reviewsbyerin

Nils Lindherud is disappointed when his brother decides to leave Detroit and head to LaPorte, Indiana, to marry the woman he has been corresponding with. It hardly seems wise for Sven to leave the family and a steady job and plan a future on a hog farm with a ready-made family he's never met. When some months pass and Sven hasn't written to let them know how he's doing, Nils heads to LaPorte to track him down.

Ingrid Storset came from Norway to live near her sister Belle. A shy girl, Ingrid doesn't like interacting with the public, even though that's required in the candy shop which Belle gave to her. Ingrid's visits to Belle's farm are her favorite part of the week, and she loves her nieces and nephew. It's a puzzle why Belle has never remarried, despite actively looking for a husband and advertising in the personals sections of various Scandinavian immigrant newspapers.

When Nils arrives in town and begins asking questions about his brother's disappearance, Ingrid doesn't believe Belle had anything to do with it. Belle has had lots of suitors come to meet her and check out the farm, only to leave without even saying goodbye. She believes Nils needs to look at other places Sven might have gone, while Nils fears something much more sinister has happened to his brother.

This true crime story, set in the early twentieth century, is based on Belle Gunness and the events that culminated at her farm on April 28, 1908. I had only heard about Belle Gunness about two days before I heard about this book, and the mystery surrounding the case is what drew me to read it. I'm not going to give you any spoilers, but if you like like historical true crime, I highly recommend this book.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.