Bundle of Trouble opened as Jim Connolly received a telephone call from a local morgue technician asking questions about his brother George. Police found his bags on the pier near where an unidentified body was pulled from the water. George was a transient who rarely was in contact with his family and they had not seen him in months.

In the meantime, Jim’s very pregnant wife Kate went into labor when her water broke. In the midst of worrying about George, Jim and Kate raced to the hospital where baby Laura came into the world.

Even before Kate returned home from the hospital, she was already trying to find out what happened to her brother-in-law. The first-time mom was also swamped with new-baby duties, trying to deal with her fluctuating emotions, and her husband’s subsequent arrest.

Several threads are prominent in Bundle of Trouble. Throughout the novel, Kate keeps a running daily to-do list that always includes more than she can conceivably accomplish at any time. Anyone who is a frazzled new mom can relate.

Secondly, Kate is anxious about returning to work, and spends much time trying to figure out how she can earn money and stay home with Laura before the end of her six-week maternity leave.

A third thread spends more time than necessary on the details of the trauma and angst Kate is feeling about having her first child. Unfortunately, this thread takes much more time than it should and takes away from an otherwise very good storyline.

Last is the mystery of where is George, who is the dead male in the morgue, why are those that Kate visits in her search for George also turning up dead, and how can she learn to do this detective work full time so she doesn’t have to go back to the dreaded corporate world.

Diana Orgain has written a marvelous mystery. Bundle of Trouble becomes much more interesting after mom and baby have settled in about a month after Laura’s birth, and Kate, and the author, gets down to the business of trying to solve the case.

The storyline is interesting and well written, as trying to unravel who has contributed to the growing number of bodies, and why, takes Kate through a number of scary and increasingly dangerous situations.

Orgain brings her debut maternal instincts mystery to a satisfying conclusion and an obvious set-up for more stories to follow. Kate is an energetic protagonist, the family members surrounding her are relatable and likeable, and the story moves at a fast pace. Further Kate Connolly mysteries will be a welcome addition to the cozy mystery genre.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Bundle of Trouble, you can find it at Amazon.com.