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Bill is a graduate of Colgate University with a Master's in Urban Planning from New York University. He spent his entire career in the financial services industry as both a banker and bank regulator. He is currently retired having worked the last fifteen years in Washington, D.C. for the nation's leading bank regulatory agency.
Bill's novel is titled "The In-House Politician" and it recently received the International Impact Book Award for Historical Fiction - Biographic Historical Fiction. Please see award below.
The novel was also recently listed as a finalist for the 2025 Storytrade Book Awards for Historical Fiction. Please see photo below.
Also appearing below is an excerpt from the novel as well as two short stories, authored by Bill, that were published in 2022.
I am pleased to announce that my novel "The In-House Politician" has been listed as a finalist for the 2025 Storytrade Book Awards for Historical Fiction. The novel is available on Amazon.
Announcing a new interview on YouTube airing on December 31st @ https://youtu.be/UkU7zzCqwz0 with author William Robert Reeves who will be talking about his debut novel, The In-House Politician, which is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. The interview was conducted by award-winning businessman and fellow author Will Maier. Here is one of the reviews of The In-House Politician.
William Reeves’s The In-House Politician is a riveting, eye-opening novel. Set in 1992, the novel gives the reader a detailed, behind-the-scenes look into the intricacies—and chicanery—of the banking industry.
The fictional First Northeastern Bank has just completed a merger, and is battling with PUMP, a powerful protest group inspired by muckraking articles in the local newspaper accusing the bank of racial bias in its mortgage lending to people in black neighborhoods. Throw in a sinister criminal family operating a waste hauling business, an international FBI pursuit of a frightened mistress, and a violent political debate between an influential Black pastor and his opponent, The In-House Politician offers the reader a taut, page-turning plot that culminates in an explosive courtroom drama.
This novel will remind readers of Tom Wolfe’s The Bonfire of the Vanities, and deserves a wide reading.
Hugh Cook, author of award-winning novel Heron River
Bill has over 40 years of experience in the financial services industry as a banker and bank regulator. He tried his best to encourage all the bankers he worked with to “do the right thing.” You’ll be surprised and amused by his novel. Don’t miss it!
The storyline for Bill's first novel is as follows: It is 1992 and the financial services industry is in chaos with banks merging at an astonishing rate. But one banker, Teddy DeMarco, in the title role, is trying to make his bank do the right thing. Like many other lenders in this era, First Northeastern Bank (1NEB) must overcome years of redlining and racial discrimination in it mortgage lending operations. And to move the bank in a positive direction, DeMarco negotiates agreements with the big protest group known as People United for Movement and Progress, and the African American Ministry for Justice and Economic Development. These agreements are designed to improve the lives of the people living in the distressed low-income communities in the bank’s marketplace. But sinister forces, both internal and external, arise to block Teddy’s efforts and make life miserable for the bank’s in-house politician.
This novel is filled with characters you will either love or hate because they are all true believers. It is a tale of money in politics, race relations, protests, debates, courtroom drama, and deaths—some accidental, others not so much. It also illustrates a period in the banking business that was chaotic, sad, darkly humorous, and often ending in unintended consequences.
Chapter 1
Sally Kessler couldn’t get the horrible smell out of her nose, and was wondering if she would have to burn her clothes and fumigate her car. It was giving her a headache. The directions provided for the location of the meeting placed her right next to one of the Scarduzo-owned trash dumps. The whole situation gave her the creeps.
There were no pleasantries. They just stood there and looked at each other in disgust for a few seconds. Sally finally broke the ice. “Well, well. If it isn’t Alex Scarduzo. This place becomes you. It looks and smells like shit. So, how many bodies are buried in there?”
“Gee Sally,” Alex snarled, “surely you jest. Rule number one is you never let them find the body, and that includes all the body parts. Just ask Jimmy Hoffa’s family.”
Sally was shaken by his response and was not feeling well from the sights and smells. She said, “That perky little messenger you sent made a compelling case that you had some information I might want. Please tell me I didn’t waste my time coming here. Honestly, I don’t like standing this close to you.”
“Now that’s the Sally Kessler I remember,” Alex said. “Any more insults before we talk business?”
Sally wanted to shell out more pithy insults, but also wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. “Let’s get this over with. What do you have for me?”
Alex took out some folded papers from his inside coat pocket and gave them to Sally. “Once I get this into the hands of the right people,” he said, “you will
probably receive a call to confirm those numbers since you’re the one who put a gun to Teddy DeMarco’s head. You should study up on them, just in case.”
“How did you get your hands on this report?”
“C’mon, Sally. We both have our sources and mine will remain confidential.”
Sally took a quick look at the report in the dim light. “This report looks like it came directly from the bank. Have you got someone inside? And how do I know if these numbers are accurate?”
“They don’t need to be accurate. They just need to be published. Now, do we have a deal?”
“Why do you want to screw Teddy DeMarco? He’s my enemy, not yours. I thought you two were buddies. Don’t you do business with his bank?”
“Teddy can take care of himself. He’s got thick skin just like me. We’re both politicians. It’s not personal. And there’s no reason he’ll ever know about me helping you. You can take all the credit for the shit that will rain down from this kind of report. Now, do we have a deal?”
“That depends. What do you want from me?”
“You can consider this a first installment and a freebie. Once it appears in the newspaper, I’ll be in touch. I know where to find you.”
They both seemed satisfied with this unspecified arrangement.
Sally tried to hand the report back to Alex.
He pushed it back and said, “No, you keep that copy. You’ll need it when you’re asked for confirmation.”
Sally shrugged and turned to go.
Alex stopped her in her tracks and once again yelled to her. “Excuse me! For the last time, do we have a deal?”
“We do if you get this report published. And next time find a better place to meet.”
Alex laughed. “Hey, this is my office. Don’t insult it. Remember what I said about the body parts.”
On the drive home Sally wondered if any of her comrade forebears had ever conspired with their capitalist enemies. Did the ends really justify the means?
She quickly put it out of her mind. If what she had agreed to tonight could help bring down those racist, money-grubbing bankers, and Teddy DeMarco specifically, well, she could live with it. Besides, Alex Scarduzo might be a powerful man, but there was no way he could get a report like that published in any reputable newspaper. The numbers didn’t make any sense.
As she drove away, she rolled down the windows and kept them down all the way home.
The novel is in both e-book and paperback versions and can be purchased on Amazon Kindle at https://a.co/d/jlQGN9b
This story was published in 2022 in the Penmen Review and is a dedication to Bill's mother, Cleora Lambdin Reeves.....
This is an excerpt from an earlier draft of "The In-House Politician" that was published in the Wilderness House Review in 2022.
Wilderness House Literary Review Volume 8 Number 2.pdfPage updated
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