Heritage of Darkness

Chloe Ellefson Mystery #4

by Kathleen Ernst

Chloe Ellefson returns with a new mystery rooted in Norwegian heritage For curator Chloe Ellefson, a family bonding trip to Decorah, Iowa for rosemaling classes seems like a great idea--until they start driving. Chloe's cop boyfriend Roelke takes her mom's talk of proposal ideas good-naturedly, but it causes Chloe's emotional distress to increase with each passing mile.

After finally reaching the Vesterheim Museum, Chloe's efforts to remain positive are slammed shut when she and Roelke find Petra Lekstrom's body in one of the museum's antique immigrant trunks. Everyone is shaken by the class instructor's murder, and when her mom volunteers to take over Petra's class, Chloe is put in the hot seat of motherly criticism. As she investigates, Chloe uncovers dark family secrets that could be deadly for her mom--and even herself.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Adult, Historical

344 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

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 someone interested in historical fiction. I also developed and scripted instructional videos for public television. Finally, though, it got to be too much to juggle. I now write full-time, and consider myself enormously fortunate to do something I love.

Reviews

[Jeanne Adamek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading a lot of books that have been on my shelves for a while. Books that I tried when they came out but couldn't get into for some reason. And because I want to try to clean up my shelves I have been trying to read them to see if they stay or leave. Although a lot I DID dnf after trying to get into a 3rd or even a 4th time (I read at least 50 to 100 pages before dnf-ing) this book will be leaving too. I must point out that it was well written; I just can never see me reading this again.

What I liked:
1) The large amount of history that was brought into the story-- I loved it.
2) The passion that was expressed in the characters hobbies. I love reading about someones hobby and the passion they bring into it. Even if it is a hobby I have no intrest in.
3) The snow. It has been very hot here.

What I hated:
1) Whiny main characters.
2) The ending of the story. I thought it was a total cop-out.
3) Whiny main characters.
4) Whiny main characters.
I guess this was a case of me and the book not getting along...

3,4 stars

[Janice Liedl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've steered clear of Kathleen Ernst's mysteries for a few years, mostly because the stories seemed to hit too close to home. Chloe, the protagonist, is a Norwegian-American academic/public history professional whose mother attended Luther College back in the day. I worried she'd get something wrong or make fun of the Norwegian-American culture I knew so well. Nevertheless, I picked this book up and, boy, howdy!, am I glad that I did.

Chloe Ellefson is on a road trip with her mother and her, erm, boyfriend/guy/fella/whatever you call it, Roelke McKenna. They're on their way to Decorah, Iowa, to participate in rosemaling and chip-carving classes and, in Chloe's case, a little mother/daughter bonding. But Chloe stumbles upon a stowed-away body in an antique trunk in the museum/heritage arts center that's at the heart of the story and all their plans go out the window. There's a murder to solve that threatens the Vesterheim museum and a lot of secrets dating back to a group of artisans known as The Sixty-Seven.

Ernst did an excellent job at bringing these out-of-towners right into the heart of the investigation. Roelke, Chloe and her mom, Margit, make connections with many people in Decorah - old friends of Margit's (Chloe's mother) and investigators who are eager to take advantage of Roelke's insider connection with the Norwegian-American community linked to the murder and plagued by frightening attacks.

The mystery is deftly woven into the museum's culture and even the 1980s setting but you're not hit over the head with Ernst's encyclopedic knowledge of the context. Instead, the folk-painting, carving and customs weave in and out of the gripping mystery that's touched by personal conflicts emerging between Chloe and her artist mother as well as Chloe and Roelke. Add in some serious peril as the mystery heats up and this book was impossible to put down until I'd reached the end.

Now I have some back-tracking to do: books one, two and three are in my to-read queue and you can bet I'll be looking for another adventure featuring Chloe and Roelke from this fine author.

Book releases October 8, 2013: review based on ARE provided by Midnight Ink via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these excursions with Chloe back in time before the internet and cell phones. Yes, we did survive :)

Chloe really does need to rebuild her relationship with her mother and poor Roelke is caught in the middle.Both women are very stubborn and set in their ways. Can a murder bring them together or will it drive them even farther apart? No spoilers here. You will need to read it for yourself.

Beyond Chloe and her mother’s story there is a rich story of Norwegian Heritage woven within the murder mystery. I have learned so much but not in a history book way. Some of the traditions I knew from Wisconsin History classes in high school and college but put into a story such as this where they effect actual people you are getting to know gives it so much perspective. It also helps solve the mystery of the murder.

Ernst creates such vibrant characters. She takes us back to the 80′s and even back to 1949 and 1967 to help us piece together the clues. You know she has done her research and she does travel to events so that she can bring them to life in these pages for all of us to enjoy. I picked up the first book in these series because it was set here in Wisconsin and it didn’t take more than a few chapters to become a huge fan of Kathleen Ernst. She is an awesome storyteller.

I believe you can read Heritage of Darkness easily as a stand alone, but I know then you are going to want to read the rest of of the series too. Just a little warning, I have found with Kathleen’s books, that once you start them they are extremely hard to put down so plan accordingly.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This definitely wasn’t the week Chloe had in mind but it made for a good story. The mystery was good and I never saw the culprit coming. I enjoyed learning about all the Norwegian culture and I appreciated the pictures at the end of many of the artifacts in the book. Now I just have to google some so I can get the full effect of color pictures.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is my favorite Chloe book yet! I really enjoyed learning more about Norwegian culture, and I'm glad to see some positive progression in Chloe's relationships. The killer was surprising, and yet so very sad.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will never be able to look at my lefse rolling pin the same.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this, the fourth book in the Chloe Ellefson series, author Kathleen Ernst captures the Norwegian immigration experience in ways different from her previous novels. The rich artistic traditions are again imbedded within a complicated mystery, this time through a week-long rosemaling and carving class at Vesterhein, the Norwegian-American Museum in northwest Iowa. Chloe, the collator of collections at Old World Wisconsin and her boyfriend, Roelke McKenna, a police officer in the small village of Eagle, accompany her mother, Marit, an award-winning artisan, to the intensive week of folk art classes in the hope of improving the mother-daughter relationship.

First, however, a murder, a series of accidents and illnesses, and 35 years of thorny relationships need to be unraveled by Chloe and Roelke.

Carefully researched, Ernst imbeds the artistic traditions within the story along with the Norwegian mythological beliefs of light and darkness, good and evil. Placing the folk art within the context of long Norwegian winters, isolated families, bone-breaking farm work, the reader is led to understand the concept of light and dark and appreciate the hardships endured. That theme brought chills to me as the plot unfolded darkly.

Another plot strand examined involves the developing relationship between Chloe and Roelke. Will their differences be a deal breaker? Reflective of the times, 1981, and the close culture, they are challenged by those who believe unless two people can understand where they have come from, what they know, who they are, their relationship cannot survive.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chloe, intent of repairing her relationship with her mother, has signed up for a week of rosemaling classes with her mother. Along for the ride is Roelke, a police officer with whom Chloe has a complicated relationship. Upon their arrival, however, instead of a week of traditional Christmas festivities, they trio finds themselves in the middle of a murder investigation.
This is a traditional mystery, which means that, while there is some romance, there is no sex and no graphic descriptions of violence.
Heritage of Darkness explores Chloe's Norwegian heritage. As a non-Norwegian, I found this completely fascinating. I am a transplant to the midwest and one thing I have loved about living here is learning more about the immigrant experience and how certain traditions have survived. This book was wonderfully researched and whetted my appetite to learn more. I also really loved that the author wrote a note at the beginning of the book to explain what changes she made to actual events.
Kathleen Ernst, the author, has a wonderful website with auxiliary materials for the books, including more historical research, pictures, and recipes!
Heritage of Darkness is the fourth book in the Chloe Ellefson series. This was the first that I have read but that did not take away any of my enjoyment of this book. Heritage of Darkness is an excellent mystery - even if you haven't read the entire series (or any of it, for that matter.) I look forward to getting caught up with the series and also to future reads.

[Biblio Files (takingadayoff) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm surprised that I have read four of the mysteries in the series (this is the fourth and most recent), because I have no connection with Wisconsin or Scandanavian geneaology or museum curators or small town cops. When I read the first in the series I found the main characters a little too intense (and tense) to be very likeable, but somehow I am still here for the fourth episode.

I liked this episode but it isn't as good as the previous novel, The Lightkeeper's Legacy. The mother/daughter tension is believable and interesting and the boyfriend in the middle, trying to alternately mediate and stay out of the line of fire, is fun to watch.

I don't find Chloe's "gift" of sensing previous lives in objects very believable, or necessary, but as long as I can treat it as a quirk of hers, I can go with it. If it begins to be an important part of her character and the stories, I'm bailing out. Meanwhile, it's a fun series.

[Patrizia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Altra bella storia ambientata nel 1982 con tanti riferimenti al folklore e all'artigianato norvegesi (molto interessanti le fotografie alla fine del libro). Mi è piaciuto che sia stato molto spazio all'evolversi dei rapporti personali della protagonista con la madre o con il suo boyfriend. La soluzione del giallo mi ha colto di sorpresa e un po' mi ha intristito perché il colpevole mi piaceva.

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This didn't have the same amount of gripping chill-factor that most of the other Chloe Ellefson mysteries, but it was still an engaging read. I loved learning about Norwegian Christmas customs and material culture.

[Kathleen Schilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good installment in the series, glad that they moved the relationship forward.

[Mary Kamrath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heritage of Darkness is a fun, quick mystery centered in Decorah, IA. Many of the locations were familiar and added a bit of extra interest to the story.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book!
Amateur mystery sleuth Chloe Ellefson is in Decorah, Iowa, with her male friend (Roelke McKenna) and her mother (Marit Kallerud) to take rosemaling and wood carving classes at the famed Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. Rosemaling instructor Petra Lekstom is found murdered in one of the antique immigrant trunks in the museum, done in with a lefse rolling pin. Petra was not well liked, but who disliked her so much to kill her?
I learned much about the Norwegian immigrant experience from this story! Did you know that "vesterheim" means "our western home" in Norwegian? The author uses the backdrop of the museum and 1982 Decorah as the setting while adding in objects of Norsk heritage and folklore: the betrothal carved mangle, the budstrikke (wood message tube), the primstav (carved calendar stick), the Julebukker and the Julebukk (goat head), and early winter traditions. Photos of the featured artifacts from the real Norwegian-American museum are included.
I picked up this book while touring the museum in Decorah. The Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum is the largest most comprehensive museum in the United States dedicated to a single immigrant group. If you have a chance to visit, please do!
Author Kathleen Ernst has written 3 other Chloe Ellefson mysteries and 1 nonfiction books.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chloe Ellefson and her boyfriend, Roelke, are spending Christmas with her mother at the Decorah, Iowa Norwegian Center. Her mother is a member of the Sixty Seven, a group of experts in rosemailing. The very first day, Chloe finds the body of Petra Lekstrom in an antique trunk. Roelke is asked to assist the police in solving the crime and, as the week progresses, Chloe is convinced that the members of the Sixty Seven are all in grave danger. This is an excellent series and I enjoy the history as well as the mystery.

[Katie Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It kept my attention and I couldn't figure out the ending of it which makes a good mystery.

I really enjoy how Kathleen teaches so much about Norwegian history!! I just wished when I lived back in the Midwest I had know about Decorah. It will definitely be on the list of places to visit when I make a trip back home.

[Joan Colby · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I liked her first two Chloe Elefson mysteries, more the first than the second, this one had long and boring stretches about Norwegian rosemaling and folk culture before culminating in a fairly exciting but predictable conclusion.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very fun story -- love the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, and Luther College references! Traditional Norwegian-American arts, foods, stories, and museum events and classes come to life in the pages of this book. The main thing this book lacks is a good editor.

[Cheryl Gatling]

Chloe Ellefson’s mother is a gold medalist in the Norwegian art of rosemaling, which is painting flowers and other designs on furniture. Chloe has never had any interest in learning rosemaling herself, one of the reasons she thinks she has always been a disappointment to her mother. Chloe surprises everyone by suggesting she and her mother spend a week at Vesterheim, the Norwegian museum in Decorah, Iowa, taking rosemaling classes together. Chloe’s boyfriend Roelke (although Chloe hates the word “boyfriend”) comes along, too, to take a class in Norwegian chip carving.

Things get off to an uncomfortable start when Chloe’s mom keeps talking to Roelke about Norwegian customs of courtship and marriage. Chloe also feels her mom is a harsh judge of her, and criticizes everything she does. But then things turn really bad when one of the rosemaling instructors, Petra Lekstrom, is found stuffed in an antique trunk. Someone had bashed her on the head with a lefse rolling pin.

Chloe and Roelke plow ahead with their classes, while trying to investigate on the side. Turns out everyone hated Petra, but did anyone hate her enough to kill her? It’s hard to find out, since everyone is being Midwest Nice, and doesn’t want to spread malicious gossip. As if that weren’t enough to do, the museum is overworked and understaffed, and Chloe is asked to do some curator work, specifically interviewing some old people about Norwegian folk customs.

I didn’t mention that it’s Christmas. But this is no Hallmark movie holiday. Some of the Norwegian traditions are decidedly dark (hence the title). People believed that evil spirits were abroad at this time of year. One of the traditions was yulebukking, which was when people dressed up in creepy costumes and went house to house. In the old days the costumes including carrying a goat’s head on a stick, a real goat’s head on a stick, and Chloe had been traumatized by visiting yulebukkers when she was a child. Nowadays they used a carved goat’s head, but it was still creepy. It doesn’t help that it’s freezing cold and dark. As Chloe says, “holiday fun and evil intent arrived hand-in-hand in Scandi-land this time of year.”

There is plenty of evil intent to come. There are near-escapes for almost everyone. There are fear, excitement, and precious artifacts. But there is also krumkakke. And that helps. Another old-timey saying comes from Roelke: “sometimes the only thing you can do for people you care about is make sure they eat a good meal.”

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chloe is determined to work on her relationship with her mother and the two, joined by Chloe’s boyfriend Roelke, travel to Decorah, Iowa. there the trio explore Chloe and Marit’s Norwegian heritage and take classes exploring Norwegian folk arts.

After finally reaching the Vesterheim Museum, Chloe's dreams of a peaceful visit are dashed when she and Roelke find rosemaling teacher Petra Lekstrom's body in one of the museum's antique immigrant trunks. Everyone is shaken by the murder, and almost everyone is a suspect.
Marit becomes the teacher for the class in which Chloe is enrolled. This creates tension for Chloe who feels her mother scrutinizes all she does. Roelke agrees to work with local police to share any information he overhears in the museum and the classes. As Chloe helps Roelke dig up clues, she discovers dark family secrets that could be deadly for her mom and Marit’s friends.

I love this series, I love this book! The Chloe Ellefson Mysteries combine history with mystery. I learn so much about the area of the country in which I grew up. It makes me want to travel all year long to visit these places. I visit Decorah at least once a year, sometimes more, and I have never visited the Vesterheim Museum. This book made me want to get in the car and drive. The characters in this book do not disappoint. Chloe and Roelke struggle through life and their relationship just like real people. As new characters are introduced they are developed well and easy to picture. This story moves at a nice pace. History is easily interwoven with the storyline and one does not overshadow the other. The author does a fabulous job of using words to draw a picture of the setting. In my mind I picture all of the Nisser looking out of house windows or placed in the yards of homes throughout Decorah. I highly recommend this book. It can stand alone, but the series is a fabulous read.

[Denise Link · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look at all this research I did! I learned several Norwegian words and stories! I can weave it into a mystery plot and shoehorn in a mother-daughter conflict!

Would I (Denise now) be as critical if the culture in question was less familiar to me? Because I grew up in a different Iowa Norwegian community, and Decorah's immigrants must have come from a different region of the motherland. Most annoying: the good kind of lefse is *not* made with potatoes (ok, that's a raging debate, but address it!), and that rolling pin/weapon is used to make a different variety of flatbread altogether (a lefse pin has a square cut surface, not the ridges described here and pictured on the cover). I never heard of most of the mythology presented here, but then again, Story City is mostly in it for the food. She got krumkaka right, and fruit soup. And rosemaling. (But where was the lutefisk? Too much for outsiders? Probably. There was one passing mention of "boiled cod"... Maybe that was it.) Actually, the description of the traditional dress supports my theory of the region of origin, too. Our dresses were pretty universally black and red (also, not coincidentally, our school colors).

So, complaining about the clunky cultural presentation aside, this book is a pretty mundane cozy. They sell it at the museum featured in the story, and that's appropriate. Don't go out of your way to pick up a copy.

[Hemavathy DM Suppiah-Devi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know more now about Norwegian artwork and customs than I ever thought I would. I've again the amount of detail in the book is astounding, Ernst has clearly done her research. I loved the scenes between Chloe and her mom, though I wish there had been a confrontation or too. Chloe was clearly feeling unwanted and ignored but we never got to hear how Merit felt about her daughter and what she wanted from the relationship. It was nice to see that Chloe and Roelke were finally dating, and I really liked that we got a balance as to how invested both were in the relationship. we got to see Roelke's fears and insecurities too. And of course the mystery was very good, all those deaths and not a clue, and winter closing in. I did feel a little let down at the end, as I'd have preferred a linger denoument. But I like how it all comes down to the Norwegian belief that darkness and light go hand in hand. Both are necessary for the other to survive. Balance is needed in life. Though I have to agree with Chloe, julebukking sounds truly terrifying.

[Claudia Cheyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the previous book in this series, Chloe Ellefson made a resolution to spend more time with her family and close friends during the week she spent alone on Rock Island. This story opens with Chloe, her mother Marit, and her boyfriend Roelke travelling to Decorah, Iowa for a week of classes at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. Chloe is taking beginning rosemaling while Roelke will be studying wood carving. Marit signed up for an advanced painting class. At the welcome party Chloe takes a peek in an antique immigrant trunk and discovers the body of the woman who was supposed to be teaching one of the classes. It seems as though everyone has good reason to dislike the victim. Chloe and Roelke assist the local law enforcement people. Their week of relaxing suddenly turns stressful as the murder investigation becomes their top priority.

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kathleen Ernst's fourth book in the Chloe Ellefson series is perfect for a lazy afternoon.

Chloe and Roelke travel with Chloe's mother to Verterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah Iowa. They're participating in Norwegian craft workshops at the museum and, of course, there's a murder. More than that, it seems someone is threatening the experienced crafters, the Seventy-Six. Of course Chloe and Roelke investigate, becoming entangled in a web of jealousy and envy that stretches back to 1976.

Ernst writes charming mysteries filled with romance, history of objects and customs, and plenty of twists.

[JB · Rating 3 out of 5]

First one I've read in this series, I liked it, there was a little bit of whoo-whoo business, but not enough to put me off (I hate anything supernatural, magical or ghost like in my books) the crafting folk art aspect was very interesting. The investigation was pretty amateur, but not bad, the bad guy was very very bad (and I didn't guess who it was). Chloe seemed like a bit of a bitch (especially to her mother) sometimes but perhaps that is explained in prior books. I would probably read another.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just found this author in December and am working my way through her books. This book was fun to read as I was able to learn some facts and history about a small town in Iowa, that I am slowly becoming acquainted with and the college located there that my daughter attends.
Normally when I read a mystery, I have some idea of who did it, before I get to the end of the book, but the Chloe Ellefson Mysteries keep me guessing until the end.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is absolutely terrific! I read this in a few days simply because I couldn't put it down! What a wonderful story -- Kathleen has done such a good job of combining plot with tidbits of history and knowledge at every turn. I thought I knew a decent amount about my Scandinavian heritage, but this book has taught me even more and inspired me to look further into the unique cultural region that my ancestors came from (and their rosemaling!).

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again I found the interwoven historical mystery to be fascinating. The setting moved to Iowa and to a town I had visited many years ago, which made me want to go back again to see all that I had missed. The story was crafted well and kept me guessing until near the end, while my suspicions had been aroused a bit before then, I was not certain until the closing chapters. Well done, and I am about to move on to the fifth book in the series.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I love all of the Chloe Ellefson Mysteries, but this one piqued my interest even more. One, I read it at Christmas-time, which was the perfect time to read it. Second, I loved learning about the Norwegian culture and art forms. It's my own back ground, so it was fun to learn all about that.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fourth book in the Chloe Ellefson series, Chloe goes to Decoraj, Iowa in hopes of bonding more with her mother while taking rosemaling classes in which her mother is an expert. When one of her mother's old friends is found dead, things get much worse and Chloe continues to question herself and her relationships.