Tabula Rasa, The Skirt Man,
both published by Harcourt and released by Raincoast Books: Tabula Rasa, hardcover, 290 pages, $31.95 ISBN 0-15-101079-X; Skirt Man, hardcover, 250 pages, $31.95 - ISBN 0-15-101078-1

By Alidė Kohlhaas

Mystery novels are particularly good to read on a rainy day, and rain we have certainly had enough in early summer. But don't just read mysteries on gloomy days. You may find that Shelly Reuben, who in real life is a licensed private detective, can be quite entertaining when she spins a yarn. She is also a certified fire investigator, who uses her knowledge to create some intriguing stories. While her prose isn't always to my liking and her characters tend to be two-dimensional, I find that her professional insight into arson gives these books real authenticity. I say this from experience because part of my life as a reporter also meant writing about many fires, some of them rather horrendous. There is an odor one will never forget and that is the smell of a burned-out house after a blaze has been doused by water. It lingers in the mind long after it has been washed out of one's hair, cleaned out of one's clothing, and cleared out of one's nostrils.