My parents named me Benjamin at birth, but now the only person who calls me that is my prickly Uncle Phil. Everyone else calls me Mess, a nickname coined by my older sister when we were kids. I glance around the motel room where I live. Clothes—mostly clean—are strewn everywhere. All the drawers in my utilitarian dresser are open. The top of the desk is cluttered with, well, who knows what. I guess I got my nickname honestly.

I operate the Fairfax Manor Inn, located in the lovely City of Fairfax, Virginia, for my world-traveling parents. They said I could keep whatever profits I make and implored me not to let the place fall apart. Somehow, Uncle Phil never quite got that memo so he tries to step in whenever he can with plans to upgrade, renovate, and rebrand. Attract a better, richer, clientele. For my part, I try to ignore him. Family, what can you do?

You see, my goal is to help people who really need it by providing a temporary refuge from dire situations. I open the motel doors up and invite them in, just long enough to allow them to regroup and find a path forward. And if they require some help from me—a little advice, some assistance with the law, or just a gentle push back out into the real world—then I’m here to provide it, along with my close group of friends and allies.

My phone rings. It’s Cesar Ruiz, the day-to-day motel manager, a seasoned industry veteran and the steady hand I rely on to keep things running smoothly. I’m not always so good with details. “What’s up, Cesar?”

“Our meeting is up, that’s what. It was supposed to start ten minutes ago.” He pauses. “You forgot again, didn’t you?” Cesar’s normal tone is all business, but now there’s an underlying layer of tolerance. As if he’s trying to explain how to be polite to a child. Of course, he has known me since I was a child, having worked for my parents since they bought the motel a couple of decades ago.

“Oh sure. I’ll be right over.” I hang up and throw on some clothes, then head across the parking lot toward the motel office. Before I get twenty feet, my buddy, D’Marvellus Jackson—Vell to his friends, and he has many—trots over.

“Hey man. Gotta minute?”

Usually, Vell starts out with some shooting-the-bull patter. When he doesn’t, I know something’s brewing. And often that means Mama has sent someone who needs help his way. My way. “For you, always.”

“Need a room.”

And so begins another day. The meeting with Cesar will have to wait. The purchase orders on my desk, the maintenance chores on my to-do list, the conversation I need to have with our linen vendor. Everything is put on hold.

Someone in trouble needs sanctuary.

Sanctuary Motel, A Mess Hopkins Mystery Book #1
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Release: October 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Purchase Link

Mess Hopkins, proprietor of the seen-better-days Fairfax Manor Inn, never met a person in need who couldn’t use a helping hand-his helping hand. So he’s thrown open the doors of the motel to the homeless, victims of abuse, or anyone else who could benefit from a comfy bed with clean sheets and a roof overhead. This rankles his parents and uncle, who technically still own the place and are more concerned with profits than philanthropy.

When a mother and her teenage boy seek refuge from an abusive husband, Mess takes them in until they can get back on their feet. Shortly after arriving, the mom goes missing and some very bad people come sniffing around, searching for some money they claim belongs to them. Mess tries to pump the boy for helpful information, but he’s in full uncooperative teen mode-grunts, shrugs, and monosyllabic answers. From what he does learn, Mess can tell he’s not getting the straight scoop. It’s not long before the boy vanishes too. Abducted? Run away? Something worse? And who took the missing money? Mess, along with his friend Vell Jackson and local news reporter Lia Katsaros, take to the streets to locate the missing mother and son-and the elusive, abusive husband-before the kneecapping loansharks find them first.

About the author
Alan Orloff has published ten novels and more than forty-five short stories. His work has won an Anthony, an Agatha, a Derringer, and two ITW Thriller Awards. His latest novel is Sanctuary Motel, from Level Best Books. He loves cake and arugula, but not together. Never together. He lives and writes in South Florida, where the examples of hijinks are endless. Connect with Alan at alanorloff.com.