A rollicking murder mystery with a lot of tangled leads. I rather enjoyed this, and thanks so much to Net Galley for the ARC! Sorry it took so long to leave the review.

Should I Fall by Scott Shepherd is a sequel to his novel The Last Commandment with the book featuring many of the same main characters and continuing very soon after the events of the 1st novel.
The book is thrilling and above all else, the hardest thing to put down, over the case of a weekend, I read it in 2 days and was always thinking about the book. I had not read the 1st book, until I had gotten through the 2nd, but after reading both, I can honestly say that Shepherd is fast becoming an expert in the world of mystery and thriller novels. With Should I Fall being a fast-paced and expertly crafted whodunnit that is just as much puzzling as it is entertaining.
The characters are engaging and easy to root for, even for someone who doesn’t know them from the original novel. I was reading the characters from the POV of not knowing who they were and what they stood for prior to us being told about them. This demonstrated the skill that Shepherd has as an author in creating a narrative which allowed us to become invested in characters no matter what other readers may already have known about them. Getting to spend time with John Frankel, Rachel and Austin Grant, got us to have a clear picture in our imagination about everything that was happening to the characters and play it out like a movie. With the way in which the story unfolds feeling very similar to the action films that are a dime a dozen in this day and age, I already hold out hope that these will become films!
The biggest compliment that I can give this book outside of the way in which the story developed, is the description of everything throughout the book. By getting to move from Manhattan to Miami to Maine, all of it is outlined perfectly to the reader with us getting to feel the breeze on our face, the shock in our emotions and the horror as the story begins to unfold. The manner in which everything is described to us is so visceral that the images our mind conjures is as close to perfect as it’s going to be. The ‘gore’ is also described in such a way that it feels beautiful, the use of blood and action as a way to push the plot forward rather than shock value, created everything I could have asked for. The set-up for the potential of this series going forward is something that I am strongly looking forward too and hope that we get to see the journey that Shepherd continues on as an author. It can’t be easy switching from writing for TV to writing novels, getting to see him be able to make this move efficiently gives me hope that more will in time cross the divide.
Should I Fall is going to be released on July 5th 2022 and is something that I have to recommend to all the readers of this site and hope that you get the chance to check out The Last Commandment in the time prior to its release, both are outstanding novels and are great reads for those who are interested in thrillers!

Should I Fall is the second Austin Grant procedural mystery by Scott Shepherd. Released 7th June 2022 by Penzler, it's 312 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in 2nd quarter 2023 from the same publisher.

This is a very well constructed mystery thriller. Despite being the second book in the series, it works perfectly well as a standalone and it wasn't difficult to follow the story with the information given. It's a twisty plot, with multiple threads converging in a bit-too-convenient and slightly sappy climax and resolution.

The book isn't completely problem-free. It was difficult to engage with protagonist John; he's surprisingly unlikable. The ending and resolution were also weaker than anticipated. All in all though, it's a worthwhile and entertaining read, even though the MC makes some decisions in the course of the book which were phenomenally stupid and really, as an officer of the law (current OR former) should have *known* better.

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes

A good old nursed mystery that I very much enjoyed. The characters were on the whole good although I felt there was a little generalisation but nothing that detracts from the story. A solid read.

John Frankel and Rachel Grant are to wed in a week. However, when John's ex-wife turns up dead, in his apartment no less, it looks like happily ever after is off the table as he is the prime suspect. Can Rachel and her dad, a retired Scotland Yard detective, clear his name in time to say "I do"?

Should I Fall by Scott Shepherd is the second book in the Austin Grant of Scotland Yard series. I have not read book 1, and I didn't have any problem reading this book as a standalone novel.

I found the novel to be a solid mystery. It is well-plotted, and I enjoyed the characters.

I was afraid it might lean too much towards a police procedural with Frankel being a New York Police Detective and Grant a Scotland Yard Detective, but it didn't.

If you like yelling at the characters, then you might want to pick up this book. I wanted to yell at John a time or two. He might be a great NYPD detective, but as a prime suspect - not so much. He had too much faith in the system I think.

Austin Grant is a fun character in that dry British wit way. I loved his time in Hawaii - I found parts of it humorous.

My library just started a mystery book club so I think I will suggest we read book 1 in the series as I really liked this book. While it can be read on its own, there are references to the previous case. I'm curious about it and I want more of these characters.

I thought the plot was well-paced. Even though this is not the high-octane story you would get with a suspense novel or thriller. Instead, you are drawn into the story because you are trying to connect the clues and solve the mystery yourself.

If you love a good mystery, then I recommend picking up this book.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Sunday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2022/10/should-i-fall-by-scott-shepherd-review.html

In 2021 I enjoyed the first book in the Austin Grant series so I was happy to receive a finished copy of the second book, Should I Fall. Thanks to Mysterious Press and Tandem Literary for sending.

Author Scott Shepherd catches the reader up on pertinent information about what transpired in The Last Commandment so if you’re new to the series you won’t be lost. I do recommend reading that book if only to get all the details on our main characters (Austin, his daughter Rachel, and NYC detective John Frankel).

In this book a dead body is found in John’s apartment. And not just any body – it’s his ex wife. Terrible timing since John is about to marry Rachel! When John is charged with the murder it is up to Rachel and her father to clear him and possibly/hopefully solve the crime. At times things seemed a bit too convoluted but I assume many crime investigations play out the same and not in a straight line, right? At any rate, the pace was good and there were enough twists to keep me flipping the pages to arrive at the conclusion.

I’m happy that the series will continue and look forward to what case will land next at Austin Grant’s desk.
3.5 stars rounded up

Rachel Grant, soon to be married to John Frankel, enters his apartment to find John’s ex-wife dead. Frankel is brought in for questioning, and Rachel calls her father, retired Scotland Yard inspector Austin Grant.

Father and daughter begin investigating, convinced John is innocent. John, meanwhile, refuses to divulge the reasons for a series of suspicious looking actions he had made prior to Julia’s murder. He also investigates, evading police notice, and looking even more like the only suspect in the murder.

A lot of secrets are unearthed, including gambling debts, broken friendships, and multiple identities. The case is solved in tragedy (too conveniently) and a wedding.

I know this particular sentiment will be in the minority amongst readers of this book, but I really did not like John Frankel, and the author never made me care about him. I also did not particularly like Rachel’s initial jealous thoughts about Julia—this just felt like a lazy bit of characterization where a male author would automatically think a woman would be jealous of her fiancé’s ex-wife. The only character I sort of liked was Grant.

I enjoyed the mystery, but I didn’t really care about two of the three main characters. I was more interested in the resolution to the puzzle, instead of caring about whether Frankel would get out of jail. So, interesting mystery, uninteresting characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penzler Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my review.

When John Frankel’s ex-wife is discovered dead on the floor of his Manhattan studio apartment, the NYPD Detective instantly becomes the prime suspect in her murder. Then more information surfaces, linking his gun to the fatal bullet, a motive is discovered, and Frankel flees the city, all of which further convinces his colleagues of his guilt. This is the second in the Austin Grant series and is an excellent continuation of the first. Taking place 6 months later there is still enough backstory to give you insight into the recurring characters. This is a fast paced, engaging mystery that I kept imagining as a TV movie or at the very least a series. I’m looking forward to the next book in this thrilling series. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

i appreciated this mystery and I found it gripping and entertaining. There's plenty of twists, it kept me guessing and entertaining.
I liked the style of writing and the storytelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The second book in the Austin Grant Scotland Yard series, Should I Fall by Scott Shepherd begins six months after the previous story. Having not read the first adventure, this was a standalone read that doesn’t require any knowledge of previous events. Now retired, former Commander Austin Grant is once again travelling to New York on the eve of his daughter’s wedding. This time, Austin is out to prove his soon to be son in law’s innocence, given the discovery of his ex-wife’s body. As the police build their case, Austin and his daughter Rachel race against time to solve the murder and make it back home in time for the wedding. Criss crossing America and even a trip to Hawaii, the body count mounts as the mystery deepens. With building tension, enjoyable characters and intriguing murder mystery comes this three and a half star rated novel. The ending was disappointingly somewhat saccharine, which detracted from the overall complex murder plot. With thanks to Penzler Publishers and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

This is good, not great, and not as good as the previous book in the series. It has good pacing and some good twists. I think a lot of mystery fans will like this.

I appreciate the free ARC for review!!

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review electronically. Murder...mayhem...intrigue...family...marriage...murder...murder....murder...who is guilty? Who is innocent? When a family member gets involved and tries to prove the innocence of a son-in-law...that is when things get tricky. Believe? Trust? These themes run throughout this book. The author is talented in weaving a story that reads like true crime. Although the story does move slowly, it is worth reading to discover what happened and why.

A retired Scotland Yard Inspector races to prove the innocence of a falsely accused fugitive—his daughter’s fiancee…. My advice is not to start reading this unless you have time to go to the end! It is compulsive.

Really enjoyed well written full of twists and turns.I know there is a book before this and I’m looking forward to reading it.The storyline kept me interested turning the pages #netgalley#ww.Norton

This book was a little different for me, it was worth reading just not one of my top favorites! It had suspense, intrigue and mystery! It was a Decent read but just okay for me! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the review copy.

2.5/5 Should I Fall is the second book in a series which I did not know when requesting, BUT it did not take away from this story and you can pick this up if you haven't read the first.

Personally, this was not my cup of tea. This story is very character-centered, and unfortunately none of the main characters were interesting to me. The plot was interesting, but seemed very improbable to me after Frankel revealed his motives. If the man just communicated, couldn't this have been handled better?! He literally risks jail for something he could have discussed with his fiancée. However, the twists were very well-written and I enjoyed where the story ended up.

In short, while this was not for me, I think other readers would enjoy it if you like twisty plots and a bit of romance.

Pretty interesting who done it. Nothing spectacular though, still a good read, just not as good as I was expecting.

I didn't realise that there had been a book before this one, however that didn't take anything away from the enjoyme nt of this book. It was well written with good character development and an engaging and gripping sotryline. I couldn't put this book down, it was fast paced, twisty and unpredictable. I am definitely going to read the book before this one and more from the author in general.

I did not realize when I requested this book that it is actually a sequel. I realized it as they kept referring to things that had previously happened. However, I think this book works well enough as a stand-alone too. Nothing from the past book is needed to help try to solve the puzzle alongside our characters in this one. Overall a really intriguing mystery and I'll be going back to read the first one! I love the father-daughter relationship in this book as well as the romance between John and Rachel.