“The characters are so combustible that you keep expecting them to go up in flames … Some fires, it seems are in the belly.“
New York Times Book Review
I am still writing newspaper columns for The Evening Sun and Huntington News, but… it’s a changing world! In the past few years, I’ve had great fun serializing two books: The Happy Store is a compilation of 46 stories written from the viewpoint of Clementine Fraile, new to retail and awed by its power to instill joy into the lives of those who walk through the store’s doors.
More recently, both newspapers serialized Parking Space: A Love Story. I dreamed up this urban fantasy after I moved out of New York City and realized that there are places to live (who knew?) that do not revolve primarily around where to park your car. The plot introduces us to a parking space that falls in love with newcomer-to-the-City, Lilly Snow, and will not allow anyone except her (she doesn’t drive) to park there. Madcap escapades and merry mayhem follow, with more heroes than villains, and a good time had by all.
My latest book — hot off my fingertips! — brings me back to arson fires, which I investigated as a real-life private detective and wrote about in five previous crime novels. The Petty Officer’s Mermaid introduces Adrian Oakland, an insurance claims representative, and Charles G. Woodruff, a private fire investigator, who join forces to determine the origin and cause of fire in which beautiful Evangeline Nettles dies.
Shelly Reuben
Praise for Shelly Reuben
“I couldn’t put the book down … when the last chapter was finished, I wanted more and that’s the kind of feeling one should always have after reading a good book … This book will touch your soul and cause you to think.”
Bronx Times Reporter
“An adroit storyteller with a gift for creating quirky and compelling characters.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune
“A triumphant series debut whose grim subject matter is overshadowed by its life-affirming heroine.”
Booklist Magazine