Bouchercon 2008 - Charmed to Death (and loved it!)

Driving though some seedy areas adjacent to downtown Baltimore, I wondered if this mystery writers’ conference would be worth it. After all, these were published authors with books out in the market place. Some (most) of them had more than one! I had a short story published in an anthology and not even a book I could call my own. As I entered the Sheraton, the host hotel of the conference, I did not have to ask where Bouchercon was because of the cacophony of fifteen hundred writers, publishers, agents and fans all talking at once. Bouchercom seemed to be more of a homecoming than business conference.

I soon found it to be a warm and inviting community instead of a cliquish fraternity. After an overwhelming and exhausting first day, my luck changed the second when I bumped into Scott Sherman, author of First You Fall. He introduced me to other writers and publishers including Richard Stevenson, author of the Donald Strachey mystery series.

Author Scott Sherman and me

I also met some of my favorite historical mystery writers such as Alan Gordon, Kathy Lynn Emerson, John Maddox Roberts and Priscilla Royal as I got their autographs. Everyone was so approachable and easy-going, I was amazed. All of them sat on at least one discussion panel, so I got to hear them talk about heir works and why they are interested in the time periods of which they write.

Kathy Lynn Emerson, author of the Face Down series featuring Lady Susanna Appleton

I heard discussions on religion in mysteries, animals and doing research. I realized I had more in common with these authors than I originally thought during the second panel on the first day: Does Sex Sell More Books? Lori Armstrong, David Corbett, Mary Burton and the hilarious Meg Chittenden kept the discussion lively under the moderation of a just-as-funny Ted Hertel. (Just FYI, the conclusion was ‘Yes’ and it was reached during Hertel’s opening remarks).

In the supernatural panel, Heather Graham surprised me by stating that no one can tell you what a vampire can or cannot do. One of the reasons I tended to eschew vampires was because of all the rules that surrounded them, such as they couldn’t enter your house without first being invited in by the head of the household, etc. I doubt I’ll start including creatures of the night in my writing but it’s nice to know that I don’t have to stick to the rules.

Graham, Wendy Roberts, Elena Santangelo and Alex Sokoloff pen wonderful mysteries involving the supernatural and the paranormal. I fell lucky that I got to hear them since the paranormal is my favorite field of fiction. They also gave some great advice on where to research haunted history and take ghost tours.

Bouchercon offered many great discussions and there were some that I didn’t get to attend since the schedule was full. It also provided a great opportunity for networking. But overall it was a fantastic experience. As Mark Billingham stated during the opening ceremonies Thursday night, reading crime fiction is better than sex.*


*This is according to a survey of British housewives that found out they enjoy reading crime fiction more than shopping, eating or sex.

First You Fall by Scott Sherman

For someone who writes about detectives with arcane powers such as telekinesis and telepathy, I had a difficult time (at first) wrapping my mind around the concept of a male prostitute as a sleuth. Kevin Connor is a hustler who sucks off, jerks off and otherwise gets off half the population of NYC. The male half that is. There’s not a straight male to be found anywhere in First You Fall. Once you get past the narcissism, Kevin and his best friend Freddy are a likeable pair.

When a friend of his takes a multi-story dive out of his posh, high-rise apartment, Kevin is convinced that it was not an open-and-shut case of suicide as the police are too quick to conclude. He begins his own investigation into Allen Harrington’s death, which becomes complicated when an old boyfriend from seven years ago reappears as the detective on the case. Although Tony is married, it is clear that he still has the hots for Kevin, who uses the sexual tension to his advantage. Occasionally, the mystery took a back seat to the off-and-on, up-and-down relationship between them and, in a sense, turning the reader into a voyeur.

Where Miss Marple uses gossip and Dr. Elizabeth Chase uses her psychic powers to solve mysteries, Kevin Connor uses his body. In nearly every situation, he employs his looks, his dress and his physique to get answers to the questions he’s asking. In other words, just as Robert Rodi’s Kept Boy, only young, fit and pretty get sex, unless Kevin wants something from you. If you don’t fit at least one of these criteria, you must pay. But everyone wants to have sex with Kevin Connor. Guess what? The murderer is someone who doesn't want to have sex with him!

There is a lot of humor in First You Fall in the form of Kevin’s best friend Freddy, who is a loveable if not over-the-top queen; and Kevin’s mother who has little idea how to be a mother. These two give the reader good laughs.

First You Fall is an enjoyable read once you overlook the main character’s constant preening, primping and arrogance. Then it is an engrossing story that’s difficult to put down. Sherman leaves us with a cliff hanger so we look forward to Kevin Connor’s next adventure.