Weeping is a novel about Fritillary Quilter, an endearing character who captivates readers with her exuberance, her interest in investigation, and her passion for work. Caught in an accidental fire as a young girl, she encounters Ike Blessing, fire investigator, who quickly becomes her hero. Time passes, Tilly grows up, starts to work in insurance, and their paths once again cross. As soon as Tilly starts to work with Ike, she becomes the Watson to his Sherlock Holmes. Ike teaches her how to investigate a fire, and together, they solve a terrible crime and catch a clever arsonist. This is a terrific read filled with lighthearted humor, mystery, and romance.

One bit of advice given to people who aspire to become an author, is to write what you know about. The recently published ¿Weeping¿, a novel of murder by arson, is an outstanding example of this advice. Shelly Reuben is an experienced fire investigator and her expertise is dramatically displayed throughout the book. If a well known crime author became a best selling crime writer because of her descriptive autopsies, Reuben should soon be a best selling author for authentic arson cases. For example, the reader learns that even the way a building is constructed may affect the behavior of a fire. Equally interesting was her clear presentation of the related area of litigation, particularly that of product liability. Reuben¿s characters are appealing, very human; thus believable. Tilly is a young, eager, enthusiastic, intuitive and a bit romantic, pron to hero worship. Ike, on the other hand is older, rational, deliberate, sagacious and although tough in spirit, capable of kindness to the weak and innocent. An unlikely pair, they nevertheless compliment each other; together, they provide for a wide range of views, much to the enjoyment of the reader and the advancement of the story. An author (Thomas Wolfe?) once said there is no such thing as pure fiction. Like her knowledge of fires it can be assumed that Reuben¿s characters are incarnated from her experience of real people. May they long endure in her novels.

THE CHARACTERS ARE REFRESHING, THE TECHNICAL DETAIL IS EXCELLENT!DEFINETELY WOULD MAKE AN EXCELLENT SERIES AS ENGROSSING AS THE 1ST BOOK WAS

Who can resist the allure of darling Fritillary Quilter as she narrates her first investigation with veteran arson expert Ike Blessing, handsome, somber and unattached? Fritillary metamorphosizes from a rooky photographer to a full-fledged claims investigator under the tutelage of a host of lovable characters. Eager to please, bright as a star, and bursting with energy, Fritillary wins our heart with her spunk, humor and vulnerability. If you believe in fairies, if you believe in truth, if you believe in happy endings, you won't want to miss this suspenseful novel that defies categorization. It is a mystery; it is a love story, it is a fire investigator's primer. This is Shelly Reuben's best. You will finish this book with the words. I want more. When is the next Fritillary Quilter novel coming out!

As a teenage babysitter, Fritillary Quilter was involved in a nasty blaze in which afterward she is accused of accidentally starting the inferno. She denies it, but officialdom points the finger at her. That is until arson expert Ike Blessing proves her innocence. She never forgot her hero and decided to be just like Ike, a caring fire investigator.

Years pass with Tilly gaining experience as an arson investigator. Her hero has no idea that she joined his field or how much his actions a decade ago influenced her life. That is he was unaware until they are assigned to work together on a deadly fire. Angry spinster Faith Browning is filing a wrongful death suit against seemingly the world over the demise of her actress sister Dorsey in a fire. Ike feels that the fire was used to cover up a murder, which the subsequent autopsy proves correct. As Tilly performs under Ike¿s tutelage the assignment she has dreamed of for ten years, she does not lose sight of the objective. She interviews those involved with the victim in a production of Our Town and other associates outside the theater to try to learn who wanted Dorsey dead.

Surprisingly the investigations seem a bit slow when compared with the terrific forensic dialogues between the lead protagonists. Readers will feel their enthusiasm as they discuss the latest techniques and share war stories more from Ike who is on a pedestal in Tilly¿s eyes. Though the murder mystery is fun to follow, it clearly is not on a par with the delightful dissertations from Arson Investigation 101 and 201.

Harriet Klausner