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
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*** 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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BOOK TRAILER
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*** REVIEW ***
Black Orchid Enterprises is comprised of JD Thompson, Attorney; Dianne Cortez, CPA;and Johnny Ly, DVM who are housemates and office mates in a very large mansion in a small town near Austin, Texas. Dianne is also the former romantic partner of JD, but they are just friends now. How the two of them react to new romantic interests in their lives is just one of the many charming, and often humorous, moments in this story.
But don’t expect anything like a straight-up rom-com. This is anything but.
The relationship between all the characters, these main players and the supporting cast, is the best part of this story for me. Being a cat-lover, and mom to two black cats at one time, I could relate to Johnny and his efforts to keep all the black cats safe in October. It was also great fun to learn about all the different holidays that touch each other in some way. This is truly an all-inclusive story, and I applaud the author for bringing it all together without making any one holiday, or person, feel slighted. Not an easy feat in fiction or real life.
And while a bit wacky – okay, a lot wacky – the characters are endearing, and not just because of the cats. There’s a deep friendship among the members of Black Orchid Enterprises, and that comes across so well in how they interact with, and support, each other. Something nice in a world that is sorely lacking in some of that niceness.
Also, don’t expect a straight-up murder mystery. Again, not what you’ll find here in Hallow.
There are a lot of storylines going that all intertwine, sort of. There’s JD’s grandfather and his, perhaps, daughter he’s never seen. While knee-deep in the hunt to locate the potential surprise aunt, JD is hired by Vidal and Mira, to find out why a DNA test has indicated that he is not his daughter’s biological father. There’s a will waiting for probate that has serious complications, based on the outcome of testing of other family members, not all of whom are willing to take the test. Then Vidal is accused of murdering a man he has never seen before, and JD has to hustle to help Vidal out of that jam.
For me, a less complicated tapestry of mysteries and sub-plots would’ve made for a more enjoyable read. There was simply so much going on with the various investigations, and the preparations for special events, it was a bit daunting to keep all the threads straight in my mind as I read.
Still, despite that quibble, I did read the book to it’s surprising and delightful conclusion to all those threads.
If you like a cozy mystery that includes all the cats, a good deal of humor, and those afore-mentioned wacky characters, this is a good book to settle down with for a weekend read.
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*** 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 had short fiction published in Strange Horizons, Dancing USA, and various anthologies (most recently in Dreaming the Goddess; Hook, Line, and Sinker; and Riddles, Resolutions, and Revenge), as well as nonfiction articles in various publications.
She holds an MBA from 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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Plus a Swag Bag!
Ends 8/23/24
U.S. Only
*** ENTER TO WIN! ***
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Mystery, cats, adventure, and surprise. Sounds delightful! Thanks for sharing it with the world!
Happy to do the sharing, Jill, and thanks for stopping by. This really is a different read from some genre expectations, but no less enjoyable. Gotta love the wacky characters and the cats. Always love the cats.
Thanks so much, Maryann. I appreciate the review.
Last year we celebrated Black Cat Awareness month on my newsletter and website. If you need to see more such cats—I know how that is—here’s a few:
https://dimond.me/black-cat-awareness-month/
You’re welcome, M.R. and thanks for coming to acknowledge it. Loved seeing the collage of black cats.
The two I had/have because one, Harry, went over the rainbow bridge last year, were not our first choice when my hubby and I went to a rescue place to get kittens. Harry, who was my husband’s cat, literally ran across a patio table and jumped on my hubby to nestle in his beard. Harry wouldn’t get down, so it became clear he had chosen his human.
The lady who ran the rescue said that Harry had a littermate and that happened to be a kitten who was constantly patting my leg. So, Hermione came home with us.
That’s such a sweet kitty story. They do have a way of picking their homes, don’t they? I’m sorry for Harry’s loss. That’s so hard.
Thanks. Glad you liked my story. I like to tell folks that because you are so right about how cats will sometimes choose. And thanks for your condolences about Harry. Lost him and another kitty, Sammy, within months of each other. Both relatively young and both with cancer.
If you’re interested, here’s a story about Max, the cat who choose my dog.
https://maryannwrites.com/2023/01/09/nice-news-and-well-not-so-nice-news/
I am all about wacky characters. And cats and people who love them. And, of course, a good murder mystery, preferably one that leans towards the cozy category. I’ve downloaded the first book in this series, and it may just be my next binge read! Thanks for a great review.
You’re welcome. You will enjoy these characters. Them, and the cats, are my favorite parts of the story.
Love this series. Intriguing characters with heartaches, headaches, and history. Also lots of cats.
Thanks for stopping by, Marjorie. This is definitely a fun series.
I hope everyone will take this last chance to enter the giveaway before midnight CST. Besides a signed book and a stadium tote, 3 lucky winners will get all this cool stuff my friends and I made:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10223659347024283&set=a.4874652316728
As a gift to all, so you can start reading from the beginning, here’s a tOp S3cR3t link to buy an ebook box set of the first 5 Black Orchid Enterprises mysteries at half price: https://dimond.me/product/box-set-1-5
Happy reading!
What a great prize package. I do hope folks entered yesterday. I was offline all day due to dr appts, so I couldn’t share this added bonus. So sorry. M.R. Normally, I do share, but… And what a great gift of the bargain for your other books in the series. You are a kind and generous person.