Review: Crimson Snow

I’ve always been a big fan of Dams’ Dorothy Martin series, but was late coming to the Hilda Johansson mysteries. Now I think I actually like them more than the Martin books. In Crimson Snow, Hilda’s brother Erik’s teacher has been murdered, and the police are not having much luck, or maybe not trying too hard to find the killer. Erik initially gets Hilda to snoop around the case, but when a close friend of the Studebakers is suspected of involvement, her employers ask her to seriously investigate. This book is perfect for fans of historical mysteries as it is based on a real case that to this day unsolved. Many of the chapters are headed with a quote from various new stories about the murder in the South Bend Tribune. Also, the research for this book as well as the whole series is impeccable. The reader is transported back to the turn of the century and experiences life in South Bend Indiana through the life of the protagonist Hilda Johansson, a maid in the wealthy Studebaker household. The reader gets a taste of what life was like not only for the servants, but also the family Hilda works for as well as society as a whole.

Readers who enjoyed watching the BBC’s Upstairs Downstairs series should give the Hilda Johansson books a try.

I’ve always been a big fan of Dams’ Dorothy Martin series, but was late coming to the Hilda Johansson mysteries. Now I think I actually like them more than the Martin books. In this series, the reader is transported back to the turn of the century and experiences life in South Bend Indiana through the life of the protagonist Hilda Johansson, a maid in the wealthy Studebaker household.

In Crimson Snow, Hilda’s brother Erik’s teacher has been murdered, and the police are not having much luck, or maybe not trying too hard to find the killer. Erik initially gets Hilda to snoop around the case, but when a close friend of the Studebakers is suspected of involvement, her employers ask her to seriously investigate. This book is perfect for fans of historical mysteries as it is based on a real case that to this day is unsolved. Many of the chapters are headed with short quotes of various news articles from the South Bend Tribune about the murder. Also, the research for this book as well as the whole series is impeccable. The reader gets a taste of what life was like not only for the servants, but also the family Hilda works for as well as society as a whole. Readers who enjoyed watching the BBC’s Upstairs Downstairs series should give the Hilda Johansson books a try.

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Caryn St. Clair

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.

Book Review: Crimson Snow

Please Note: Books reviewed are usually provided by the publisher, author, or an agent. Reviewers usually get to keep the book.