What do you do after you write a nonfiction book about political corruption, labor wars, and traffic engineering? Why, you write a crime novel, of course. My first novel, We All Fall Down, available right now through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and in the near future via Kindle and a number of other e-book formats.
Visitors to my blog had a chance to read We All Fall Down here in its larval form a while ago, but now it is revised and even slightly 
expanded, just waiting to be unleashed on some unsuspecting beach this summer. It’s a crime novel, a police procedural, and a character study of a very tough, very vulnerable woman cop, all rolled into one. I like her, and if enough people find her interesting I’ll probably write the other two novels about her I have plotted out in my head.
Personally, I think We All Fall Down is pretty hot stuff, but fortunately you don’t have to take my word for it. Here’s the estimable novelist and blogger J.D. Rhoades, no slouch himself in the crime novel department, as anyone can tell you who’s read Breaking Cover, Good Day in Hell, or Safe and Sound. He graciously agreed to look at an advance copy of We All Fall Down and here’s what he said:
A small time crook breaks into the wrong house at exactly the wrong time and soon finds himself in more trouble than he ever dreamed possible. A young, tough female police officer on the trail of an alleged cop killer faces the dug-in corruption in her own department and her own demons, and it’s soon a breakneck race to see which one will take her down first. Fast-moving and twisty, Steven Hart’s We All Fall Down delivers one electric jolt after another. It’ll keep you up at night.
Whoot! I could dine out on that review for years, but here’s another advance notice from another novelist, Kristy Kiernan, whose opinion I sought because her stories of domestic drama and friendship are as far as you can get from the crime genre. Here’s what the author of Matters of Faith and Between Friends had to say:
Hart keeps the stakes high and the action fast right from the get-go in this hugely promising debut. The characters are complex and winning, the plot tight, and especially rewarding, the writing itself is excellent. Set aside some time — I predict you’ll want to read We All Fall Down in one sitting.
Boo-yah! I hope to get a lot more reactions, but those two sure put a smile on my face. This morning I saw my first reader review, which calls the book “a first rate crime novel.” So my smile is now a little wider.
If you order the book, please be sure to post your response on the Amazon and B&N pages. Here’s a link to the publisher’s web site, which features a couple of other must-reads. E-book editions will be coming along soon.
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