Weeping

"Weeping" is an arson investigator's terms, and also the state that befalls the grief-stricken survivors of a fire. So it is with a raised eyebrow and incipient suspicion that New York claims representative Fritillary Quilter encounters cool, calculating, and unemotional Faith Browning, whose sister Dorsey has just burned to death in their family home. When Faith puts in a claim without first giving the insurance company a chance to conduct a fire investigation, Tilly is teamed with arson pro Isaac "Ike" Blessing. Tilly and Ike must sift through the ashes to find the truth. Written by a real-life private eye and fire investigator, Weeping is fueled by technical authority, lively characters, and stylish prose.

In the entire canon of tough-girl sleuths, gumshoes, PIs, detectives, and investigators, there's no one quite like Fritillary Quilter. A New York claims representative with a nose for arson, an eye for fraudulent claims, and a hankering to investigate fires, "Tilly" pushes the envelope of traditional female investigators with self-deprecating humor, hero-worship, and indefatigable zeal. "Weeping" is an arson investigator's terms, and also the state that befalls the grief-stricken survivors of a fire. So it is with a raised eyebrow and incipient suspicion that Tilly encounters cool, calculating, and unemotional Faith Browning, whose sister Dorsey has just burned to death in their family home. When Faith puts in a claim without first giving the insurance company a chance to conduct a fire investigation, Tilly is teamed with arson pro Isaac "Ike" Blessing. Tilly and Ike must sift through the ashes to find the truth. Written by a real-life private eye and fire investigator, Weeping is fueled by technical authority, lively characters, and stylish prose.

Shelly Reuben's first novel, Julian Solo, was nominated by the Mystery Writers of America for an Edgar Award, and by the Libertarian Futurist Society for a Prometheus Award. Her crime novel, Origin & Cause, was nominated for a Falcon Award by the Maltese Falcon Society of Japan. The ideas for many of her books come from the cases she investigates as a licensed private detective and certified fire investigator. She also writes two newspaper columns and regularly contributes short stories to The Forensic Examiner. She lives in New York City.