| | Edgar-Award Nominated Author, Private Detective, Fire and Arson Investigator |
Praise for The Skirt Man The eccentric, funny characters keep coming in novels by Shelly Reuben. If you’re looking for a perfect book to take along on vacation, this is it.
The Skirt Man is the perfect murder mystery for me…The warm conversational tone in Reuben’s storytelling of The Skirt Man gives the novel strength. It’s a difficult book to put down once you start reading.
That is the brilliance of Reuben’s mystery novel. She is able to successfully turn an unlikable man into something more…The captivating story will suck the reader into the lives of the town’s residents. It’ll show the reader what the complexities of fire and arson investigations are like. In addition, one of many twists in the novel will show how love can be mysterious (and deceiving!)
The writing is clean with poetic turns of phrase…proving that while eccentricities are found in abundance in Killdeer, quirky doesn’t have to mean two-dimensional, formulaic, or unbelievable…The Skirt Man is a terrific and human small-town mystery, and I look forward to my next walk through the fire.
Reuben’s book is both a charming look at small town life and its quirky characters…as much as it is an eye-opening look at arson investigations. It’s hot stuff, indeed.
BAY RIDGE PAPERS
GO BROOKLYN
Praise for Tabula Rasa "I was gripped to the end. The fires are brilliant and the secret is dark. Shelly Reuben is an expert witness and a dynamic writer."
Peter Lovesey
CRIME WRITERS ASSOCIATION DIAMOND DAGGER
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT
"Tabula Rasa is a stunning novel. It shocks and revolts you, and then restores your faith in humanity. Reuben writes not only of fire, but with fire."
Dorothy Salisbury Davis
GRAND MASTER RECIPIENT
OF THE MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA
"Reuben is the gold standard of arson procedurals…trust me -- you'll never forget Tabula Rasa."David M. Kinchen
HUNTINGTON NEWS NETWORK BOOK CRITIC
"A poignant crime drama."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Tabula Rasa…is a compelling, intriguing tale that deals with the exposure of a calculated murderer whose victims are close to home…Reuben's mesmerizing tale succeeds on a variety of levels, exploring the growth of an individual whose past is a blank slate (Tabula Rasa)."
Ray Walsh
LANSING STATE JOURNAL
"Shelly Reuben is an experienced arson investigator as well as a licensed private detective, which lends authenticity to her novels. Better yet, she is an adroit storyteller with a gift for creating quirky and compelling characters."
Robert Wade
THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
"You're being seduced by a very capable writer…the last act is likely to take your breath away. It establishes Reuben…as a master of suspense and dramatic structure."
Jules Brenner
THE M FILES
"Tabula Rasa…is simply terrific! The characters are well drawn, complex and unique. The plot is both horrifying and scrumptious with fascination information about arson, adoption, dancing and the consequences of an obsessive quest and lies told to protect a loved one. It is scintillating and an absolute must read!"
Andrea Sisco
ARMCHAIR INTERVIEWS
Praise for Weeping "In this articulate, intelligent, and simpatico first-person narrative, insurance claims investigator Fritillary "Tilly" Quilter shares a case with independent arson pro Ike Blessing - Tilly and Ike's astute observations, coupled with wry humor, snappy repartee, and clever plotting, makes this a winner."
LIBRARY JOURNAL
"Fans of procedurals will love the step-by-step detail as Tillary puzzles out the case, but the best aspect of the story is the keen pupil-revered teacher relationship between Tillary and Ike. A triumphant series debut whose grim subject matter is overshadowed by its life-affirming heroine."
BOOKLIST MAGAZINE
"What Shelly Reuben knows about fire is astonishing, and she has a knack for making us feel the wonder that her protagonist experiences as we learn together…Weeping is a terrific read…They're great characters, and just thinking about them now brings a smile to my face. You don't often meet people this good. When you do, you don't want to let them go."THE DROOD REVIEWPraise for Spent Matches
"The characters…are so combustible that you keep expecting them to go up in flames…from the fragile young artist, who longs to live in the Camelot of Arthurian lore to the briskly professional curator who secretly yearns for membership in the Pre-Raphaelite brotherhood. Some fires, it seems are in the belly."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"It's pure delight…might be the most entertaining mystery you'll read all year."
Les Roberts
THE PLAIN DEALER (CLEVELAND)
"It's a classic 'locked-room' mystery with a brilliant unraveling."
CHICAGO SUN TIMES
"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 TIME REPORTER
Praise for Origin & Cause
"Successful on every front is Reuben's second novel…giving us two unforgettable sleuths in the sharp and savvy Max and Wylie, Reuben also brings specialized lore of antique cars and arson to the rapt attention of her readers."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"Reuben, a licensed arson investigator with infectious enthusiasm for her profession, draws on solid technical expertise to take the reader through arcane forensic details like burn patterns and the relative volatility of flammable liquids."
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
"…a fascinating look into the intricacies of arson and murder…This book gives readers the excitement of the case as Max and Wylie investigate, the bonus of learning both about arson and product liability, the intrigue of courtroom drama, a fascinating plot, plus a large and varied cast of wonderfully drawn characters."
MONTGOMERY ALABAMA ADVERTISER
Praise for the Edgar-Award Nominated Julian Solo
"Suspend your disbelief just once as Julian Solo comes back to life…and you are off on a wonderful, amazing story…powerfully drawn characters…are fascinating, real, memorable, and each of them plays an important part in the story."
THE ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE
"…Via diary entries, letters, lab reports and the like, the story of Julian Solo's obsession takes the reader…from a lovely old house overlooking the Verrazano Narrows to abandoned institutions on Roosevelt Island. This is an admirable debut."PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Praise for Come Home. Love, Dad
"Come Home. Love, Dad is written with the casual sweetness of unpremeditated love, and is therefore the more compelling. It evokes the man, his family and his city, his relentless inventiveness - the urge to move, yet hold firm to his rootedness, in his Jewish traditions, in his faith; in his properties when he cannot stem the invading decay of their neighborhoods; his resilience. It's a book of both charm and heartbreak - from Sam Reuben's making of Koochen - 'it's the pleasure of watching the warm dough, when poked, puff out again like the soft belly of a warm puppy' -- to his walk to one and then another of the village shopkeepers to tell each one of the death of their friend, his son. It is Shelly Reuben's tribute and the reader's pleasure."
Dorothy Salisbury Davis
GRAND MASTER RECIPIENT
OF THE MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA