The Little Death

by Andrea Speed

Jake Falconer, a hard-boiled detective in Echo City, is struggling with his love of booze, a square ex (and a cop, no less) he can't get over, and a murdered partner. In sashays Sloane, an homme fatal whose twin brother has gone missing. The search leads them to a sex club used for blackmailing the city’s most powerful, and soon Jake finds himself hip deep in sex and danger—it’s a good thing he’s no stranger to slogging through either.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Mystery, LGBT, Suspense, Romance, Gay

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2011

About the author

Super nerd. Former EIC at Cx Pulp. I've won Rainbow Awards, and still can't believe it. A small medicinal horse. The Meryl Streep of stunt corpses. Enby.

Reviews

[Jyanx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the classic noir feeling of this story. The characters, plot, and setting work so well to build and maintain this feeling, and I hope to read more about them at another time.

[Kassa · Rating 2 out of 5]

First and foremost, The Little Death is not a romance at all. This is misleading being that it’s sold at a purely romance publisher – DSP - and there is no mention anywhere that this isn’t a romance so readers beware. This is definitely a hard broiled detective story that borrows heavily from the noir genre. The similarities are obvious and often referential which means this story is likely to appeal to those fans first and foremost. The writing is good but the story is over the top and the hero is damn near indestructible, which makes for considerable suspension of disbelief required. Additionally the story purposefully keeps important details away from the reader so the ending is out of the blue and somewhat deceitful. As an average detective story, this one is ok with the writing better than the actual story.

Jake Falconer is your average detective, living and working in Echo City. He takes on a missing person’s case mostly because he needs the money and the twin bother is pretty fuckable. As these things always go bad Jake soon becomes embroiled in a complicated mystery that turns deadly. With the help of his on-again, off-again cop boyfriend, Jake struggles to figure out the mystery and realize just who is playing him and why.

The plot itself is pretty basic and as I’ve said, borrows heavily from various noir genre movies and books. The novella does reference these similarities so it’s clear the writing and story want you to make the connections. In some ways this is an easy way to build on past works and this isn’t always a favorite trick of mine. I prefer if books take an established concept and make it their own rather than pulling bits and pieces from others in the genre. In this case almost all the characters are pretty standard and don’t stray from their predictable stereotypes.

There’s the main protagonist, Jake, who is over the top in every way. He’s a functioning alcoholic private investigator that not only knows every cliché, but strives to match each one. He’s a bastard with no real allegiances to anyone and has no difficulty using his ex-boyfriend the cop in whatever way he needs. Jake manipulates people around him and of course is so arrogant that he’s in turn manipulated pretty easily as well. Jake’s a difficult character to like because he has no real redeeming qualities. The story is told from his perspective and he loathes himself to a pretty heavy degree so the reader can’t help but pick up on those emotions and feel the same. He’s not an underdog but instead a pretty horrible man that takes a beating and brushes off the affects like nothing.

Which is my second issue with the story. Jake gets beaten badly and often, yet this never keeps him down for more than a few hours. It’s pretty ridiculous and gets more over the top as the story goes on. Yet the story contradicts itself in the end wrap up by saying it took weeks for Jake to recover from his injuries. However while the story is taking place, the injuries don’t slow Jake down whatsoever and make him seem superhuman. It’s silly to be honest given the level of damage Jake takes and I wish the story had been more realistic and less superhero in that detail.

The secondary characters are pretty one-dimensional and fill various needs of Jake’s. One is the homme fatal, a beautiful model and twin of the missing boy. This character serves to mislead and manipulate Jake in obvious ways while the story withholds important information so you can’t get a real picture of the character. Likewise Kyle, the cop ex-boyfriend, is pretty ridiculous. He may be in love with Jake but it’s an unhealthy, very destructive relationship that Jake preys upon. Jake constantly manipulates and uses Kyle while Kyle comes across kind of slow and naïve. He has no reason to believe anything a liar and user like Jake would say but trusts him anyway. Kyle serves his purpose to constantly get Jake out of police trouble so Jake can go off solving the case without any messy legalities.

What really works in this story is the writing, which is far better than the actual story. The descriptive turn of phrases are vivid, eye catching, and very dynamic. The dialogue feels authentic and gritty while the setting is graphic and never forgotten. The writing elevates this somewhat familiar story into something interesting even as the ending is deceptive. The story keeps many, many important details hidden so the reader won’t be able to figure out the ending. It’s impossible because details are being revealed up to the very last second. This keeps the reader guessing but also makes the story feels as though it’s throwing in ideas whenever it feels like it. I wish the details had been cleverly hidden along the way so an astute reader could piece together the solution or most of it anyway.

Overall I enjoyed Little Death but it’s not a story I’d read again nor would I be really interested in any sequels. Jake is too destructive and negative of a character to root for and his superhero abilities make it kind of silly. I do, however, like this author’s writing quite a bit and wish she’d turned this theme a bit on its head as she’s clearly capable of doing. I’d like to read a wholly original idea as I think that’s where this writing will shine the most.

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I wonder what rating should I give this book. On one hand, I think the writing (or it is the plot?) is a little bit fuzzy. No, I'm not hangover, but I feel like there are things left out, that I am not part of, which leave me all confused.

On the other hand, I welcome a protagonist that is not perfect. Jake Falconer is a functional drunk, he slept with his client, he is probably a bit destructive, and I'm not even sure he's competent enough. All throughout the story, I wonder how he actually finish anything, especially the way he investigates the case. I do love his ex, though, the young and uncorrupted Kyle.

So, story wise, I'm not sure, but characters wise, I approve :). Oh, and this falls along the line of mystery rather than romance. Consider this a warning who prefer the other way around.

PS: If you read carefully, there is a character with a name like myself, "Ami". I'm not Japanese though. It's fun to find things like that ^_^

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Good noir-styled m/m romantic suspense about a hard-boiled PI who's hired by a "homme fatale" to find his missing twin brother... but nothing's really adding up in the case, except the bodies. I suspect the references to classic noir detective stories will be obvious to those more familiar with the genre - I thought I was doing well to catch a Maltese Falcon reference!

[Lady*M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great novella and, unfortunately, another mis-marketed Dreamspinner book. I don't know why publishers don't bother to emphasize that a certain book isn't a romance when majority of their books belong to that genre, but I know it is a great disservice to the authors.

So, this is NOT a romance. The Little Death is a great detective story in the best Chandleresque hard-boiled tradition, only with a gay twist. The opening scene alone should be a huge giveaway. Jake Falconer is a drunk, self-destructive, morally challenged, guilt-ridden private investigator, whose latest case - missing persons case - takes him in the world of hurt and on the path of his former boyfriend, straight-laced policeman Kyle.

I felt sorry for Jake through the entire book, not only because he was beaten several times, but because it seems he can't even try to stop self-destructing, even when he knows it will hurt him and hurt him badly. We don't know the reasons for his issues before his partner was killed, but when that happened they got out of hand, effectively ending his relationship with Kyle. Kyle still loves him and there are other people who care for him and are willing to help him, like Lau, owner of his favorite bar. Also, he sees himself as weird looking, but men find him attractive. It is clear that we see only the worst of him in both departments because that is how he sees himself.

The writing was excellent, though I felt a bit cheated with the resolution of the mystery, because the author withheld some crucial pieces of information from us, otherwise I would have rated the story higher. The atmosphere of corrupted, crumbling, "ashtray" city was exceptionally depicted. The occasional flash of humor somewhat alleviated the depression that saturates the pages. If this is the beginning of the series, I'll subscribe to it. After reading The Little Death, I might even brave the Infected series, though I know that one is really depressing. The book is rereading candidate, which is the highest recommendation in my book.

[Didi · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
In a way this story sort of reminded me of “Infected” series, though not with the same fondness. That might be unfair comparison given “Infected” were complete series consisted of 8 novels while this was barely over a hundred pages. It could be the pairing: rough devil may care private dick met sexy anal straightforward person (here, he was an active cop). While I had no beef with 1st person POV, this time it frustrated me so much as there were too many “telling” and less “showing”, especially in the end where our MC told us the summarization of how the events unfold. I also didn’t really feel the chemistry between Jake and Kyle. Honestly, I felt Jake was too flippant and carelessly disregarding to boot. His dry humor was his saving grace, but often I had to agree with Kyle: he was just not THAT funny. (I should’ve known when a book had a Jake for their main character; he would be something of an ass. Just saying.)

[Serena Yates · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a pretty 'black' mystery/suspense story with a main character, Jake, who is drunk more often than not, and an extremey disillusioned PI. His detective partner has been murdered, his ex is a straight-laced cop who has very little tolerance for Jake's 'errant' behavior, and the story gets grittier from there. It works well as a character study of the epravity of human beings

For me persoally the mystery wasn't that fscinating and I had trouble caring about what happeend to the characters. They seemed to care very little themselves. The atmosphere and darkness is well captured and a touch of humor adds some occasional relief. I still can't say that I 'liked' the book, even though it is pretty well written.

If you're looking for a dark mystery with a gay detective/PI and don;t mind getting to see some of the grmier parts of the town, this book may appeal to you.

[Gerisgrltrl2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake Falconer is a hard-boiled detective living with the results of bad choices and regret. He self-medicates with alcohol and barely goes through the motions of running his detective agency, which is saddled with debt. To pay his bills, Jake takes on the case of a "homme fatale" who is searching for his missing twin. As the body count rises, Jake realizes the case isn't what it seems and his client isn't to be trusted. After much mayhem, and with help from his shady friends and squeaky clean ex, Jake stumbles upon the reason his partner was killed and why he was next on the list.

Andrea Speed is an excellent writer and I enjoyed the story. It is a hard-boiled detective story in the noir style. The story was great: full of twists and turns and the musings of a broody, tortured, often drunk protagonist. My only complaint is that t h e story ends abruptly.

I would love to visit Jake Falconer and Echo City again.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted at: http://whippedcream2.blogspot.com/201...

Fans of classic Film Noir and hard hitting private detectives of old will get a kick out this little treat, The Little Death.

Many years ago, my great-aunt gave me an old dime store novel by Mickey Spillane who created an indelible character well loved by mystery readers, Mike Hammer. That character was very distrustful of people no matter the profession. Everyone was suspect and the flavor was always smoky, dark and gritty as the character walked within the dark gray areas of society. Ms. Speed has provided her own version of that misanthropic P.I. in the form of Jake Falconer. If the author has set out to capture the flavor of a man disenchanted with life but who keeps on going just to tweak the noses of ‘authority’, then she’s succeeded.

Jake is a hard man. He drinks like a sotted fish, makes no apologies for his appearance or attitude and is his own worst enemy. It was hard to be sympathetic towards him because he’s so ornery but by the same token it’s why I liked him. He’s a smart-mouthed tough-guy who hides any softer feelings with acerbic wit and insults and yet, he’s fair and has a code of honor and ethics all his own. And, he’s in love. But he won’t ever say the words. There was just something about his character that I enjoyed that I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it was because he wasn’t all pretty and perfect and vanilla. He has vices, he has a dubious sexual code, meaning, if there’s an itch, it’s meant to be scratched, and he is a bit slovenly. He’s certainly not my ideal candidate for a white-knight-on-a-horse hero but he is a hero nonetheless; it's just that his armor is a bit tarnished, dented and well worn.

The plot is basic – who is trying to kill who and why? It’s a mystery with lots of action, mostly poor Jake getting the business end of a fist or two, or three. The secondary characters flit in and out of chapters providing motivation, red herrings and conflict. The romance angle is more romantic elements than outright romance. Kyle is the man who actually holds Jake’s heart but for some reason he keeps the hunky cop at a distance. That adds another level to the hero’s character – emotionally tortured individual who doesn’t think he’s good enough to be loved. Based on what I read, he certainly doesn’t make it easy but I think loving Jake would be worth it, if you had a thick skin. And, I do have hope for him because when he kisses Tyler, the words he uses told me what I needed to hear.

The novella is written in first person point of view and the dialogue is as hard-hitting as one would expect from a man who does what he does for a profession. Jake and Kyle do physically connect but Jake just fills a reader in -- the scenes are behind closed doors. He’s private that way. His delivery reminded me of the old Dragnet T.V. series, “Just the facts, Ma’am”.

This tale is fast moving and the author has some descriptive passages that read like poetry. Not flowery mind you, more like testosterone laden and filled with action words. It fits the main protagonist and gives a reader insight into his world. There is even some self-depreciating humor that was delivered in such a dry manner, it cracked me up. Jake is cool.

The Little Death is full of swagger, action and attitude. It’s populated with people who live on the dark side and the only person able to make them toe the line of justice is someone who can smack them back with that bit of darkness roiling inside himself. Jake has a love interest but until he loves himself I fear poor Tyler is in for a rough time of it. I’m hoping for Jake’s redemption, or at least a solid try at A.A. but the best I can hope for is for Jake to stumble into another mystery. Why? So I can get another chance to see where Ms. Speed is going to take his romance with Tyler and what can of worms Jake is going to open next because something tells me that’s one jackpot he’s more than likely to win.

[Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars---I really enjoy Andrea Speed, and this book is really no exception (some of the exceptions are included in this review). A stand-alone book not part of a series (?yet), it shows Falconer, a detective that, in a sense, lives up to the hard-boiled image of Sam Spade, complete with all the bad habits and sometimes instinctual actions (that in retrospect a little forethought may have caused a different 'play-out'). The mystery did keep me guessing up to almost the end, the writing was tight, and the plot moved fairly quickly (a little bit too much detail of the club and the victim's apartment(s) caused me to get distracted some). There were several characters, all of which had a part in the story, and I admit I had to go back and re-read some of the first few chapters to keep them straight. The only part I admit I didn't like was the sexual morals of Falconer---I do know that we all make mistakes, some more than others, some in a bigger, more messier way than others. However, I guess I was channeling Roan's character in this book, so it made me feel a little 'squickish' when Falconer slept with his client/suspect in the book, and quickly (IMHO only). I was used to Roan smart-ass way of looking at his clients, his brilliance (he wouldn't say so though), and his morals (yes, he has them in abundance), so Falconer disappointed me some, but he is a different detective, in a dying city, without any support system (so he thinks), with a different way of handling a situation and thinking. . .and there were humorous and poignant parts to Falconer that rendered him a great detective overall.

I hope there IS a sequel (not hinting here, or a demand. . . merely a wish)

[L-D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jake Falconer is a detective who is living at the bottom of a bottle. He's a little down on his luck so he accepts a case mostly because he can use the money. This was a novella length story and it reminded me of a Sam Spade type of story, where the femme fatale comes in looking like a sexy siren in need of serious saving. But in this case, the homme fatale is Sloane, a gorgeous young man looking for his missing twin brother.

I don't really care that much for novellas in general. There often is not quite enough plot or character development for my tastes, and even if it is a good story, I always find that I wish there had been more to read. In this case, the character development and plot development was pretty decent. Too bad I didn't like the MC. Jake's drinking problem was the reason his last boyfriend left him, and I just couldn't feel any sympathy or connection for this guy who messed up his life because he can't stop drinking. His ex, Kyle, was and is frankly way too good for him. I didn't buy the relationship because I couldn't figure out why Kyle even cared if Jake drank himself to death.

The story wasn't too bad, but I think I prefer great characters and a great relationship with a mediocre plot, to a decent plot with mediocre characters.

[Adara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jake Falconer is definitely a great PI character. This book is a little bit like reading Roan from the Infected series, but yet he's also vastly different in his mannerisms, history, and thought processes (beyond Roan's whole lion thing). Jake's not apologetic about who he is, but he's still human at the same time--a fine line to draw.

The general idea of the story is Jake is hired by a guy to find out what happened to his identical twin brother. The one good lead he has ends up dead before he can talk to the guy, and he almost gets framed for that murder. What unfolds after that is a twisted plot of revenge that keeps coming back to Jake.

And poor Kyle, Jake's ex, the 'good' cop who can't stand Jake's vices and broke it off with him, but can't seem to let go of him either. Jake just keeps turning up at the worst times and situations, and Kyle can barely keep up with him.

It's a fun mystery to read and doesn't take too long. If you like the Infected series, you'll probably like this one too.

[Calathea · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like 3,75.
As a crime novel/mystery I liked it, although some times it got a little confusing (for me).
OTH: I couldn't feel a connection to the mc, Jake Falconer, and missed the wonderfully passionate and detailed narration of the Infected series. To me it felt as if the author pressured herself to not make the mc come across as another Roan (which worked), and therefor intentionally left out part of her usual style (which is sad). I kept getting glimpses of it and it was back in the last third where all the major action took place.

The overall feeling of the story reminded me of those Philip Marlowe black&white movies. So, maybe the title "The Little Death" is a pun on "The Big Sleep" and not the big O (like I first thought)?

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think it might have been a mistake to read this one directly after Personal Demons as the narrating MC was another washed up drunken investigator and I think I overloaded. Nevertheless, I was a little disappointed in this story. I normally love anything Andrea writes but I just couldn't get into this one. It seemed like the mystery was overly complicated just for the sake of being overly complicated and I didn't connect with either of the MC's. The emotions just seemed a little shallow. However, I am still glad I read it and I think if I had read it after a different book I would have liked it more so I will give it 3 stars.

[atmatos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even though I liked the well written noir gumshoe feel of this story, the romance was a wash. I just didn't feel it, the main character was a HUGE alcoholic and didn't want help from anyone. He doesn't like himself, can't forgive himself and most of the time he wants to die.
How can you love someone when you are in the mindset?

The mystery was lukewarm at best, choppy and kind of lackluster.
Here is where I missed the authors wit the most, the sharpness that shines through her Josh of the Damned series.
I guess I expected more in her characters, more depth and edge in her heroes and less bumbling fuck ups in the bad guys.

[Noughty · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

There some resemblance to Infected series. Main character isn't your usual superhero. Even more so in this book. Has a boyfriend who is a good guy and good looking. Hustler. Etc.

Again there isn't much focus on the romance. I feel like author is even more of a tease than usual with the sex scenes in this book - making it a hot beginning of a scene but not delivering all scene ;). So it is hotter than Infected books.

I still like infected series better, but this was an interesting read. I wish it was longer, got a little confused in the end. I think I'll need to re read it.

[Meggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lately we can read a lot of stories with self-destructive character as a main lead. Once again, we have got one self-destructive detective in this book, too. I didn't actually mind it, it was funny, easy written story, but a bit to hallow in characteristic department. If this book is a start in to a series then I consider this as a good start!

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always pleasantly surprised when these loan books turn out to be good, and this was an absorbing noir mystery with an appealing take-a-licking-and-keep-on-ticking functioning alcoholic private eye. It's a dark night in a city that knows how to keep its secrets...

[Eyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an engaging story about a private investigator enmeshed in a confusing, dangerous case. I liked the fact that Jake was flawed and not perfect, and I'd like to see another story about him.

[Clover · Rating 4 out of 5]

that was a very good mystery story. very fun too.
Andrea Speed really knows how to tell a story.

[Enny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for those noir private eye stories so I liked it a lot. For such a short story, the plot was really good although some people expected a little more romance.

[Lissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the infected books simply because I didn't like the MC all that much. Still worth a read though.

[Mickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun.
While reading it I was reminded of the old black and white detective movies I used watch on Saturdays growing up.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Feliz · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the first read-through, not really my cup of tea, but well-written and with unique characters. Might change in the future.

[Romance · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to abandon.