Murder in Burnt Orange
A Hilda Johansson Mystery by Jeanne M. Dams
Review: Hilda Johansson Cavanaugh is in her 6th month of an uncomfortable pregnancy. To take her mind off her condition, her family asks her to "solve" the mystery of a train disaster that is being extensively covered in the newspapers in Murder in Burnt Orange, the seventh entry in this series by Jeanne Dams.
The headline on the front page of the South Bend Tribune of June 22, 1905 reads, "Open Switch Hurls Twentieth Flyer from the Track in Cleveland Ohio, Killing 21 People". Another follows in South Bend. An investigation shows that the switches were intentionally left open, the deaths ruled as murder. Hilda's family thinks that by devoting her attention to the details of the story, she will forget how hot and tired she is and how much her back aches. But Hilda isn't satisfied with just the train wreck story; another crime with a personal attachment draws her eye. Arson at a hardware store where her husband Patrick works claims the life of a man. With her family being her eyes and ears, following clues and gathering data, Hilda becomes more involved with her detecting than her family ever imagined when they first suggested she do something besides mope around the house.
Murder in Burnt Orange is a fast-paced, really quite entertaining mystery. Hilda's extended family of amateur sleuths, which includes her mother and Patrick's aunt, are charming and endearing. Those reading this book who have children of their own will identify — maybe a little too closely — with Hilda's situation, which is depicted in an all too true-to-life manner. The storyline takes some unexpected turns and is wider in scope than anyone may have originally believed, but Hilda's keen sense of analyzing disparate pieces of information helps put everything into perspective.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Murder in Burnt Orange.
Acknowledgment: Perseverance Press provided a copy of Murder in Burnt Orange for this review.
Review Copyright © 2011 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Selected reviews of other mysteries by this author …
Indigo Christmas
Perseverance Press (Trade Paperback), September 2008
ISBN-13: 9781880284957; ISBN-10: 1880284952
Location(s) referenced in Murder in Burnt Orange: South Bend, Indiana
— ◊ —
Murder in Burnt Orange by Jeanne M. Dams
Publisher: Perseverance Press
Format: Trade Paperback
ISBN-10: 1-56474-503-1
ISBN-13: 978-1-56474-503-3
Publication Date: September 2011
List Price: $15.95
Synopsis (from the publisher): It's a heat wave in more ways than one in the summer of 1905, as strikes, arson, and train wrecks threaten the fabric of civilized society in South Bend, Indiana. In the tumultuous first years of the twentieth century, anarchy seems to rule, with the assassination of an American president and labor unrest like the Anthracite Coal Strike bringing misery to millions. How can a Swedish immigrant like Hilda Johanssson, formerly a housemaid and now pregnant with her first child, possibly affect these conditions? Making deductions worthy of Sherlock Holmes — and using her own "Baker Street Irregulars" — Hilda reognizes a pattern to the disturbing events. No one thinks she'll actually be able to solve matters, especially since custom forbids her even leaving the house. But they reckon without Hilda's quick mind and stubborn determination to see the job through — even when the crime wave turns into murder, and touches her nearest and dearest.