Of course, a young woman in Norway during the late nineteenth century can be a successful amateur sleuth, and goodness knows, Cornelia’s days are always more exciting when she can devote her time to resolving a local mystery.
Cornelia Gran is a dedicated daughter, friendly and kind; although, she has an exorbitant amount of curiosity. She devours Arthur Conan Doyle’s magazine articles and tries to follow the fictitious Sherlock Holmes’s investigative examples, but her fascination with solving puzzles always gets her into mischief.
Each morning, Cornelia reads the newspaper, looking for a conundrum to solve. Searching for clues—and then chronicling her discoveries—thrills her. She certainly finds those activities more entertaining than taking her grandmother’s advice and attending one Christmas ball after another in search of a husband.
But chaos and danger turn Cornelia’s quiet days upside down when her attempt to find information about the owner of a nearby abandoned cottage takes her into dangerous territory. As winter winds rattle the windows and swirl snowdrifts against the doors, she faces off with a ghost, gets in trouble with the police, and finds herself staring down danger without thinking of the consequences. In the middle of it all, she meets Simon and is captivated by his charm, good looks, and personality.
Meanwhile, a real killer is after her, and he won’t stop until he gets information she doesn’t have! Christmas, with all its cheery festivities, hygge, and family traditions, has never been more threatened. Cornelia must call on all her investigative skills, not only to stop the ruination of her family’s holiday, but also to make certain Simon and his aunt keep what belongs to them. And maybe, just maybe, the amateur sleuth will discover the meaning of true love.
Set in a fictitious town in Norway in 1891, this cozy historical mystery is perfect for those who enjoy curious and determined women sleuths, clean and wholesome romance, and the discovery of buried secrets in an abandoned house.
Cornelia Gran loves a good mystery, but never seems to be able to find one as interesting as she’d like. Absorbed by stories of Sherlock Holmes, she can’t help but want to follow in the footsteps of the character she so clearly admires. Scouring the paper every morning reaps the potential reward of the mystery she has so desperately sought – an abandoned house. Who owned it? Why did they abandon it? Could she find the original owners before the authorities took possession of the house and tore it down?
Cornelia is a wonderfully intriguing character to follow. She is highly spirited, and loves to get stuck into a mystery, even when those around her are not overly keen on her doing so. But once she gets an idea in her head, she can’t simply walk away, and so the yellow house on Hasselveien becomes her sole waking purpose. Finding the owner before it is destroyed, or simply learning why they abandoned it, is prevalent so she can write a big ‘case closed’ on her notes. But finding that truth would take her down a long winding road of mystery and danger.
As she begins to investigate, the plot thickens. Not only does she want to learn the truth about the house, as she begins to take more of an interest in the house and the property around it, she begins to notice things. A footprint in the snow, a candle flickering in a window. Could it be that there is more to the story than the owners simply moving away and leaving their house behind? The intricacies of the mystery unfold themselves beautifully, and as Cornelia gets sucked into the mystery, so did I. It very quickly becomes a high stakes read, wherein you find yourself on the edge of your seat, trying to read as quickly as possible to find the truth, while secretly hoping the book never ends. With it being a novel on the shorter side, it is very easy to read in one sitting, I read the whole thing in a single evening, and I loved every second of it.
With it being a shorter story, there is not a massive amount I can talk about without giving away the story, and this is the kind of book that you absolutely have to read knowing nothing about the story, so you revel in the mystery alongside Cornelia. But, on the other hand, this is the kind of book I could easily talk about for ages! Some notable characters certainly included Simon, who is an absolute gentleman, and very quickly captures Cornelia’s attention, and not only because of his involvement in her mystery. Also those needing a mention are Dordie and Carl. Although they work for Cornelia’s father, he spent a lot of his time working away, and so Dordie and Carl became like family to Cornelia. They are almost like a second set of parents, or at the very least an aunt and uncle, who care about her very deeply and worry about her wellbeing. They added a wonderfully loving ray of light to the story, and I loved every single one of the characters.
I can’t go too much more into the story without giving it away, but all I can say is that I thoroughly recommend you give this story a read, because it is utterly enthralling and I loved every moment of reading it!
HEIDI ELJARBO grew up in a home full of books, artwork, and happy creativity. She is the author of historical novels filled with courage, hope, mystery, adventure, and sweet romance during challenging times. She’s been named a master of dual timelines and often writes about strong-willed women of past centuries.
After living in Canada, six US states, Japan, Switzerland, and Austria, Heidi now calls Norway home. She lives with her husband on a charming island and enjoys walking in any kind of weather, hugging her grandchildren, and has a passion for art and history.
Her family’s chosen retreat is a mountain cabin, where they hike in the summer and ski the vast white terrain during winter.
Heidi’s favorites are her family, God's beautiful nature, and the word whimsical.
Thank you so much for hosting Heidi Eljarbo today, with a fabulous review of her captivating new ’heartwarming Christmas' story, Whispers in the Snow. I'm so glad you enjoyed it as well.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Cathie xx
The Coffee Pot Book Club