Shelby, Jeff

PERSONAL: Born in Torrance, CA; married; children: a daughter. Education: University of California, Irvine, B.A.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Dutton Books, 375 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014.

CAREER: Writer. Has worked at a health club, run youth sports programs at the YMCA, and served as administrator at a high-school athletic department and as girls' high-school basketball coach.

WRITINGS:

Killer Swell (novel) Dutton (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: In his first novel Killer Swell, Jeff Shelby introduces Noah Braddock, a surfer and private investigator with the laid-back persona of a Californian who just works enough to keep his beachfront bungalow. Braddock, however, feels obligated to take on the murder case of his first high-school love, Kate, even though her rich parents, who hired him, constantly tried to break the couple up when they were dating. Although it has been a dozen years since he last saw Kate, Braddock sets out to discover who put her body in the trunk of a car and why. In the process, he encounters a drug dealer of international importance, which sets Braddock to wondering whether or not Kate had gone against character and entered this dangerous and illicit world. "Good action and a surprise plot twist make it a safe bet that Braddock will return," noted a Publishers Weekly contributor. Rex E. Klett, writing in the Library Journal, cited the books "engaging, in-your-face, surfer-vs.-the-establishment attitude." A Kirkus Reviews contributor wrote that "sharp dialogue and splashy local color make Shelby's first outing more fun than a day at the beach." In a review on the BookLoons Web site, Marie Hashima Lofton wrote that the author "makes a good start to his series with a very fast and entertaining read." Writing in the Denver Post, Mia Geiger commented: "While the mystery contains surprising twists and turns, the real joy in this book is the characters."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Denver Post, June 12, 2005, Mia Geiger, review of Killer Swell.

Kirkus Reviews, May 1, 2005, review of Killer Swell, p. 515.

Library Journal, June 1, 2005, Rex E. Klett, review of Killer Swell, p. 107.

Publishers Weekly, May 23, 2005, review of Killer Swell, p. 62.

South Florida Sun-Sentinel, August 24, 2005, Oline H. Cogdill, review of Killer Swell.

ONLINE

BookLoons, http://www.bookloons.com/ (September 14, 2005), Marie Hashima Lofton, review of Killer Swell.

Jeff Shelby Home Page, http://www.jeffshelby.com (September 14, 2005).

Mostly Fiction, http://mostlyfiction.com/ (July 15, 2005), Jana Kraus, review of Killer Swell.