Crimson Snow (Hilda Johansson Mysteries, No. 5) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Jeanne M. Dams (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2005

Based on a 1904 unsolved murder case, Crimson Snow weaves immigrant life, class and ethnic tensions into a taut drama centered around the Studebaker mansion in South Bend, Indiana. Hilda Johansson, a Studebaker housemaid, doesn’t want to look into the murder of her brother’s sixth-grade teacher. She leads a demanding life, and her Irish sweetheart is pressing her for marriage. But when an influential attorney urges her to clear his name, she must involve herself in a dangerous web of scandal and intrigue. Mystery and history buffs alike will welcome this new entry from an ever-captivating author who effortlessly weaves disparate threads through her plots, from child labor, literacy, prostitution, class, the history of the automobile and the Pinkertons.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the fifth installment of Agatha winner Dams's beloved cozy series set in early 20th-century Indiana, Hilda Johansson, head housemaid for a wealthy family and part-time sleuth, looks into the brutal murder of a popular 22-year-old schoolteacher, Sophie Jacobs. Hilda quickly discovers that other young women have gone missing, including Miss Jacobs's best friend, Miss Lewis, who recently left town, supposedly to go to her parents' house to recuperate from an illness, but the word on the street is that she was pregnant. A hotel maid named Nellie, who might just know something, has also vanished without a trace. Based on a real, unsolved case from 1904, the novel seamlessly integrates historical details with a suspenseful plot. Fans will welcome the latest developments in Hilda's relationship with her beau, fireman Patrick Cavanaugh.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From Booklist

The first new Hilda Johansson mystery in three years is also the first to be published as a trade paperback original. Little has changed for Hilda since we last saw her: she's still housemaid to South Bend, Indiana's fabulously wealthy Studebaker family; she's still running afoul of the dictatorial butler, Mr. Williams; and she's still solving crimes in her spare time. This time it's the murder of a schoolteacher, and the author develops the plot with her usual attention to detail (the story is based on a real 1904 murder case). Regular series readers who enjoy the author's subtle observations on life at the turn of the twentieth century--religion, sexual mores, class structure--will not be disappointed. A typical (and typically good) entry in the series. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 408 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786282932
• ISBN-13: 978-0786282937
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,991,856 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The love story surrounding the tale is touching and straightforward, January 2, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crimson Snow (Hilda Johansson Mysteries, No. 5) (Paperback)

A lover of all things Victorian and Edwardian, Jeanne M. Dams is a lifelong resident of South Bend, Indiana and writes historical mysteries. She is of Swedish descent, and her CRIMSON SNOW incorporates all of these influences to form a tale set in Indiana that is well researched and full of the flavor of the times. Dams has nominations for both the Macavity and the Agatha Award, and has won the latter.

Hilda Johansson is at a peculiar crossroads. A Swedish immigrant, she is presently employed as a maid. But all that will soon change, as her intended has just been offered a position that will enable her to quit her job. She and her Irish fiance will also begin married life in a house that will be given to them by Patrick's uncle and aunt. But when her young brother's teacher is brutally murdered and an innocent man stands in danger of being accused, Hilda puts on her detective hat:

"Mr. Barrett held up his hand. 'You see, Daniel Malloy is a good friend of mine. I've been his lawyer for many years, and I know he family well. He told me all about what you did in that unfortunate business a couple of years ago, how you, virtually unaided, solved the crimes of which he had been wrongly accused.' He waited while Hilda took that in, and then continued. 'The police brought Pinkerton's men in for this business, from the time they first found the body, but the seem to be doing nothing but making a lot of fuss and learning nothing new. I-my wife is suffering a good deal over this. Would you be willing to-to do whatever it is you do, to winnow out the facts of the matter?'"

Written with extensive research into a documented murder, Jeanne M. Dams then recreates the world of 1904 in South Bend, Indiana. Hilda Johansson is an endearing character who has the youth, optimism, and intelligence to advance herself in the sometimes corrupt world of the Gilded Age. Dams builds a convincing scenario to explain this unsolved murder with events swirling around Hilda, who keeps her head, solves the murder, and gets her man. Dams is a romantic, and the love story surrounding her tale is touching and straightforward.

Shelley Glodowski
Senior Reviewer

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for history mystery fans!, November 3, 2006

By 

caryn (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crimson Snow (Hilda Johansson Mysteries, No. 5) (Paperback)

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 about the murder from the South Bend Tribune. 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.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read, January 9, 2007

By 

C. Castner (Baltimore, MD, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Crimson Snow (Hilda Johansson Mysteries, No. 5) (Paperback)

I read this in 1 night. I really enjoy Dams' writing style and prefer her Hilda Johanson series better than her Dorothy series in England.