When the Law Needs Help Dwight and Conrad Case Files Book 1
Mystery, Gay Romance
Independent
November 10, 2023
Kindle
293
Amazon
Can love, loyalty, and family step in when the law needs help?
Join Jack Horwood and Gareth Flynn as they tackle murder, secrets, and moral dilemmas in a world where the law isn't always enough - while finding comfort in each other and their home-made family.
The first volume of Dwight & Conrad Casefiles stories includes:
Mouse Hunt: When a friend's death and old secrets collide, Jack has no choice but to step up and help.
A Very Bagpuss Christmas: Can adopting a cat really cause so much heartache that Jack considers escaping to Tokyo? Can Gareth fix what's going wrong?
Grand Union Hunt: Gareth lives to help people. But should he obey the law or follow his conscience?
When the Law Needs Help is a collection of three stories set in and featuring the characters from the Power of Zero world.
Review By Ulysses Dietz
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Although technically an anthology of three long stories (Mouse Hunt, A Very Bagpuss Christmas, Grand Union Hunt), this book does dual service as a part of the Power of Zero series (the stories of Jack Horwood and Gareth Flynn), as well as the launch volume for the new series, the Dwight and Conrad Case Files.
These three books focus on the mysterious death of an old friend and mentor of Jack Horwood’s; the aftermath of bringing home Jack’s late friend’s cat, Bagpuss; and the search for the truth behind an innocent woman’s arrest on drug charges. All of the stories focus on Gareth a bit more than Jack, but also include important roles for the unofficial couple’s two foster sons, Daniel and Nico. Although the mysteries (i.e. legal wrongs to be righted) are plenty of fun in themselves, it is the relationships between the two adult men and the two teenage boys that matter most. Jack and Gareth are finally getting on really solid ground with their relationship, and their connection to the rescued teenagers grows ever stronger and more interdependent. This is a family in which everybody needs everyb0dy else—and now there’s a cat with his own large personality.
For all their narrative charm, these stories have substantial emotional heft, which is—for me—the central and lasting appeal. The Dwight and Conrad case files will go in a different direction, while the Power of Zero series will continue with at least one more book.
One thing that struck me as I drew to the end of this book is that these are clearly not primarily aimed at readers like me (older gay men) as much as they are targeting a classic m/m audience: straight women. This is suggested by the fact that the word “gay” appears nowhere in any of the books, and both Jack and Gareth are bisexuals, something of which the author discreetly but consistently reminds the reader in every book. Add that to the fact there are no other gay characters in any of the books, and that the men have no gay friends, and you have a series that, for all its wonderful features, left me feeling oddly on the outside.