Michael Simon

Michael Simon (born 1963, Levittown, Long Island, NY) - Before becoming a novelist, he held various eclectic roles, including probation officer in Austin, Texas - an experience that heavily influenced the grit of Dirty Sally (2005). He also worked as an actor, cab driver, and disc jockey. In his Dan Reles series, Jewish content is less about religious practice and more about cultural identity, historical legacy, and the protagonist’s status as an “outsider” in the American South. Dan Reles is frequently defined as the only Jewish homicide detective on the Austin police force. His Jewish heritage and New York roots set him apart from his Southern colleagues, often serving as a lens through which Simon explores themes of social inequity, religion, and class.Throughout the series, Reles grapples with his identity. In a pivotal narrative arc, he discovers on his mother’s deathbed that she was Jewish, leading him to actively reconstruct his identity as a Jew.

The Jewish Underworld: The series links Reles to the historical “Jewish Mob.” His father, Ben, was a Mafia enforcer, and the final book, The Last Jew Standing, features Sam Zelig, described as the “last of the Jewish crime bosses”.

Generational Conflict: Simon uses Jewish archetypes to explore the “sins of the father,” pitting Reles against his father’s criminal past and the violent legacy of Jewish gangsters from the previous generation. While the series is categorized as Jewish fiction, it functions primarily as hard-boiled noir where the protagonist’s Jewishness provides a distinct psychological and cultural backbone to the gritty police procedural elements.  [Google/AI]

Simon, Michael, [Dan Reles #1] (Dirty Sally) [hc, Viking Adult, 2004] 978-0670033195 [pb, Penguin, 2005] 978-0143035312

Simon, Michael, [Dan Reles #21] (Body Scissors) [hc, Viking Adult, 2005] 978-0670034437 [pb, Penguin, 2006] 978-0143038054

Simon, Michael, [Dan Reles #3] (Little Faith) [hc, Viking Adult, 2006] 978-0670037902 [pb, Penguin, 2007] 978-0143112310

Simon, Michael, [Dan Reles #4] (The Last Jew Standing) [hc, Viking Adult, 2007] 978-0670063246 [pb, Penguin, 2007] 978-0143114314