28 ratings | 27 reviews | avg rating:4.64

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read (28)
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contemporary-fiction (2)
for-young-readers (4)
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Kathleen’s Friends (137)

Kristin Whitehouse

3,381 books | 87 friends

Sue

3,923 books | 114 friends

Elizabeth

2,170 books | 24 friends

Stephanie Fitzgerald

12,140 books | 1,378 friends

Elizabeth

11,436 books | 1,075 friends

Mickey

28,242 books | 74 friends

BookishBetty

3,379 books | 130 friends

Alan Orloff

531 books | 1,253 friends

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Kathleen Ernst

Goodreads Author

Born

Scranton, PA, The United States

Website

http://www.kathleenernst.com

Genre

Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers, History

Member Since

July 2010

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/kathleen_ernst

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I grew up in Maryland, in a house full of books! Both of my parents were avid readers, thank goodness. Before we traveled to a new area, my librarian-mom used to bring home historical novels set in that place. It was a great way to get excited about history.

I began writing stories when I was maybe 10 or 11. At 15 I wrote my first novel; I sold my first novel to a publisher 20 years later! Writing was my hobby, so during those two decades I just kept practicing, reading, writing some more. What a thrill to finally hold my first book in my hand! Still, I write because I enjoy the process (at least most of the time).

For years I wrote while working at other day jobs. I spent 12 years working at a huge historic site, which was a perfect spot for ...more

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Kathleen Ernst’s books

Average rating: 4.01 · 21,590 ratings · 2,432 reviews · 57 distinct works • Similar authors

	Meet Caroline (American Girls: Caroline, #1) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.14 avg rating — 2,190 ratings — published 2012 — 10 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Old World Murder (Chloe Ellefson Mystery #1) 3.60 avg rating — 2,045 ratings — published 2010 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Danger at the Zoo: A Kit Mystery by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Jean Paul Tibbles (Illustrator) 4.05 avg rating — 1,219 ratings — published 2005 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caroline's Secret Message (American Girls: Caroline, #2) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.15 avg rating — 1,148 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caroline's Battle (American Girls: Caroline, #5) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.20 avg rating — 1,004 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Surprise for Caroline (American Girls: Caroline, #3) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.97 avg rating — 982 ratings — published 2012 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Heirloom Murders (Chloe Ellefson Mystery #2) 3.85 avg rating — 1,002 ratings — published 2011 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Light Keeper's Legacy (Chloe Ellefson Mystery #3) 3.83 avg rating — 991 ratings — published 2012 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Caroline Takes a Chance (American Girls: Caroline, #4) by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Robert Papp (Illustrator), Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 4.11 avg rating — 918 ratings — published 2012 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Secrets in the Hills: A Josefina Mystery by Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author), Jean-Paul Tibbles (Illustrator) 4.01 avg rating — 747 ratings — published 2006 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Kathleen Ernst…

464 posts
Kathleen Ernst's Blog

The Lovett Girls of Harpers Ferry

Note from Kathleen – I am delighted to welcome my friend and colleague Lynn Pechuekonis to my blog today! Lynn was kind enough to serve as content expert while I was writing Between These Rivers, which features the Hill Top House. Lynn recently published a fascinating nonfiction book about the famous hotel and the remarkable […]

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Published on March 15, 2026 13:22

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Series by Kathleen Ernst

American Girl: Caroline (6 books)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author),

Robert Papp (Illustrator),

Lisa Papp (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator)

4.09 avg rating — 8,340 ratings

Chloe Ellefson Mystery (11 books)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author)

3.92 avg rating — 7,688 ratings

American Girl Kit Mysteries (7 books)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author),

Jean Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

4.01 avg rating — 3,647 ratings

American Girl Kirsten Mysteries (1 book)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author),

Jean-Paul Tibbles (Illustrator)

3.96 avg rating — 579 ratings

Hanneke Bauer Mystery (3 books)
by

Kathleen Ernst (Goodreads Author)

4.33 avg rating — 454 ratings

More series by Kathleen Ernst…

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Kathleen’s Recent Updates

Kathleen Ernst wrote a new blog post The Lovett Girls of Harpers Ferry Note from Kathleen – I am delighted to welcome my friend and colleague Lynn Pechuekonis to my blog today! Lynn was kind enough to serve as content exp Read more of this blog post »
Mar 16, 2026 12:20AM · 1 like · like

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Quotes by Kathleen Ernst (?)

“Skidmore,”
― Kathleen Ernst, Midnight in Lonesome Hollow

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“Lydia Livingston was Caroline’s cousin—and one of her best friends,”
― Kathleen Ernst, The Smuggler's Secrets: A Caroline Mystery

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“Finally Señor Zamora worked his way around the box. He nodded at Miguel, and the two men lifted away the wooden lid. Teresita and Josefina stepped closer, peering to see. The treasure was wrapped in heavy canvas. Señor Zamora wiped his hands on his trousers—which were no cleaner than he was—before grasping the top edge of the old canvas and pulling it aside. Josefina saw a glint of gold just as she heard Señor Zamora’s shocked exclamation. For a long moment, no one seemed able to find words.”
― Kathleen Ernst, Secrets in the Hills: A Josefina Mystery

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Cozy Mysteries : Read the Season - Summer	44	144	Sep 27, 2011 07:51PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2637	937	Aug 31, 2012 09:02PM
The Seasonal Read...: Winter Challenge 2012-2013: Completed Tasks - DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2485	867	Feb 28, 2013 09:01PM
Cozy Mysteries : What Cozy Did You Just Finish Reading??? (Archive)	6235	2614	Jun 25, 2013 01:29PM
Crazy Challenge C...: Fall 2012 S-p-e-l-l Challenge	202	130	Jul 09, 2013 04:15PM
The Seasonal Read...: Summer Challenge 2013: Completed Tasks (DO NOT DELETE POSTS)	2503	773	Aug 31, 2013 09:04PM

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Kathleen’s Friend Comments

Comments (showing 1-2) post a comment »

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message 2: by Sue

Aug 23, 2010 07:27PM

I loved Laura Ingalls Wilder as a child, too! A friend mentioned them today and I decided they would definitely be worth a re-read after all these years.

reply | flag

message 1: by Sue

Aug 09, 2010 03:45PM

Nice to connect with you, too. I'm looking forward to reading your work.

reply | flag

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