A CHILD LOST: A HENRIETTA AND INSPECTOR HOWARD NOVEL BOOK #5

• Print Length: 409 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 163152836X
• Publisher: She Writes Press (April 28, 2020)
• Publication Date: April 28, 2020

SYNOPSIS:

A spiritualist, an insane asylum, a lost little girl . . .

When Clive, anxious to distract a depressed Henrietta, begs Sergeant Frank Davis for a case, he is assigned to investigating a seemingly boring affair: a spiritualist woman operating in an abandoned schoolhouse on the edge of town who is suspected of robbing people of their valuables. What begins as an open and shut case becomes more complicated, however, when Henrietta—much to Clive’s dismay—begins to believe the spiritualist's strange ramblings.

Meanwhile, Elsie begs Clive and Henrietta to help her and the object of her budding love, Gunther, locate the whereabouts of one Liesel Klinkhammer, the German woman Gunther has traveled to America to find and the mother of the little girl, Anna, whom he has brought along with him. The search leads them to Dunning Asylum, where they discover some terrible truths about Liesel. When the child, Anna, is herself mistakenly admitted to the asylum after an epileptic fit, Clive and Henrietta return to Dunning to retrieve her. This time, however, Henrietta begins to suspect that something darker may be happening. When Clive doesn’t believe her, she decides to take matters into her own hands . . . with horrifying results.

EDITORIAL REVIEWS:

Praise for A Child Lost:

“Once again, Cox delivers the passion and intrigue of Henrietta and Clive with a story that leaps right off the page. A Child Lost is a true thrill . . .”
―Paperback Paris

“...vivid descriptive prose and historical accuracy.”
―Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series:

Praise for A Veil Removed:

2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist in Romance

2019 Next Generation Indie Book Awards: Finalist in Series

“Entertaining . . . composed of large dollops of romance and a soupçon of mystery, this confection will appeal!"
―Publishers Weekly

THOUGHTS/REVIEW:

This is my first-time reading Michelle Cox’s dynamic duo, Henrietta and Inspector Howard, a Historical Fiction mystery set in 1930’s Chicago. This is the fifth book in the series and read well as a stand alone for me. In this installment of the series, Henrietta is going through depression given a recent miscarriage and Clive (Inspector Howard) knows that a new case will certainly cure the blues for Henrietta. The cases they take involve an asylum, a hypnotist, and a lost child.

Michelle Cox writes masterfully in bringing to life in vivid detail and well researched historical fiction story about asylums and the management of depression/hysteria/epileptic fits in crossing the divide and the stark difference between men and women, those with money and without as well as the prejudices in mental health at the time. The characters’ depth and complexity is beautifully written and that I would appreciate more had I read the previous episodes to get to know Henrietta and Clive in depth. This is a truly enjoyable and addicting series full of personality and wit I truly enjoyed and highly recommend.

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT:

Michelle Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as Novel Notes of Local Lore, a weekly blog dedicated to Chicagos forgotten residents. She suspects she may have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there. Coincidentally, her books have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist and many others, so she might be on to something. Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesnt have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.