I will have a look. I'm trying to think what I've read by McDonald and I'm coming up blank, but I'm sure I've read him.

>>>En route to Pittsburgh for SQL Saturday.....zooming across the PA Turnpike at the speed of...well, however fast a 2000 Ford Explorer with 155,000 miles can go...
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>>Hey! great to see you back here. Don't know when you got back - my computer deep sixed and they took it away for 3 weeks and then gave it back to me unfixed (but they seemed to think it was - even though it still wouldn't boot) so they took it away again for another 3 weeks. So I haven't been around much. Anyway, nice to see you back.
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>And Alan, great to see *you* back. I was actually thinking of you this week as I'm reading a book I think you might like
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>The Dervish House by Ian McDonald.
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>Very Stephanson - Gibson
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>I was drawn to it as it takes place Istanbul (quite convincingly). I read both River of Gods and Brasyl a while back but for some reason didn't make the connection with the author until just now looking it up on Amazon.
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>Also, Easy Money by Jen Lapidus (far and away better stuff than Steig Larsson for my money)