Mining for Justice: A Chloe Ellefson Mystery (Chloe Ellefson Mystery, #8)

by Kathleen Ernst

Chloe Ellefson is excited to be learning about Wisconsin's Cornish immigrants and mining history while on temporary assignment at Pendarvis, a historic site in charming Mineral Point. But when her boyfriend, police officer Roelke McKenna, discovers long-buried human remains in the root cellar of an old Cornish cottage, Chloe reluctantly agrees to mine the historical record for answers. She soon finds herself in the center of a heated and deadly controversy that threatens to close Pendarvis. While struggling to help the historic site, Chloe must unearth dark secrets, past and present . . . before a killer comes to bury her. Praise: "Richly imagined and compelling, Mining for Justiceonce again highlights Kathleen Ernst's prowess as a storyteller, with its nuanced characters and intersecting mysteries . . . Ernst is a master of reconstructing the past, providing vivid and authentic details about the lives of early Cornish immigrants in Wisconsin, while showing how the secrets of those long-buried people still matter in the present day."--Susanna Calkins, author of the Macavity-winning Lucy Campion Mysteries

• ISBN10: 0738753343
• ISBN13: 9780738753348
• Publish Date: 8 October 2017
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Midnight Ink
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Mystereity Reviews]

This series blows me away with every book.  There are always 3 narratives: Chloe's, cop boyfriend Roelke's and a haunting historical story featuring a woman facing horrible hardships.  It's managed so well, too; it seamlessly switches in between the narratives  and brings a multi-dimensional facet to the story that's unmatched in any other series I've read.

There was a lot going on this one; Chloe is struggling to find out who was buried in the root cellar of her friend's stone cottage and also trying to help save the historical interpretation site Pendarvis from closing.  Roelke is working on a big drugs bust while trying to protect his cousin from her ex-husband. Meanwhile, centuries ago, a Cornish woman and her brothers immigrated to Wisconsin to mine lead and her struggles and triumphs. There's a lot packed into this book, but the story is woven so well that it's easy to switch between characters.  I loved the story of Mary Pascoe, from her time as a balmaiden in Cornwall to her immigration to the US and the struggles she faced throughout her life but also her triumphs. Meanwhile, with Chloe away, Roelke was forced to make a drastic decision that haunts him, one he can't share with anyone, even his beloved Chloe.

I heartily recommend this series, particularly for those who enjoy historical fiction.  

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader

Mining for Justice is the 8th book in the Chloe Ellefson series by Kathleen Ernst from Midnight Ink.

Writing history based narrative fiction is always a tricky prospect because often it winds up being too technical for period fiction lovers and not academically rigid enough for historians. Balancing between the needs of laymen and academics is something living history museums are well acquainted with, almost always with the added constraint of budget cuts and lack of resources.

'Fighting the good fight', to provide resources and education to the public and academics is obviously very familiar to the author of this authentically written and engaging mystery.

Set in Mineral Point, Wisconsin and environs, Chloe Ellefson is a visiting curator on loan, who's only trying to enjoy a week long sabbatical from her antagonistic, micromanaging boss. What she gets instead is murder, intrigue and a long buried skeleton in a root cellar.

The plotting is well managed between the current day and supporting flashbacks to the 1830's. The dialogue is believable and well written. The characters are appealingly written (this is the 8th book in the series).

The novel functions fine as a standalone, though I found it engaging enough that I intend to go pick up the other entries in the series. Chloe and company are fun and intelligent. I enjoyed the book very much. I also enjoyed the actual photographs of the site and some of the artifacts written in the book (though they're fictionalized of course).

Four stars

Stats: 384 pages, available in Kindle, library binding and paperback
Published October 8, 2017

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.