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The Skirt Man
"Mystery surrounds the arson-related death of a rural eccentric who
eschewed trousers ... Reuben's sixth is a lively whodunit with welcome
affection for the uniqueness of small towns."
KIRKUS REVIEWS
Every small town has an eccentric or two, and Killdeer, New York, is no exception. Morgan Mason attracts more than a few stares when he drives through town on his ramshackle tractor wearing a skirt. His sister is mortified, his neighbor resents the Skirt Man's interference, and a local preservationist is horrified by Morgan's huge satellite dish.
These minor small-town annoyances become more serious -- and deadly -- when the Skirt Man is killed in a tragic house fire during a benefit ballet performance starring Meredith Bly. Meredith's father, State Trooper Sebastian Bly, and her uncle, Fire Marshal Billy Nightingale, are called in to investigate what some say is a case of a spontaneous human combustion. Charred wood and chair remnants at the fire scene lead Sebastian and Billy to uncover clues that reveal hidden conflicts and a shocking discovery that will change the lives of everyone in Killdeer.
Bringing back the brave and imaginative family team from Tabula Rasa, author and fire investigator Shelly Reuben fans the flames of small-town passion and breathes life into an unusual local hero.
Published by: Harcourt, Inc.
Hardcover - June 2006
ISBN: 0-15-101078-1
Audio - Blackstone Audio Books
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Excerpt from The Skirt Man
The chief jutted his head towards the Skirt Man's house.
"Sad," he said.
"Did you know him?" Billy asked.
"Not to talk to. But…" He paused for a moment, as though trying to find the right words. "You didn't have to know the Skirt Man to know him, if you get my drift. Him and his dogs. Driving into town every few days on that tractor. Different dog every fifteen years or so, but not so as you'd notice. He wasn't a sociable man. He'd nod politely enough if you said hello. But he didn't talk. Maybe he was embarrassed because he stuttered. If that television guy hadn't seen smoke, could have been days, maybe weeks, before anyone found him. I don't think he had a friend in the world. Still, I'll miss him. A lot of people around here will. Like I said, it's sad. The Skirt Man was like…like a fixture."
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