Confessions of a Contractor

I found this book to be an extremely good read. The writing is very impressive from a first time novelist. Murphy takes us inside the very complicated lives of relationships with a great deal of insight, sensitivity, and humor. It's a book you can't put down as you want to find out what happens next. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

There is no doubt that this book is light reading, but as such it is very enjoyable. I actually had a had time putting it down. It is the story of one complicated summer in LA when high-end contractor Henry breaks his own rule about sleeping with clients, and accidentally falls in love with two clients at once. It also is a bit of a who dunnit after Henry's truck has his tires slashed and then stolen. Was it a jealous husband of a client who believed he has been cuckolded? Stay tuned to find out. The book is written in the first person as a bit of advice to you-the homeowner contemplating a large renovation project, and speaks to the addictive nature of remodeling, as if fixing our home could fix everything else that may be broken in a marriage or a life. Murphy's novel has some poignant moments, but I laughed out loud more than once. Buy this book if you are looking for a great beach read.

As a heavy DIYer, I loved this book. It not only gave great perspective into the world of contracting, but was extremely funny. The main character could very well be the hero of contractors everywhere. I couldn't put it down.

If you live in the LA area and are in the market to do some home renovations then you need not look any farther then Henry Sullivan. Henry has been in the business for about fifteen years as a contractor. His clientele is mainly made up of wealthy, beautiful women. So for this fact alone, Henry has rules set for himself and the most important one of them is.....never sleep with your clients. Plus the best contractors know how to keep the peace in the neighborhood, which is a wonderful thing as you will be living there for a while; seeing as you just spent thousands of dollars fixing your home. This summer is going to test everything Henry's got. He has two simultaneous house projects that will commend his full and undivided attention. The first item at hand is named Sally Stein, a single woman, who Henry is finding himself spending the most time in one particular room, the bedroom. Problem number two is a married lovely woman with two children by the name of Rebecca Paulson. Henry wants both women. Henry finds that he also wants to mend this once good friendship between Sally and Rebecca. He starts asking questions as to why these two are no longer friends but neither woman is speaking much. What a refreshing, witty and innovative book Confessions of a Contractor turned out to be. I have that this book is not something that I would usually run and pick up right away but after read this book in one sitting, I just may have to start checking out more of these types of books. I could tell that Richard Murphy had a great personality about him. He wrote Confessions of a Contractor not for himself but for his readers. When an author writes for his readers, you can tell as you find yourself instantly drawn into the book and the story. You would never know that Confessions of a Contractor was Mr. Murphy's first book. It was just that good. Richard Murphy is one new author you don't want to miss, so do yourself a favor and read Confessions of a Contractor today. If you're not satisfied then you need to find yourself a new contractor!

"The first thing a woman needs to know about renovating a house or apartment is simpe: do not, under any circumstance, sleep with your contractor, no matter what your husband or boyfriend is doing to you, or not doing to you." ("Confessions of a Contractor" pg 1*) And before we get started, I have to say I would never sleep with my contractor........ unless he looked like Richard Murphy. I mean, oh my God, how did that slip out? I wasn't sure I was going to like "Confessions of a Contractor". From the cover art, to the first line- I was sure that it was going to be a book that had sex all over the place. Lol, and in a way there was sex all over the place- in the 'steam shower in the master bath', on the 'sandstone floor in the kitchen', etc... but it was mentioned quickly and didn't bog down the rest of the story. It's told all in first person, so the audience knows only what the main character, Henry the contractor, knows. This offers us a unique look at what your contractor is really thinking about you. And despite the fact that, yes, he slept with some of his clients- I still liked the guy! Besides liking the main character, I also enjoyed the others. Perhaps my favorites were Hector and Miguel, because if they didn't like you- they pretended to only speak Spanish. I would very much recommend "Confessions of a Contractor" to anyone looking for a fun read. And I'll definitely be interested in reading anything else Richard Murphy puts out- right after I find out if there really are blind caterers.... well if you've read it- you know what I'm talking about!! If not, pick you copy up today. *These lines may change in the final publication of the book (Originally reviewed for "Kathleen's Book Reviews")