Markus calls and announces he is in Wisconsin and wants to rekindle their relationship, but Chloe doesn't even know if she wants to see him. She is busy helping her friend Dellyn sort through a house and barn full of local antiques Dellyn's parents (who have recently died in a car accident) had been collecting and storing intending to donate them to the Eagle Historical Society. Among the artifacts, Dellyn and Chloe both hope to find the famed Eagle Diamond, which may or may not exist.

When Roelke is called to a suicide, Chloe is shocked to learn the victim is Dellyn's sister Bonnie with whom Dellyn was not especially close. Now Chloe finds herself too busy to worry about her love life, helping Dellyn catalog the antiques, looking into Bonnie's suicide and searching for the Eagle Diamond which, if the hit on the head Chloe took while in Dellyn's barn is any indication, really does exist. A working farm that has enchanted Markus and some heirloom seeds round out Chloe's complications, making her wonder if, and how, everything is connected.

This second book featuring Chloe and Old World Wisconsin does not focus as much on Chloe's beloved museum, giving it a broader scope and more interest. There is still plenty for fans of antiquities and agricultural history to enjoy, and with the addition of the seed lore, gardeners will find added interest. Chloe is a damaged young woman who is slowly healing with the help of, and by helping, her friends. She and Roelke have a very interesting relationship and a new side of her is seen as she spends time with Markus.

There are many different strands running through the plot, and most are neatly and satisfactorily tied up by the end. The early 1980's setting adds another layer of historical interest to the plot as Chloe's curator duties and Roelke's investigative techniques are not the high tech methods found in current books. Interesting, well-drawn characters and a complicated plot make this a very satisfying read.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry