Lies of Omission: A Hanneke Bauer Mystery
This first in a series is set in 1855 Wisconsin, a tumultuous time of German and Irish immigration and Know-Nothing opposition to both. It’s also when the Fugitive Slave Acts made helping enslaved peoples on their travels to Canada a crime. Recent German immigrant bride Hanneke is thrown into the middle of it all, as well as her own family drama, when she arrives to join her husband Fridolin at their farm. But it seems she is a widow, due to her husband’s recent death. But Fridolin’s sister and the town believe Hanneke to be an imposter with no claim on the farm. They advise her to leave.
Shocked by the death and her treatment, the almost penniless but resourceful Hanneke, a woman known for both thinking and talking too much, resolves to discover why her husband kept his marriage to her a secret to those in America, and what led to the suspicious circumstances of his death. She finds few friends in her efforts, outcasts all: unmarried and pregnant Angela, tavern keeper; the young orphan Adolph; and a very reluctant deputy sheriff.
Confounding mysteries abound in this taut and exciting tale. Lies and omissions flow from all, even Hanneke herself, and lead to both tragedy and triumph. I was sorry to leave Hanneke, her friends, and the wonderfully re-created town and farm. I look forward to going on another adventure in their company.
