Fans of Armistead Maupin's "Tales of the City" series have been rejoicing all summer since the seventh and final book in the series was published in June. The latest installment focuses on one of the series' most popular characters, Michael "Mouse" Tolliver, the gentle and funny Southern gardener whose romantic ups and downs captivated readers first in the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper columns and later in the book series. Fans worried about Michael's fate following the publication of the previous book in the series, "Sure of You," published in 1989. In that book, Michael had been diagnosed HIV positive, and treatments for the disease had not progressed to the point they have in subsequent years. Fans of the series will be thrilled to read that Michael is not only alive and well in his mid-fifties, but thriving and happy with a younger lover. Still living in his beloved adopted city of San Francisco, Michael has a lot to be thankful for and much to look forward to. Maupin doesn't disappoint with this last novel, filling it with with the same witty dialogue and dry humor that made the series famous, as well as appearances from several familiar characters from 28 Barbary Lane. A feast for fans of the series, and only the beginning for those who have just discovered Maupin for the first time.