I'm writing this on Monday. It's been a crazy busy two weeks. We've been busy with ending the semester with a Christmas party at our homeschool co-op (lots of fun, but lots of work, too!) and preparing for the Christmas play that was performed at church yesterday morning. We didn't get to do a big play (performed by adults) this year, but some of our children, including my daughter, performed in a very cute, fun play called Peanut Butter Christmas (adapted from the Patch the Pirate script) (Watch on our YouTube channel at (https://youtu.be/ngF2c8NtgzY?t=939) Your family will enjoy it, I guarantee it! My daughter plays the older daughter and the other children who play her siblings are her Best Buds. The parents are the real mom and dad of three of the other boys (plus the two robbers). Advertisement over. All that to say that with us being so busy, it's been kind of a struggle to get this book read. I usually can fly through books pretty fast, but I just didn't have the time to do that. Today I took a mental health day and finished the book in between naps and playing my favorite new iPad game Nonogram.

The Gold Digger is written by Liz Tolsma who also wrote The Refrain Within for which I gave five stars. This book is very different and I have to commend the author for the ability to write in different genres. Unfortunately, I can't give this book five stars. It just didn't blow me out of the water like The Refrain Within did. I also think that the people who will enjoy this book comprise a very select audience. The story was intriguing and I admire the way that she handled the plot since it is fiction based on an actual historical case. The way she wrote it is very believable, yet hard to read due to being about people who show themselves to be very evil. Although it is not very graphic, it is gruesome -- nothing I can't handle. However, knowing it actually happened makes it a little harder to read.

One of the best parts of the book came towards the end. Here is an excerpt:

Mrs. Lindherud patted Ingrid's hand. "Tears don't make you weak. God gave us tears to cleanse us and to heal us. I've done enough crying of my own in the months since my dear Sven left..." [skipped so as not to reveal spoilers] "What makes us strong is our faith. Paul says that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength. That's who we must cling to in such trying circumstances. All other ground is sinking sand."

This is followed by the hymn On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand.

Ingrid had an anchor. She had a Father. The best, most faithful, most unchangeable Father there ever was. Belle failed Ingrid, many times over. But her Father never would. If she placed her hope in Him, not a wishful hope but a sure hope, she would never be alone.

Celebrate Lit gave me the opportunity to choose this book to receive, read, and review for free. Keep reading to learn more about the book (with photos of some of the real characters) and the author and to enter a great giveaway!

About the Book

Book: The Gold Digger

Author: Liz Tolsma

Genre: Christian/Historical/Suspense

Release Date: December, 2020

Men Are Disappearing in LaPorte, Indiana

Book 9 in the True Colors series—Fiction Based on Strange-But True History

Fiction Based on Strange, But True, History

In 1907, shy but loyal Ingrid Storset travels from Norway to support her grieving sister, Belle Gunness, who owns a farm in LaPorte, Indiana. Well-to-do widow Belle, who has lost two husbands and several children, provides Ingrid with enough money to start a small business. But Ingrid is confused by the string of men Belle claims to be interviewing for her next husband. When Nils Lindherud comes to town looking for his missing brother, who said he was going to marry Belle, Ingrid has a sinking feeling her sister is up to no good.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Liz Tolsma is a popular speaker and an editor and the owner of the Write Direction Editing. An almost-native Wisconsinite, she resides in a quiet corner of the state with her husband and is the mother of three. Her son proudly serves as a U.S. Marine. They adopted all of their children internationally, and one has special needs. When she gets a few spare minutes, she enjoys reading, relaxing on the front porch, walking, working in her large perennial garden, and camping with her family.

More from Liz

This story was so much fun to write, and the research was so interesting. It has to rank up there with one of my favorite books to write. That’s what makes my job the best around.

There are a great number of characters in The Gold Digger who are historical. Many of the places I mention are also historical. I had the pleasure of spending a day in LaPorte, Indiana, to research the book and take some pictures they had in the museum there. Research is one of my favorite aspects to writing. I could have spent much, much longer losing myself in the museum and in the archives. Good thing my cousin, who I was staying with, called me to let me know that it was getting dark and she had dinner ready, otherwise who knows how long I would have been there. Probably until they kicked me out!

One thing that the people of LaPorte would want you to know is that they really are nice people and that their town is a nice town. Lots of good people have been born there or have lived there over the years, including Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, William Mayo, who founded Mayo Clinic, and William Scholl, who found Dr. Scholl’s. They kept emphasizing to me while I was there what a great place LaPorte is. Judging by their friendliness and helpfulness, I would have to agree.