Renee Pawlish Books In Order

Publication Order of Detective Sarah Spillman Books

Publication Order of Dewey Webb Private Investigator Books

Publication Order of Evelyn Chambers Senior Spy Books

Publication Order of Noah Winter Books

Publication Order of Jo Gunning Books

Publication Order of Reed Ferguson Mystery Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Renee Pawlish is an American novelist best known for writing Young Adult, Horror, Mystery, and Thriller novels. In addition to the long running and highly popular Reed Ferguson mystery series, she has also written a short story collection named Take Five, a Young Adult Adventure series The Noah Winters, and the bestselling paranormal horror/mystery Nephilim Trilogy. She has been writing ever since she was a kid, and asserts that she just has too many stories in her head that what she does not have is the time to put them on paper. Even as she loves writing, she loves her business analyst job and juggles the demands of her two jobs; writing on the weekends and at night, and working her analyst job during the day. She is obviously doing something right as her novels as she has been called one of mystery/murder genres most compelling storytellers, with her Nephilim Genesis of Evil compared to the works of Frank Peretti and Stephen King. She was born in California but has spent much of her adult life in Colorado. Pawlish also loves traveling and there are few countries in the world that she has not visited. When she is not writing her horrors and thrillers she may be found chasing ballplayers for autographs, cycling, hiking, or relaxing at her parents’ cabin in Boulder.

Writing is something that Renee Pawlish has always wanted to do ever since she was ten, when she tried creating her own version of “The Hardy Boys”. She asserts that the creative writing classes in high school were some of her favorite. It was in high school that she finally had the chance to study the great writers such as Sue Grafton, Stephen King, Rex Stout, and Dashiell Hammett. Sue Grafton turned out to be her biggest influence that got her writing after they talked on some writing forum. In the meantime, she attended college and got her degree in counseling. She had an idea about a detective that was one part smart ass one part funny, but never got around to writing the novel. Part of the difficulty was that she was trying to write a story in which the detective was trying to solve his very first case. It was Sue Grafton who encouraged her to just get her story on paper and everything else would follow. The first novel in the series was “This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies”, which she first published in 2011. While she finds a lot of inspiration for her novels from noir heroes such as Humphrey Bogart, Renee writes mysteries since such stories are what she loves to read. The whodunit is her favorite type of novel as it allows her to develop and grow with the character and provides a puzzle that keeps the reader hooked right to the very end.

The Reed Ferguson series of novels are Renee Pawnee’s most popular series. The chief protagonist in the novels is Reed Ferguson a self-deprecating rookie detective with a love for detective fiction, film noir, and a desire to emulate Humphrey Bogart his childhood hero. He has never held a job in his life since he is the beneficiary of a huge trust fund from his deceased grandparents. Though he gets into the detective business completely by accident, Reed is smart and determined, though his lack of knowledge of law enforcement always gets him into trouble or makes him look like a bumbling hero. An everyday guy, he is more of a Colombo or Remington Steele type of character, who loves his girlfriends and tries to do his job as best as he can. Nonetheless, even as he is always in some kind of trouble his determination to succeed, and his wit and smarts always ensure that he gets the job done for his clients. Nonetheless, he sometimes depends on the help of his ever-patient fiancé, Willie, Deuce and Ace his loyal but not so bright neighbors, and his best friends and computer geek Cal.

“This Doesn’t Happen in the Movies” is a well-paced and satisfying novel that begins with the classic meeting between a man and woman. All that Reed the private detective knows about investigations he draws from being a noir detective film buff and a few lessons in legal practice in college. Reed receives a beautiful woman into his office who announces that her husband has gone missing. His instincts immediately tell him that something is not quite right with the whole thing. Nonetheless, being the classic naïve old detective, he gives in to her feminine charms and takes the case. The more he digs into the case the more complex and multifaceted it becomes. Hooking the reader right from the first page, Renee takes one on a whirlwind of a chase that culminates in an explosive and satisfying finale. Pawlish makes the lead character Reed highly relatable by giving him skills that are essentially on the same level with the reader, though he comes with a substantial dose of wit and humor. As such, it is easy to don the Sherlock hat and go speculating as to who did it, analyze clues and step into the protagonist’s shoes, all of which create a special bond with the character and the plot line.

The Maltese Felon is a fine, humorous noir novel that is sure to keep you flipping the pages. Reed finds himself yet again giving in to the wiles of a female client who reports that her prize-winning dog, a Maltese has been stolen. Even as this sounds like one of the simplest cases he could ever take, he discovers it is anything but when he finds himself confronting some very vicious criminals. We follow the bumbling detective as he gets himself entangled in a dog-kidnapping racket. Nonetheless, the detective is very good at his job and recovers the dogs of several clients before his luck seems to run out. Luckily, he has the help of the Cal the computer geek and the goofball brothers who offer some very welcome help in unraveling the mystery of the identity of the kidnappers. It is good narrative with enough twists and turns of plot, that will keep one engrossed right to the very end, even throwing in the chance at romance for the detective.

One Response to “Renee Pawlish”

1. Bob Hinkle: 3 years ago

   Renee.
   I know you write books for the youth so, at 87, I guess I am just young at heart because I really enjoy reading your books. I started with the Sarah Spielman series and learned about Reed Ferguson. After I finished with the Sarah Spielman series, I am well into the 24 book Reed Ferguson series.
   I like the stories and the way you have written them. I especially like the lack of explicit sex and swearing.
   I am an avid reader and a real fan of yours.
   Bob Hinkle

   Reply