Crimson Snow

June 27, 2005
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. Agent, Kimberly Cameron at the Reece Halsey North Agency.

September 1, 2005
Housemaid to the wealthy Studebaker family in 1904 South Bend, IN, Hilda becomes involved in another case of murder. She tries to remain aloof, but the victim was her younger brothers muchadmired schoolteacher. From the author of the Dorothy Martin mysteries. Dams is a native of South Bend. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 5/1/05.]

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2005
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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)