Shuman, George D. 1952-

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Shuman, George D. 1952-

PERSONAL:

Born 1952.

ADDRESSES:

Home—PA and NC. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. E-mail—author@ georgedshuman.com.

CAREER:

Writer. Worked for the Metropolitan Police force, Washington, DC, for twenty years, variously as an undercover narcotics detective; a sergeant in the Special Assignments Branch, Internal Affairs Division; operations commander of the Metropolitan Police Academy; lieutenant commander in the Public Integrity Branch, Internal Affairs Division; Shuman and Associates, risk management firm, president.

WRITINGS:

18 Seconds (novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

George D. Shuman spent twenty years working for the Metropolitan police force in Washington, DC, in positions including an undercover narcotics detective, a sergeant in the Special Assignments Branch within Internal Affairs, and a lieutenant in the Public Integrity Branch, also in the Internal Affairs division. He then moved on to mine his experiences in law enforcement, first as president of Shuman and Associates, a risk management consulting firm, and then as a writer. Shuman's first novel, 18 Seconds, is a thriller about beautiful, blind psychic, Sherry Moore, who is able to see the last eighteen seconds of a person's life when she lays hands on a corpse. When Lieutenant Kelly O'Shaughnessy is having trouble determining who killed a young girl, she turns to Moore and together they find themselves embroiled in an old serial-killer case. David Pitt, in a review for Booklist, suggested that the story was too highconcept, remarking that it "could almost sink under the weight of its own premise," and Library Journal contributor Jane Jorgenson found that the "suspenseful climax doesn't quite make up for the uneven pacing and awkward writing." However, a contributor for Publishers Weekly commented that "vividly drawn central figures and authoritative voice keep the reader grimly committed," and a writer for Kirkus Reviews noted the "fresh and appealing female lead characters."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2006, David Pitt, review of 18 Seconds, p. 34.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2006, review of 18 Seconds, p. 205.

Library Journal, January 1, 2006, Jane Jorgenson, review of 18 Seconds, p. 102.

Publishers Weekly, November 15, 2004, John F. Baker, "A First Thriller by a 20-year Veteran of the Washington Police Force, George Shuman, Was Bought for S&S by Roving Editor Rob Weisbach," p. 12.