His initial career was in the advertising industry in New York City, where he worked on the creative sides of several large agencies.
After his retirement from advertising, he and his wife decided to leave the city and move to a rural area in the western foothills of the Catskill Mountains.
He also became a fan of classic detective stories, in all their varieties from Arthur Conan Doyle to Ross Macdonald to Reginald Hill.
Its subsequent success in the marketplace, as well as with critics, persuaded him to write a second novel, Shut Your Eyes Tight, featuring the same central characters.
That was the beginning of a series of crime thrillers featuring retired NYPD homicide detective, Dave Gurney.