Silence Is Golden (Hilda Johansson Mysteries, No. 4) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Jeanne M. Dams (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Swedish maid and sometime South Bend, Ind., sleuth Hilda Johansson has a personal stake in solving her latest mystery: her brother Erik is having trouble getting used to their adopted country, and he may be hiding a deadly secret. Tackling Protestant/Catholic conflicts, rich/poor dynamics and a criminal act that's in the headlines today, a century later, with equal alacrity, the Agatha Award-winning author of the Dorothy Martin series, Jeanne M. Dams, offers up another one of her mysteries with a social conscience in Silence Is Golden.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

(*Starred Review*) Here's the latest Hilda Johanson mystery, and it's a real corker. The time is 1903; the circus is in town (South Bend, Indiana); and Fritz, a friend of Hilda's younger brother, decides he wants to join up and become a trapeze artist. Then the real trapeze artists, the Stupendous Shaws, disappear. So does Fritz, who eventually turns up hiding in a barn, brutally beaten and claiming that he was abused. To make matters even more confusing, Hilda's brother, Erik, also vanishes. Can Hilda find her little brother? What happened to the Stupendous Shaws, and are they responsible for the goings-on in South Bend? In a genre with no shortage of amateur sleuths in period costume, Hilda is one of the most memorable: a maid in the household of the fabulously wealthy Studebaker family, a Swedish girl still relatively new to the U.S. (and still fumbling with her English), a totally unlikely detective. The secret to Dams' success is in the details: she plunks us firmly down in early-twentieth-century Indiana. We learn, without realizing we're being taught anything at all, about social customs, class divisions, even the day-to-day operations of a wealthy turn-of-the-century household. Great characters, fascinating history, compelling mystery: this series could go on forever. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Thomas T Beeler (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574904507
• ISBN-13: 978-1574904505
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,282,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating historical who done it, June 8, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silence Is Golden (Hilda Johansson Mysteries, No. 4) (Hardcover)

It has been six years since Hilda, her brother and her sister left Sweden to come to America. Hilda, a maid for the Studebaker family in South Bend, Indiana and her siblings saved enough money to bring the rest of the family to America. Unfortunately, it has not been an easy adjustment for the Johansson brood.

Their apartment is too small and they don't want their Protestant daughter going out with Patrick, an Irish-American fireman. The youngest son Erik goes from one job to another never satisfied. When Erik witnesses a child's murder by a pediophile, his life is in danger. Patrick and Hilda, with the help of some hoboes, create a daring scheme to flush the murderer out into the open.

Jeanne M Dams' latest Hilda Johansson mystery is a nicely told tale. The protagonist is not afraid of breaking the rules of society or her employer when it comes to people she cares about. SILENCE IS GOLDEN is a fascinating who done it while Erik is adorable as the brave young man trying to overcome his fear to help catch a killer.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Skip this entry in Hilda Johansson series, May 11, 2007

By 

Christina Lockstein "Christy's Book Blog" (Oconto Falls, WI USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Silence Is Golden (Hilda Johansson Mysteries, No. 4) (Hardcover)

Silence is Golden by Jeanne M. Dams is the fourth lackluster title in the Hilda Johansson series. Hilda, the Swedish maid for the Studebaker family in South Bend, Indiana, is back to solve another mystery, this one involving her younger brother Erik. Hilda's mother, two sisters, and brother have finally come from Sweden, and while she is thrilled that her family is finally together, her relationship with Irish Catholic Patrick Cavanaugh is suffering. Her Protestant family wants nothing to do with his and vice versa. In the midst of this, Erik's friend Fritz goes missing and then when found has been abused in the worst way. Erik may have information as to who the assailant was, but he's afraid to tell. I've truly enjoyed the previous entries in this series, but this one fails to deliver. Much of the story is based around Erik, but he's unlikable and so can't carry the story. Hilda abuses the trust of her employers repeatedly and is at risk of becoming prideful. Unfortunately the mystery isn't that mysterious, the only thing carrying me through to the end of the story was who was going to get to beat Erik. Don't bother reading til the end: nobody does.

1.0 out of 5 stars Silenced forever, August 18, 2011

By 

Ellen Rappaport (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silence Is Golden (Hilda Johansson Mysteries, No. 4) (Hardcover)

I was sincerely ready to read a cozy mystery from an author referred to me by several members of my cozy groups. I checked this out of the library on CD and began in ernest to enjoy a cozy mystery, so I thought.
That ended with the first disc. Although the author can write and write well ...this is the furthest type of book I would ever choose to read or listen to. Just the thought of a vulnerable child being molested and murdered makes my skin crawl.

I am giving this author another chance but only with her other cozy mystery-Dorothy Martin series.

I definitely did not recommend this book to either of my cozy readers group.
Ellen