Temper, meet brick wall.....

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

The Orchid Murders Strike Again!


Title: The Orchid Murders
Authors: John Simpson and Remmy Duchene
Publisher: eXtasy Books
ISBN: 978-1-55487-473-6
Genre: [M/M] Contemporary Mystery
Rating: 4 Nymphs
Literary Nymphs Reviewers: Mystical Nymph

Anderson Williams might not have the perfect life but that doesn’t mean he isn’t happy, or at least mostly. So what if he has a lousy record with men, and has been alone for longer than he wants to remember. He has a few good friends, a teaching job he enjoys and a father he loves. That all changes in a matter of a few short hours when he discovers his murdered father’s body and a maddeningly annoying police detective, Sam Morgan, barrels into his life, intent on catching the killer.

A serial killer, with an odd orchid calling card, is loose on the streets of New York City and Detective Sam Morgan is determined to stop him before he strikes again. He doesn’t have time for Anderson’s anger and he definitely doesn’t have time to fall in love. Yet, the more time Sam spends with the sexy professor, the more Anderson gets under his skin.

The Orchid Murders has a lot going on; making it fit more than one genre. At heart it’s a thriller, following the hunt for a brutal killer who dismembers his victims; and all manner of juicy clues are revealed as the story progresses. There’s a strange connection between the victims, the orchid left at the scenes, and an unexpected twist involving Yale University, just to name a few.

Then there’s the police aspect. The police procedures and interdepartmental relations are realistic, as is the partnership between Sam and Roger. There are plenty of gruesome details relating to the murder, several red herrings that baffle the cops, and plenty of future victims. And let’s not forget the crazy killer who somehow manages to keep a step ahead of the police.

The dialogue is snappy, the flow good, the characters interesting, and the premise so realistic that the plot could have been pulled from the headlines of any major newspaper. That’s what makes this story so bone-chilling. There really are people in the world capable of doing exactly what the villain in The Orchid Murders did. They all have family, friends and neighbors, and most of the time these people don’t have a clue. How common is it to hear afterwards on a news report…’he was the nicest young man’?

Lastly is the romance between Sam and Anderson. Their chemistry sparks immediately but it’s anything but smooth sailing for these two, since both have enough emotional baggage to sink any relationship. It takes a lot of work and understanding on both their parts to make a go of it and mostly, they’re doing it at different times, which made for all kinds of problems. In fact, despite their passion and desire they still fight like cats and dogs, making me want to smack them on the head and yell ‘grow up’.

On a final note, there are a few typos and point of view issues, but nothing that distracts too badly from the story.


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Now at Dreamspinner Press

Now at Dreamspinner Press
"This story is about two grown ass gay men that each have a little doubt for one reason or another if their relationship will work. The story is conveyed well and kept completely on the adult playing field, I loved it! When these two get going in the bedroom it is passionate and sensual."--TSM