Böcker av Kathleen Ernst

Four months after her turbulent arrival, Pomeranian immigrant Hanneke Bauer is still struggling to feel at home on the Wisconsin farm she inherited from her husband. She does savor a growing friendship with tinsmith Karoline Ketzler, but that solace vanishes when Karoline's daughter Jacobine finds her father dead from a vicious attack.When the deputy sheriff's suspicions fall on Karoline, Hanneke employs her own talents to investigate the crime. The search reveals dangerous cultural rifts and astonishing family secrets. Hanneke's tenacity and intellect help edge her closer to the truth...but will her efforts provoke the killer to strike again?

A Killer Weaves a Deadly Blend of Betrayal and Revenge that Threatens Chloe's Work ... and Her LifeWhen offered a rare opportunity to help develop a fledgling historic site dedicated to Finnish American history and heritage, curator Chloe Ellefson journeys to the remote Northwoods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.In addition to the consultant job, she's on a personal quest to learn about the enduring tradition of rag rug weaving. Encountering a dead body upon arrival, however, immediately puts that goal in jeopardy. Although suspicion soon falls on her new colleagues, Chloe is determined to persevere ... even if it means ignoring the advice of her new husband, police officer Roelke McKenna. Can she identify the killer and complete her mission, or will all her dreams unravel?

Hanneke Bauer quickly learns that Wisconsin farm life in 1855 is not as bucolic as it seems when she finds her husband dead upon her arrival.

As collections curator for Old World Wisconsin, Chloe delights in losing herself in antiques and folk traditions. When her friend's historic house is broken into, and a grisly murder takes place on the museum grounds, Chloe is drawn in to a case of plain, old-fashioned murderous greed.

A Road Trip into the Past Turns DeadlyChloe Ellefson and her sister, Kari, have long dreamed of visiting each historic site dedicated to Laura Ingalls Wilder. When Chloe takes custody of a quilt once possibly owned by the beloved author, the sisters set out on the trip of a lifetime, hoping to prove that Wilder stitched it herself. But death strikes as the journey begins, and trouble stalks their fellow travelers. Among the Little House devotees are academic critics, greedy collectors, and obsessive fans. Kari is distracted by family problems, and unexpected news from Chloe's boyfriend jeopardizes her own future. As the sisters travel deeper into Wilder territory, Chloe races to discover the truth about a precious artifact-and her own heart-before a killer can strike again.

Curator Chloe Ellefson is off to Minneapolis to help her friend Ariel write the proposal for a controversial restoration project. The Minnesota Historical Society wants to convert an abandoned flour mill, currently used as shelter by homeless people, into a museum. But when a dead body is found stuffed into a grain chute, Chloe's attention turns from milling to murder.Back in Milwaukee, Chloe's love interest, Roelke, has been slammed with the news that a fellow officer was killed while on duty. Sifting through clues both past and present, Chloe and Roelke discover dangerous secrets that put their lives-and their trust in each other-at risk.

The poems in Balancing were inspired by the experiences of women who, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, sought new homes in the Upper Midwest. The first waves of pioneers, predominantly Yankees from Northeastern states, were soon followed by European immigrants. Few women recorded their struggles and satisfactions, but by juxtaposing research and imagination, Kathleen Ernst breathes new life into their forgotten stories.