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    Old World Murder
    Old World Murder
    Old World Murder
    Audiobook10 hours

    Old World Murder

    Written by Kathleen Ernst

    Narrated by Elise Arsenault

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Trying to leave painful memories behind her, Chloe Ellefson is making a fresh start. She's the new collections curator at Old World Wisconsin, an outdoor ethnic museum showcasing 1870s settlement life. On her first day, Chloe meets with an elderly woman who begs her to find a priceless eighteenth-century Norwegian ale bowl that had been donated to the museum years ago. But before Chloe can find the heirloom and return it to her, the woman dies in a suspicious car crash.

    Digging up the history and whereabouts of the rare artifact quickly turns dangerous. Chloe discovers that someone is desperately trying to cover up all traces of the bowl's existence-by any means necessary. Assisting Chloe is police officer Roelke McKenna, whose own haunting past compels him to protect her. To catch the covetous killer, Chloe must solve a decades-old puzzle . . . before she becomes a part of history herself.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 25, 2017
    ISBN9781541470279
    Old World Murder
    Author

    Kathleen Ernst

    Kathleen Ernst is a bestselling novelist, historian, and educator who writes for adults and kids. Her books for young readers include fifteen novels for American Girl. She created Caroline Abbott, the company’s newest historical character, and has written seven books about her. Ernst also writes the Chloe Ellefson Mysteries for adults and mature teens. Honors for her work include Edgar and Agatha Award nominations and an Emmy Award in children’s programming. Visit her at www.kathleenernst.com.

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    Reviews for Old World Murder

    3.5/5

    56 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Very good. A mixture of history and Mystery what could be better
    • 4/5
      liked it a lot.
    • 3/5
      This was a good book in spite of the fact that the main character is battling some very weighty issues with depression. I don't normally like my cozy mysteries to be "heavy", but the protag showed enough spunk to keep me reading what was a good, if a bit convoluted, story. I'll read the next one, but if the mood doesn't show signs of lightening up, I might abandon the series after the second one. But I would recommend this book.
    • 3/5
      On her first day at her new job in a historical reenactment museum, Chloe Ellefson meets an older woman looking for an artifact donated nearly 25 years earlier. When the older woman dies in a car accident immediately after the encounter, Chloe finds herself looking into the artifact more closely. The basic premise of the book was enjoyable, but parts of it could have used more editing.
    • 3/5
      I picked this book up because I work closely with a museum, and I was intrigued to see a fictional portrayal of life inside a small museum, complete with murder and mayhem. In this way, at least, I was not disappointed. Unlike the colorful thrillers of folks like Preston and Child (ala The Relic, Cabinet of Curiosities, etc.) this was much more museum and much less thriller. The setting felt eerily familiar, as did the relationships between characters. Unfortunately, I had an extremely difficult time sympathizing with the main character. While her boss was made out to be a politically-minded bully with whom I certainly would not have gotten along in the real world myself, I wanted to take his side when Chloe decided to completely disregard her job assignments in favor of chasing what was only a mildly-intriguing mystery, at best. In the same way, I was completely on the side of the police officer/love interest who got pissed at her for chasing bad guys around.

      On the other hand, I recognize all these symptoms from trying to write my own novels. I suspect the author or wanting to take a truly real-world situation and inject some excitement into it by adding mystery, by justifying her characters' actions with real-world issues like self-destructive depression. As I've mentioned so many times before, I prefer my fiction on the less-well grounded side. I'll take whimsey over caution any day.

      The resolution to the mystery, at least, was satisfying enough, and the prose well-written. A quick, easy read.
    • 4/5
      This book was heavier on the history than most mysteries I've read, and I enjoyed the changed of pace a lot. The mystery part almost took a background to the historical aspects, but it worked, especially for this first in the series.
    • 2/5
      Another freebie for the Kindle app I had my doubts that I'd actually finish this one. It wasn't that the story wasn't interesting or the setting, but Chloe was such a shrewish little flake that I could barely stand her. I understand and empathize with the challenge to make a character interesting and not a sickly-sweet, Mary-Sue, but damn if Ms. Ernst didn't go whole-hog the other way and make Chloe almost too grating to be around. But I stuck with it because the other character, Officer Roelke McKenna was kind of worth reading about and I wanted to see if he could settle her ass down despite her thinking she was so much more worldly.That and why the hell would anyone steal an old ale bowl no matter how nice its decorative qualities. It just seemed so strange that I wanted to know. Because Chloe isn't a detective or anything even close, the investigation, such at it was, isn't exactly organized or straightforward. She blunders into a lot of things and of course a lot of strange shit happens because of her proximity to the real mystery. This isn't a straight up clue and consequence type book though and the haphazard style fit the way Chloe barges through the world.I don't think I'll be reading any more of these, but it was enjoyable to see Chloe kind of straighten out her life, let go of her crush on her gay friend (out in 1982? hm....?), save her job, find the ale bowl and maybe succumb to Roelke's charms.
    • 5/5
      In Old World Murder, Kathleen Ernst depicts the usually-humdrum work of a museum curator and a policeman as they repeatedly encounter one another under unusual circumstances. Each carries emotional baggage and is confronted by professional problems. Each works for an institution that is underfunded and understaffed. Chloe Ellefson in addition faces professional antagonism (male) superiors Having worked in a similar position, I must say that Ernst depicts it perfectly. Most of the novel is a mystery about a particular artifact that has vanished from the collection. Ellefson is stubbornly determined to find it and a series of out-of-the-usual events occur, raising the tension in the novel and between her and the police officer who becomes determined to keep her from danger. Questions of race and prejudice (not entirely racial) are dealt with, without preaching but significantly. The climax is unexpectedly dramatic and is followed by a satisfying tying up of all the threads. The unexpected and sudden finale will set the reader to wondering what comes next in the characters' lives. This is a most satisfying read.
    • 3/5
      Chloe Ellefson has just taken a job as collections curator at Old World Wisconsin. On her very first day, a woman comes in wanting back a bowl that she had donated to the State Historical Society in 1962 which had been transferred to Old World Wisconsin when it opened in 1977. Chloe, having just arrived on the job, puts the woman off and gathers her contact information. As she's driving home, she comes upon the woman's wrecked vehicle. Why was the bowl so important to the woman? Chloe vows to find out. There isn't a murder until well after the midway point in the book. This book is weak in character development. Chloe is troubled by her past and severely depressed, but the manner in which this is revealed is not satisfying to the reader. There also seems to be a lot about Officer Roelke McKenna that remains hidden from the reader. Ultimately I was not satisfied with the manner in which the main plot involving the bowl or the subplot involving gambling unfolded. It's just a so-so read in a series that looked like it might hold great promise. I'm not in a hurry to read the second one in the series.
    • 4/5
      Chloe Ellefson returns home to Wisconsin and a position at Old World Wisconsin, a living history type museum highlighting the area's past. An eldery woman, Mrs. Lundquist, is one of Chloe's first meetings as the new collections curator. She is looking to retreive an old family piece, a rosemaled ale bowl she gave to the historical society years earlier. Chloe is new and faced with piles of items in storage, so she puts off Mrs. Lundquist. After Mrs. Lundquist's untimely death, she finds she can't let it go and begins researching this interesting artifact herself. Local policeman Roelke McKenna warns Chloe about detecting on her own, but also winds up being interested in the case. One thing I really enjoyed about this story was its setting. Ernst has brought us this story in 1982 Wisconsin and it's a perfect way to retain some of the historical/modern day aspects of the story. I don't think I would have enjoyed Chloe's research so much if she just had to check Ebay for pictures of Norweigian ale bowls. The secondary characters in the book are well thought out too. I really liked Roelke's relationship with his cousin and her children, and certainly Chloe's nearby family turned out to be very useful. I will definitely keep an eye out for another Chloe Ellefson story set at Old World Wisconsin, this was a great read.