Heritage of Darkness (A Chloe Ellefson Mystery)
Hoping to forge a better relationship with her mother, Marit, Chloe Ellefson travels to Decorah, Iowa, with her boyfriend, Roelke, and her mother to the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum to attend classes in rosemaling (Norwegian decorative painting)—beginning level for Chloe, advanced for Marit. Chloe soon regrets the trip, mortified by Marit’s continual talk of Norwegian marriage customs in front of Roelke and concerned about her own lack of rosemaling ability. Just after the trio arrives in Decorah, Chloe finds the body of the teacher of the advanced class, the unpopular Petra Lekstrom, stuffed into an antique trunk. Roelke, a police officer, is asked to keep an eye out by the local police chief, and Chloe is also drawn into the case as other unsettling events occur. The solution to the murder rests in the past as Chloe finally puts the pieces together after a couple of scary attacks. The novel is framed with details of Norwegian history, customs, folklore, and artifacts, as well as information on rosemaling, all skillfully woven throughout the story. --Sue O'Brien