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“Crimson Snow ”

written by Harriet Klausner on 23/06/2005

Crimson Snow

Jeanne M. Dams

Perseverance, Sep 2005, $13.95, 256 pp.

ISBN: 1880284790



In 1904 South Bend, Indiana, student Erik Johanssen rushes to the Studebaker Mansion to ask a favor of his older sister, the housemaid Hilda. Upset because his favorite teacher Miss Sophie Jacobs failed to show up at Colfax School and knowing his sibling solved mysteries that baffled the police, he wants Hilda to search for the missing teacher. Hilda says she is unable to leave her job at this time, but will meet with him later at the nearby firehouse where her boyfriend Patrick Cavanaugh works.



Not long afterward, the local newspapers scream out that someone murdered Sophie, whose body was found in a shed. Hilda prefers to stay out of this case, but Erik pleads with her. Believing her younger brother needs closure through justice, Hilda begins making inquiries into who might have been the victim's boyfriend as rumors surface that she was pregnant.



The latest Johanssen amateur sleuth historical tale combines a deep look at social issues of the times like a Swedish Lutheran unable to attend her best friend's Irish Catholic wedding due to religious reasons and emphasizes the gap between rich and poor inside a strong who-done-it. The homicide occurs somewhat into the first half of the tale so for the first quarter readers obtain a look at the era through the perspective of several characters, especially the heroine. The who-done-it is cleverly designed to keep readers guessing while also fostering further insight into Chicago at the turn of the century.



Harriet Klausner