HALLOW: A FRACTURED FAMILY TALE

A Black Orchid Enterprises Mystery, Book #5

By M.R. Dimond

Mystery / Cozy Mystery / Lawyers & Criminals Humor

Publisher: Rock Rose Press

Pages: 321

Publication Date: May 30, 2024

Synopsis

Family: What you don’t know can kill you.

Young Texas attorney JD Thompson enjoys his life in a small Texas town, where he lives with his ABBA tribute band, college roommates, and seventy black cats that his veterinarian partner rescued before Halloween. Probate cases with inheritance squabbles leave him time to help family members, like when his grandfather receives a surprising present from the past. But the squabbles turn deadly, the present isn’t a gift, and the lovely woman who captures his heart isn’t what she seems. As he stands in ashes with murder on the doorstep, JD races to defend his client, his family, and his home. Can he untangle the dark secrets threatening to destroy everything he holds dear? The walls are already splattered with blood.

Join JD and the quirky Black Orchid Enterprises gang in their fifth Texas mystery as the holiday season rolls in—fall holidays, that is, from High Holy Days to Thanksgiving.

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Review

A lot happens in this book, so stay on your toes!

This is the first book I have read by this author, and it is also the fifth in the series. While the author does a great job of introducing the characters in Gregg House and their roles, I think starting with the first book would give the reader a better insight.

This book has several different storylines and a murder that doesn’t occur until near the end. Even though the book takes place over a couple of weeks, the pace is fast and furious as they navigate the various situations that arise. It all boils down to family issues. There is a potential child for JD’s grandfather, a family squabble over an estate for another family, and those that you make your family.

I really like JD, Dianne, and Johnny. These are core characters since they all live and work in Gregg House. I can only imagine how large this house is (I read 4000 SF somewhere), considering they live and work here and hold celebrations for every holiday that rolls around. I love how passionate they are about their chosen careers and the charitable organizations that they assist. They stay very busy, that is for sure. I could relate to Dianne and her mad dash to finish tax returns by the October 15th deadline. I used to work for a CPA, so that is very familiar to me. I loved Johnny’s dedication to animals, especially cats, even though I am a dog person. And especially black cats in October when they may not be looked upon as favorably.

I had to chuckle at their band. Think of it as a cover band for ABBA, costumes and all. They sang other songs, but I chuckled at how they burst into song at random times. But it seemed to be a way for them to decompress and entertain those around them.

I enjoyed following along in JD’s research into one Peggy Porter and what might have happened to her. She dated his grandfather but disappeared once she discovered she was pregnant, and he was not around to assist. It was the war (Vietnam), and this threw roadblocks up for what might have been a happy life together. Or maybe it was not meant to be. I had to admire JD’s determination to solve this mystery, and the answers might surprise you.

Then, there is the man who ends up dead. Who killed him and why? And will an innocent man end up taking the blame? This opens another storyline that has an ending I didn’t expect. Or maybe I should have based on some information earlier in the book.

Pick up this series and discover a misfit cast of characters will will surprise and delight you. And you can help solve a few mysteries along the way.

We give this book 4 paws up.

About the Author

After stints in professional orchestras, law firms, cat rescue, bookkeeping, and technical communication, M. R. Dimond returned to a childhood dream of writing fiction, which has turned out to be about musicians, lawyers, veterinarians, accountants, and cats. Her Black Orchid Enterprises Mystery series, set in her near-native Texas, currently contains five novels, with more soon to come.

She has published short fiction in Strange Horizons, Dancing USA, and various anthologies (most recently in Dreaming the Goddess, Hook, Line, and Sinker, and Riddles, Resolutions, and Revenge) and nonfiction articles in various publications.

She holds an MBA from the University of Tulsa and is a veteran of writing workshops, including Clarion, Viable Paradise, Jim Gunn’s Center for Science Fiction, and Taos Toolbox. She lives in the wilderness east of Austin, Texas, with her husband and many foster cats.

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