer on ice, or a half bottle of Merlot. We went for the wine, then dragged ourselves outside to the lean-to, where a fine water spray was blown down on to diners by revolving fans to mitigate the heat and humidity. It was delicious!

Earlier, I did a joint event at Murder by the Book with Texas writer, Mark Pryor, who actually comes from Hertfordshire and speaks with a pronounced English accent. His series is set in Paris with a protagonist who is head of security at the US Embassy there (although his new book, The Button Man, is a prequel set in London). I first met Mark last year at Bouchercon in Albany, NY, when we were on a panel together. A lovely man, and a fine writer - though that is not how he makes his living (yet). He is a prosecutor in the DA's office in Austin!

We had a good crowd, and signed tall columns of books. Tomorrow we fly to Denver, Colorado, and have a night off before a live radio interview first thing on Monday morning, and an event that night in the city's main bookstore, the Tattered Cover.