It took me a while to get into this one, but about halfway through I started really, really appreciating it. I liked how the author linked the three stories--Roelke's, Chloe's, and the historical one--through language and theme. Roelke's story seemed to take the most space, and it was a police procedural. Chloe's story felt a bit more like an afterthought. I found this historical story to be the most engaging of those in the mysteries. My big problems with the book are that I don't like Roelke much, and I don't find his and Chloe's relationship that interesting. I liked it better in book 4...maybe because they were working together much more in that one. I think there are a few anachronisms in the book, too, or expressions characters used that didn't ring true to the early 1980s. ( )

Another fantastic read in what I feel is a flying below the radar series. After attending a friend's wedding with boyfriend/cop Roelke McKenna in Milwaukee, Chloe heads to Minnesota and an old friend with an interesting historical plan. The old Washburn Mill, next to the Mississippi River, is being considered for a renovation to be a new historical site and museum. Chloe's friend Ariel is part of the team advocating the Mill's future. The story of the mill, told through both present day Ariel and the eyes of some early Polish, female immigrants, one of whom worked there in the early days, is fascinating. After a body is found at the Mill, Chloe finds herself mixed up in yet another murder investigation. Meanwhile, Roelke has taken a leave from the Eagle Police Department to hang around his former precinct in Milwaukee and help look into the death of a friend. It's truly Ernst's attention to historical detail that make this very traditional mystery series different than others. ( )