OLD WORLD MURDER
CHLOE ELLEFSON MYSTERY #1
Audiobook, eBook & Trade Paperback
Midnight Ink Books
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Thus begins the first story in the award-winning Chloe Ellefson series, the sixteenth book by bestselling author Kathleen Ernst.
The Chloe novels combine history and mystery with a little romance. They are written for adults and mature teens who enjoy reading stories without explicit sex, gratuitous violence, or gore.
This page offers a rich mix of background information about the people, places, and the past that went into creating Old World Murder.
Story Description
This book takes place during May, 1982 at Old World Wisconsin (a large outdoor history museum), the nearby villages of Eagle and Palmyra, and the community of Daleyville in Dane County, Wisconsin.
Trying to leave painful memories behind, Chloe Ellefson is making a fresh start as the new collections curator at Old World Wisconsin. On her first day an elderly woman begs Chloe to find a priceless Norwegian ale bowl donated to the museum years ago. Chloe promises to look, but within minutes the woman dies in a suspicious car wreck. At the crash scene Chloe meets handsome young cop Roelke McKenna.
When Chloe reports the missing artifact to her boss, Ralph Petty, he orders her to drop the matter. She feels honor-bound to find the bowl, and quietly begins researching its history. Chloe's search quickly turns dangerous—and not just in terms of her job status. Someone is trying to cover up all traces of the bowl's existence, by any means necessary.
Chloe is a dedicated social historian, and a reluctant sleuth. Roelke is a dedicated police officer, with little insight into Chloe's world. Despite their differences, Roelke's past, and his attraction to Chloe, compel him to assist and protect her. Together this unlikely pair must solve a decades-old puzzle in order to catch a covetous killer—before Chloe becomes history herself.
Old World Murder can be ordered as a 325-page trade paperback, and in multiple ebook and 10.5 hour unabridged audiobook formats.
For a partial list of vendors that offer this story, click HERE.
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WHAT'S AN ALE BOWL? |
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What Others Are Saying
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Julia Spencer-Fleming Anthony and Agatha Award-winning Author Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Alstyne Mysteries "Character-driven, with mystery aplenty, Old World Murder is a sensational read. Think Sue Grafton meets Earlene Fowler, with a dash of Elizabeth Peters." |
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Publishers Weekly "Clever plot twists and credible characters make this a far from humdrum cozy."
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Sandi Ault Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning Author The WILD Mysteries "In curator Chloe Ellefson, Ernst has created a captivating character with humor, grit, and a tangled history of her own that needs unraveling. Enchanting!" |
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American Library Association Booklist
"The engaging story of a woman devastated by a failed romantic relationship whose sleuthing helps her heal." |
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John Lehman Rosebud Book Reviews "A Museum Masterpiece. The setting, characters and Midwest values are as authentic as could be... The final sentence will send you looking for the next book in this series. Guaranteed!" |
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READ CHAPTER ONE |
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WHAT'S AN ALE BOWL? |
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About The Author
Bestselling author Kathleen Ernst writes award-winning mysteries as well as historical fiction and non-fiction for adults and young readers. Her work has earned numerous honors, including an Emmy, a LOVEY, and nominations for an Edgar and multiple Agatha mystery awards.
To date readers have purchased over 1.7M audio, ebook, and printed copies of Kathleen's now thirty-six published books. more>>
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Related Blog Posts
Enjoy the author's insights about the story, characters, and settings.
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Coming Full Circle I worked at Old World Wisconsin for twelve years. During those years I developed my writing skills, as well. What better training could someone writing historical fiction ask for... more>> |
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Old World Wisconsin in Chloe's Day
I sometimes forget how much Old World Wisconsin has changed in the past few decades, so I thought it would be fun to share some photos of the site in the early years. The site opened in... more>> |
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About Those Trailers...
Readers sometimes wonder if I exaggerated the artifact storage conditions when I wrote Old World Murder. Well, here is one of the trailers Chloe discovers when she... more>> |
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An Ale Bowl With Cow Heads When Old World Murder was published, my husband Scott suggested that we commission a carver and painter to create the bowl described in the novel. It was a lovely idea, but.... more>> |
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Rosemaling Through Time My protagonist is a Norwegian-American museum curator named Chloe Ellefson. Chloe’s mom is an expert rosemaler. Knowing that this art will be touched on again in future books... more>> |
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Ale Bowls: Migration of a Tradition When I was developing the plot for Old World Murder, I needed a Norwegian artifact for a major plot point. I chose to feature an ale bowl. These old tankards, which are often beautifully carved and painted, have appealed to... more>> |
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The Nite Cap Inn – Then and Now Before Old World Murder was published, several people asked if writing about real places made me nervous. I have a simple rule: I only write about real places that I love... more>> |
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Writers Police Academy Old World Murder has two point-of-view characters, a museum curator and a cop. As a former curator, I had that one covered. When I started writing, though, I knew little about police.... more>> |
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More Than I Was Looking For The plot of Old World Murder revolves around an antique Norwegian ale bowl. I’ve always been intrigued by the beautifully carved and/or painted bowls. I recently went to Vesterheim... more>> |
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Researching Old World Murder
Mr. Ernst here. Extensive research is an important element in crafting the ‘people, places, and the past’ that appear in every Chloe Ellefson mystery, starting with the first... more>> |
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A Retrospective
Thanks for joining me as we take a behind-the-scenes look back at the Chloe Ellefson mysteries! First up: Book 1, Old World Murder. A little backstory: I worked at Old World Wisconsin... more>> |
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Author's Note
Much of this mystery is set at "Old World." It's a real place—and one of the premier living history museums in the country. It was my good fortune to work there as an interpreter and curator for twelve years.
After leaving I found myself missing it, and the larger world of historic sites. I created this series to revisit those times, and to reveal the unique (and often little known) human stories that those places preserve.
Come along on a video tour as I reveal how this real museum became the fictional setting for my first Chloe Ellefson mystery. Click below to start. (2 min. 59 sec.)
Over time I will set individual books at other historic sites, but the series will stay firmly rooted at Old World Wisconsin. I invite you along as the series explores fascinating people, places, and the past.
P.S. -- Just in case you were wondering, the only ax in the book is on the cover.
P.S.S. -- Below is a free PDF guide to help book groups discuss this story. Enjoy! (Caution: contains spoilers.)
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DISCUSSION GUIDE Questions to spark a discussion of this book CLICK TO DOWNLOAD |
People
As a reader, a good mystery series is one that I can take a long, multi-book journey with characters that I come to care about.
Writing Old World Murder let me create my own series (eight books and growing) based around a pair of characters that I love: Chloe Ellefson and Roelke McKenna.
Readers often ask me whether I am Chloe. No, but we do have things in common. Like Chloe, I started at Old World in 1982, and wore my waist-length hair in a braid.
My 'office' in an old trailer serves as the basis for hers. We also share challenging relations with our bosses—and treasure the old buildings, furnishings, and stories.
And we're both vegetarians who enjoy trying new recipes. Here's a favorite.
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CHLOE'S MAPLE BLUEBERRY CAKE Oh so delicious! CLICK TO DOWNLOAD |
Places
Most of the scenes in this book are set at real places that still exist and can be visited (except for the private homes). Here are two resources to assist you to virtually or physically visit these settings.
The custom Google map below enables you to virtually visit Old World and Eagle. Click on the map below to start your tour.
A Locations Guide has also been created to help you plan and get the most out of an in-person 'Chloe Tour' of these locations, plus some that are farther afield.
This four-page PDF guide includes photos and descriptions. Download and bring it along on paper or your mobile device. Enjoy your visit; tell'em Chloe sent you!
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LOCATIONS GUIDE Discover the places where key scenes take place. CLICK TO DOWNLOAD |
The Past
Heritage crafts, historical artifacts, and traditional foods are staples in all my Chloe Ellefson Historic Sites mysteries.
The slide show below includes images of some of the things that I've woven into Old World Murder. Click on any image to see larger version with a description. (Warning: contains some spoilers.)
And More
Thanks to the magic of digital media, you can eavesdrop on me discussing Chloe, Roelke, Old World, and Eagle with this popular public radio host and his callers. Click the right-facing arrow to listen.
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Larry Meiller Wisconsin Public Radio 36 Min. 09 Sec. November 30, 2010. (Source) |
But wait, there's still more. I've created a Pinterest board about this book, which you can access by clicking on the logo below.
Buy This Book
Old World Murder is available in 3 formats: trade paperback, ebook, and unabridged audiobook. Here's a brief audio sample.
Click below to order your choice online.
You can buy a signed and personalized printed copy from me by clicking HERE.
