Memory of Muskets by Kathleen Ernst is the seventh book in the Chloe Ellefson Mystery series. It is 1983 in Woodbury, Minnesota. Chloe Ellefson is the curator of collections at Old World Wisconsin. She is working with Byron Cooke, curator of interpretation, on a Civil War Reenactment. It will be the first Civil War event for Old World Wisconsin. They want to show what life was like during that era (for soldiers and civilians). Their boss, Ralph Petty has other ideas (he wants a mock battle to draw in the crowds). Byron and Chloe are showing Gunter Diederich, a Civil War reenactor, around the Schulz farm (one of the farms at Old World Wisconsin) when Alyssa, an interpreter, comes running over to them. Alyssa has found a person on the ground behind the barn. They hurry over to find a man dressed in a Civil War uniform dead. Roelke McKenna quickly arrives on the scene (he is also Chloe's boyfriend). The man has no identification and everything on him is from the Civil War era (real and reproductions). He does have a handkerchief with the initial M embroidered on it. Who is this man? Was his death accidental? Chloe is packing up her belonging and getting ready to move into Roelke's new farmhouse. It originally belonged to his ancestors. There is a small cabin on the property that Roelke would like to be Chloe's special space. Unfortunately, Chloe cannot stand the cabin. Chloe can feels something dark in the cabin. She starts looking into Roelke's ancestry to find out what could have caused the bad vibes. Roelke is working at German Fest (police presence) in Milwaukee. Roelke and another officer are patrolling near a mock battle. At the end of the demonstration, one shot is not in sync with everyone else's. Then a soldier goes down. Another reenactor has been killed. Who is behind these killings? Are they all related? Will Chloe be able to rid the cabin of the evil presence? Join Chloe and Roelke in Memory of Muskets.
Memory of Muskets takes us back in time to tell us the story of Roelke's ancestors. We get to see how they came to America, how his ancestors were involved in the Civil War, and what happened in the cabin. The story goes back and forth from 1983 to 1860s. I was looking forward to reading Memory of Muskets. I have enjoyed the previous books in the series, but this one was hard for me to get through. The same information is repeated throughout the book. The evil feelings in the cabin, Petty and his attitude (behavior), the handkerchief with the letter "M" on it, Chloe's feelings about Roelke, how she is not sure about moving in with Roelke, how Chloe needs this job, how Petty dislikes Chloe (that was mentioned at least half a dozen times), etc. (this is just a sample). We are given significant detail about Civil War reenactors, their uniforms, attention to detail, etc. That part is interesting, but it does bog down the story. Sometimes it reads more like a history book than a cozy mystery. The mystery was compelling. It was complicated and not easy to solve (that was the best part). I give Memory of Muskets 3 out of 5 stars. The story was just not easy to read. The writing, research, and mystery are very good. The novel just needs editing to make it easier to read and enjoy. Thank you to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
Memory of Muskets takes us back in time to tell us the story of Roelke's ancestors. We get to see how they came to America, how his ancestors were involved in the Civil War, and what happened in the cabin. The story goes back and forth from 1983 to 1860s. I was looking forward to reading Memory of Muskets. I have enjoyed the previous books in the series, but this one was hard for me to get through. The same information is repeated throughout the book. The evil feelings in the cabin, Petty and his attitude (behavior), the handkerchief with the letter "M" on it, Chloe's feelings about Roelke, how she is not sure about moving in with Roelke, how Chloe needs this job, how Petty dislikes Chloe (that was mentioned at least half a dozen times), etc. (this is just a sample). We are given significant detail about Civil War reenactors, their uniforms, attention to detail, etc. That part is interesting, but it does bog down the story. Sometimes it reads more like a history book than a cozy mystery. The mystery was compelling. It was complicated and not easy to solve (that was the best part). I give Memory of Muskets 3 out of 5 stars. The story was just not easy to read. The writing, research, and mystery are very good. The novel just needs editing to make it easier to read and enjoy. Thank you to Midnight Ink and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
Dollycas's Thoughts
My first experience at Old World Wisconsin was back in 5th grade for a school field trip and have visited several times since but not lately, at least in person. Through this series I have been able to visit there and some other wonderful places in the Midwest.
Our protagonist, Chloe Ellefson together with Byron Cooke, curator of interpretation, are planning a Civil War program. Thanks to their boss it turns into a Civil War Reenactment. While doing research for the event she discovers some ties to Roelke's ancestors and the family home she is planning to move into with him. It may explain the disturbing feelings she has about the place. They both get distracted away from their move when a man is found dead at Old World Wisconsin. Dressed as a reenactor, the man has no identification, and this leads the case in several different directions.
Kathleen Ernst always writes a great story with a captivating mystery and the perfect amount of history too. She gives us very detailed descriptions that make the story come alive and easy to visualize. I enjoyed the way she skips back to the past, the 1860's, and back to present time in this case, is the early 1980's. As always you can see she has deeply researched the subject matter and I like that I actually learn something while reading every story.
I found Rosina's story to be very interesting. Her traveling to the New World and making her way to Wisconsin and her life there.
Chloe and Roelke have gotten even closer but they are still building trust as their lives together starts a new chapter.
All the characters are written so well. Chloe's boss, Petty, not only pushed her buttons but mine. You know the type, my way or the highway, moving deadlines just because he can. and adding things to programs some times just to get her on the defensive. At times you could cut the tension with a knife.
The mystery itself tangled around itself at times and the clues did not always more the investigation forward but took us back to review things that were missed. I was again caught by surprise as we reached the end for that revealing moment when all the clues fell into place.
Ernst is a strong storyteller. At times I could picture all of us gathered around her listening to her tell us Rosina's story and catching us up with Chloe and all the people in her life. Kind of like the interpreters at Old World Wisconsin. Something she actually used to do. Her love for the place and the history shines bright in every one of her stories.
My first experience at Old World Wisconsin was back in 5th grade for a school field trip and have visited several times since but not lately, at least in person. Through this series I have been able to visit there and some other wonderful places in the Midwest.
Our protagonist, Chloe Ellefson together with Byron Cooke, curator of interpretation, are planning a Civil War program. Thanks to their boss it turns into a Civil War Reenactment. While doing research for the event she discovers some ties to Roelke's ancestors and the family home she is planning to move into with him. It may explain the disturbing feelings she has about the place. They both get distracted away from their move when a man is found dead at Old World Wisconsin. Dressed as a reenactor, the man has no identification, and this leads the case in several different directions.
Kathleen Ernst always writes a great story with a captivating mystery and the perfect amount of history too. She gives us very detailed descriptions that make the story come alive and easy to visualize. I enjoyed the way she skips back to the past, the 1860's, and back to present time in this case, is the early 1980's. As always you can see she has deeply researched the subject matter and I like that I actually learn something while reading every story.
I found Rosina's story to be very interesting. Her traveling to the New World and making her way to Wisconsin and her life there.
Chloe and Roelke have gotten even closer but they are still building trust as their lives together starts a new chapter.
All the characters are written so well. Chloe's boss, Petty, not only pushed her buttons but mine. You know the type, my way or the highway, moving deadlines just because he can. and adding things to programs some times just to get her on the defensive. At times you could cut the tension with a knife.
The mystery itself tangled around itself at times and the clues did not always more the investigation forward but took us back to review things that were missed. I was again caught by surprise as we reached the end for that revealing moment when all the clues fell into place.
Ernst is a strong storyteller. At times I could picture all of us gathered around her listening to her tell us Rosina's story and catching us up with Chloe and all the people in her life. Kind of like the interpreters at Old World Wisconsin. Something she actually used to do. Her love for the place and the history shines bright in every one of her stories.
