I actually didn't hear about this novel until I read something about it in Anime Insider (before they went under). Then I started seeing fanart of Beyond Birthday, and that just made me want to read the book even more. When it finally came out in Barnes & Noble, I was so excited, I nearly squeed right there in the manga aisle. Initially, I was expecting some sort of epic showdown between L and BB, and though it didn't turn out that way, I wasn't too disappointed when I got to the ending. Honestly, I'm not sure what to make of the author's style ofwriting...it's good, but at the same time, it's a tad wordy and he/she tends to go off on tangents...though because Mello is narrating, that may be the way it was intended. All in all, I enjoyed the book, and I have reread it numerous times. I reccomend this highly for Death Note fans.