The first thing a woman needs to know about renovating a house is simple: Do not, under any circumstances, sleep with your contractor.” But Henry Sullivan, narrator of this debut novel, doesn’t follow his own advice, and the result is a sexy romp through the bedrooms of two beautiful, wealthy women: Sally Stein, a successful purse designer, who may or may not be trying to involve him in a threesome, and Rebecca Paulson, Sally’s former best friend, who is miserably married to a two-faced real estate mogul.

As he becomes more intimately involved with both Sally and Rebecca, Henry starts to wonder about the demise of their friendship, and his curiosity takes him into new territory. Once he starts to care about the women, his lusty afternoons with them are no longer as carefree, and the consequences of his behavior start to matter.

To add to the excitement, Henry is also being stalked by a vengeful oncologist who thinks he slept with his wife. And the hunky contractor is so dogged by guilt over a past relationship, he seeks counseling with his former girlfriend—even though they have no intention of reuniting.

Henry Sullivan is the fictional alter ego of author Murphy, who made a living renovating Hollywood apartments before he became a screenwriter. Through this multi-dimensional main character—a sexual conquistador who cares for the women he beds, a wise guy who loves and protects his friends, a card-carrying cynic who mourns his father so deeply he cannot bring himself to sell the old man’s last load of wood—Murphy has created a solid foundation around which the rest of the cast members play out their little dramas.

Part male manifesto, part cautionary tale, part bittersweet romance and thoroughly amusing all the way through, Confessions of A Contractor is that rare hybrid—a novel that will delight men and women alike.

By Marjorie Preston

Marjorie is Managing Editor of Casino Connection Atlantic City.