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?

Kathleen Ernst is a social historian, educator, and bestselling author. Kathleen's forty-two published books encompass mysteries, historical fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. The Chloe Ellefson Mysteries feature a museum curator whose knowledge of the past helps solve contemporary crimes. Her children's books include twenty titles for American Girl.

Honors for Kathleen's work include multiple Agatha nominations, an Edgar nomination, a Lovey Award for Best Traditional Mystery, the American Heritage Women in the Arts Recognition Award from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a National Park Service Residency, a Major Achievement Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers, the Sterling North Legacy Award for Children's Literature, and an Emmy Award for Children's Instructional Programming.

Kathleen lives in Middleton, Wisconsin, with her husband Scott (AKA "Mr. Ernst") and feline muse Eliza.

Livestream: Kathleen Ernst