Murder in Burnt Orange by Jeanne M. Dams, a Mysterious Review.

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.

Indigo Christmas
Perseverance Press (Trade Paperback), September 2008
ISBN-13: 9781880284957; ISBN-10: 1880284952

Murder in Burnt Orange

A Hilda Johansson Mystery by Jeanne M. Dams