First You Fall (A Kevin Connor Mystery)

Title: First You Fall (A Kevin Connor Mystery)
Author: Scott Sherman
Cover Artist: N/A
Publisher:  Create Space (self published)

Genre: Murder Mystery, Contemporary M/M
Length:  Novel /264 print pages
Rating: 5 stars out of 5

Review Summary: An outstanding read with all the elements for an exciting movie: A vulnerable hero, a complex exciting plot, great supporting characters, and writing talent that would eclipse much more experienced authors.

THE BLURB

When his friend’s death is ruled a suicide, Kevin Connor–a hustler by trade, sleuth by default–sets out to prove a case of murder. It doesn’t help matters that the victim’s grown children, who disapproved of their father’s sexual orientation, are only concerned about their inheritance. But they are  not Kevin’s only problem. His high-strung mother has moved in with him–and she knows nothing about his questionable . . . job. Throw in his super-hot ex – now a New York City detective – and Kevin has more than his hands full.

THE REVIEW

This is the first book in the Kevin Connor Mysteries and I was so engrossed in the plot, characters, dialogue and prose, which were all outstanding, that I re-read the story immediately and loved it even more the second time around. First You Fall truly deserved to be called a mystery. This is a fabulous read that I think would do well on the big screen because it has all the elements for an exciting movie: A vulnerable hero in Kevin Connor, a complex plot, wonderful supporting characters, and great writing. There’s also a romance of sorts between Kevin and his closeted married (but separated) ex boyfriend, as well as lots of fun with Kevin and his best friend Freddy who is just too much and the best character in the book after Kevin – a manwhore extraordinaire. They made a deadly combination when they got together to do a bit of sleuthing, whether it was in a bar after midnight or at a suspect’s place of business.

Kevin Connor is a hustler – not a street hooker by any means but a sex worker whose talents are in high demand. He’s more of a psychologist or therapist to his clients than a sex worker. Scott Sherman took a risk by creating a hero like Kevin, someone who made his living in the world’s oldest profession as it could have been very easy to regard him as sleazy, but the risk paid off handsomely. He’s small and blond, 23 years old, 5 ft 3 ins and125 lbs, quite unlike the usual hero type in terms of stature but he never let his physical size stand in his way and for me he stood tall. He suffers from AADD (Adult Attention Deficit Disorder) and complex issues sometimes cause him to have panic attacks, but he’s planning on going to university anyway despite his problems. He was so adorable that like everyone who read First You Fall I fell for him.

As indicated in the blurb, Kevin’s friend Allen’s death was ruled a suicide by the police but he was convinced there was no way this could be true so he and Freddy decide to investigate Allen’s untimely demise. The lead detective on the case was none other than Kevin’s ex boyfriend Tony who had dumped him 7 years ago when he decided that he wasn’t gay. Of course hooking up again with Tony was the furthest thing from his mind. Right!! As the story unfolded, a can of worms opened to reveal many secrets about Allen’s adult spawn. Running down the clues of who the perpetrator could be, with Freddy’s help, was hilarious. Two more inept detectives would be difficult to find as Freddy was always on the hunt for fresh meat and his lines cracked me up throughout the story. At one point he told a likely candidate for his bed:

“How about I just take you home and plow you like the field of Idaho instead?”

Another priceless gem from Freddy:

If there was anything that made him angry, it was a good-looking man who was too horrible a person to be worth fucking. That was nature at its cruelest, and it was not to be borne.

I marveled at Scott Sherman’s skill as he interspersed the fun of “detecting” with showing how vulnerable Kevin was, especially when Tony was around. Kevin kept his feelings about his life and lifestyle close to his chest, although he revealed that he had built a wall around his heart after Tony left him because he didn’t want to get hurt again. He allowed very few of his clients to know the real Kevin except Marc who suffered from agoraphobia and lived his entire life on the Internet because he was afraid to venture into the real world. Of all Kevin’s clients Marc appealed to me the most because he was such a contradiction – talented and rich – yet he isolated himself from everyone.

The main strength of First You Fall was in the characters, who were incredibly well drawn, but Kevin’s mother was inspired. She invited herself to stay with him after suspecting her husband was cheating on her and she enticed Kevin with her delicious food so he wouldn’t throw her out. She was priceless as she ingratiated herself into his life despite his best efforts to kick her out every morning when he woke up on the couch as she snored in his bed. Keeping her away from his porn stash was a full time occupation, and trying to have sex while she was in residence was a task of herculean proportions.

First You Fall won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Mystery in 2009 and I can see why. The way the mystery was constructed was like an intricate puzzle as the author built each piece painstakingly and skillfully, and just when I thought I had it solved I was blown out of the water, again. For any novel, much less a debut effort, FYF is quite an achievement.

This is a book you won’t be able to put down because you will be sucked into the dialogue, fast paced action and the clever way the pop culture references are woven into the prose; obviously the sex is very hot; after all, Kevin is a rent boy, but it’s also very funny. :) You should run not walk to pick up First You Fall which is available on Amazon for the very attractive price of $2.99. This book was originally published in paperback by Alyson Books which went bankrupt, and it was then self published and released by Create Space but the print copies were hard to come by so I was very happy to see it in Kindle format. The second book in the series, Second You Sin, reviewed by Sirius is available in print, released by Kensington Books, and also in Kindle format. Book 3 will be released in the fall.

First You Fall is told in Kevin’s first person POV.

Highly recommended!

Reggie
Reggie
3 years 9 months ago

I have this on my Kindle. 😕 I don’t know why, but I haven’t read it yet. Thanks for the inspiring review. I will move it to the top of the list!

Thanks :beer:

HJ
HJ
3 years 9 months ago

I also loved this book and was delighted to find the sequel (I liked it enough that I kept checking the author’s name, not something I often do). Ben Monopoli is the other new author who comes to mind as falling into that category (and who is also amazing). Thanks for this review, spreading the word! 😀

Denni
Denni
3 years 9 months ago

Sounds interesting, more summer reading for Mt. TBR. Ordered a copy…Amazon loves me lol :reading1:

Denni
Denni
3 years 8 months ago
OK, the book arrived & got read. We’ll chalk this one up to different tastes. The author is an experienced writer and it shows, the book is a very easy read. Excellent writing style, pacing, world building, etc. Two elements kept me from enjoying this story more. The first being some sketchy facts, I’m OCD enough that factual errors drive me bugnuts. If an author is going to offer up details, please get your facts correct. ie ADD doesn’t require treatment by a psychiatrist, and the meds (Adderall) can be prescribed by any physician. Secondly, my sense of humor is… Read more »
KatherineHalle
KatherineHalle
3 years 9 months ago

Wow, what a great review! This book definitely sounds right up my alley. Thanks! 😀

GR
GR
3 years 9 months ago

This sounds great! Wish it were available for Nook…

brian
brian
3 years 9 months ago
I loved loved LOVED this book. I read it a few summers ago, and was freaking out when the publisher went under because I wanted the sequel so bad. I’m glad you liked this one, Wave, and what a great review. I simply adored Freddy and Kevin’s mom…and *gasp* I actually liked Tony. I bought book 2, but haven’t read it yet bc I was afraid where it would take Kevin/Tony. When it was reviewed here I had to ask if Tony was in it, bc if he wasn’t I would’ve skipped it! LOL I should pick it up now,… Read more »
Raine
Raine
3 years 9 months ago

Love this book Wave, but I agree with Deedles and think that Tony is just not worthy of the all the fun Kevin is! Great review. Thank you.

Majken
Majken
3 years 9 months ago

This site is going to ruin me :)

*Adds yet another book to her wishlist*

Tj
Tj
3 years 9 months ago

Wow, great review Wave. It came up as a recommended book on Amazon and I almost bought it. I definitely will now. Thanks for the review.

Lasha
3 years 9 months ago

Why, why does Kevin have to be a sex worker? Why? It is my one true no-buy rule because this sounds right up my alley otherwise. Does he leave the profession in book two? *crosses fingers and toes*

Sirius
3 years 9 months ago

Awesome review Wave. I so agree that this book was a gem. Definitely looking forward to the third one.

Deedles
Deedles
3 years 9 months ago

I bought this book when it first came out a couple of years ago. I loved it so much that I read it three times in as many days. It is still one of my go to bathtub reads. I liked the second one as well and am looking forward to the third. I love how well rounded all of the characters are, and Kevin’s mother is a hoot and a half! I still can’t bring myself to like Tony though. Maybe in the third book. Nice review.

jeayci
jeayci
3 years 9 months ago

Wow, this sounds amazing! Definitely my sort of book. Thanks, I’ll have to check it out! 😀

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