One doesn't turn to Armistead Maupin for the intense thrill of a detective novel, but rather for the warmth of familiar company. Reading Mary Ann in Autumn is like visiting with old friends: the years may have changed them, but they're still there, still living and loving and making mistakes. The plot twists are predictable and the wealth of history behind each character makes it hard to keep afloat of recent developments, but then the expectation isn't to be surprised but rather to find the comfort of the familiar echoed in the pages of this latest novel in the Tales of the City series. Without giving anything away about the plot, I do think this is a book for fans of the series. New readers are likely to find themselves lost in the backstory, while for the rest of us, the promise of a reunion with Mrs Madrigal's 'logical' family is surely enough incentive to beg for an encore. And another. And another.