Somewhere in America . . .

. . . a publisher's representative is scratching her head this week wondering why the books she sent me were returned unopened. The short answer is easy: Federal Express®. The long answer ought to make shippers reconsider the virtues of the post office.

Last Friday, I found a tag on my door informing me that FedEx® had made a final attempt to deliver a package. This puzzled me, as it was the first indication I had received of any attempt. The polite and businesslike young gentleman who answered my complaint told me that nothing obliges the delivery person "by law" to leave any such indication. "Maybe they ran out of forms," he said, his voice unwavering, with no hint of embarrassment, apology or irony. The man has a bright future in corporate America, but I don't have my books.

I'd still like to see them, though.

So, publishers, keep those books coming, but don't send them by Federal Express®.

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Paris, city of crime, part II: Yesterday I saw a woman on the subway reading a French translation of a Donald Westlake novel.

© Peter Rozovsky 2007