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Michelle Cox is the author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents. Her books have won over 50 international awards and have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Foreword, Elle, Redbook, Brit&Co., POPSUGAR, Buzzfeed, and many others.

Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade. She lives in Chicago with her husband, three children, and one naughty Goldendoodle and is hard at work on her latest novel.

End Nov 28, 2022

Book Details:

Book Title: A Child Lost (The Henrietta and Inspector Howard Series #5) by Michelle Cox
Narrated by: Jayne A Entwistle
Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins
Category: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Mystery
Content Rating: Rated R for 2 sex scenes that are somewhat explicit but which are tastefully done. There is periodic swearing (not excessive), religious profanity but no violence.


Book Description:

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 implores 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.


In May, I read the ebook copy of this book, the fifth one in a series that I have been enjoying very much! So, of course, I was thrilled when the opportunity came up to listen to the audiobook too. I already listened to the audiobooks of the first book A Girl Like You, the second book A Ring of Truth, the third A Promise Given, and the fourth A Veil Removed, all of which I enjoyed as much as when I read them in print format. So far this one is my favorite!
It has all the characters I have come to know well, an excellent mystery with a great twist and, of course, the 1930s Chicago setting. But what I loved the most is how the author has fleshed out, even more, the characters of our dynamic sleuthing duo, Henrietta and Clive. We get to see more of their vulnerable sides within the context of the realities of married life.

In this aptly titled Book 5 of the series, Henrietta and Clive have informally begun to solve cases together. There is a spirit medium who has settled in an abandoned schoolhouse and she may be defrauding her clients. Henrietta's sister Elsie seeks their help in locating the mother of Anna, a 4-year old child who was left in the care of Gunther, the custodian Elsie is falling for. Their search leads them to the infamous Dunning insane asylum.

I've always had an interest in mental health, especially when it's a topic in historical fiction because so little was understood in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the author's notes, Cox mentions that Dunning Asylum actually existed, and she did a good job of including the depravity that went on there without turning the novel into a horror story. I blazed through the last hundred pages as the suspense built, much like it did in the first book of the series.

There is not a dull moment in this book. Cox's characters are so well portrayed in their physical traits, their manner of speech, their actions, their personalities as well as through their dilemmas and moments of joy. Cox sure knows how to create characters that are memorable and distinct. And they stay true to character throughout the story or series.

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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 Chicago's 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 doesn't have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.

Connect with the Author: website ~ facebook ~twitter ~ instagram ~ goodreadsJayne Entwistle is an award-winning audiobook narrator known most notably for her narration of the Flavia De Luce series by Alan Bradley. She received the prestigious Odyssey Award for The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley and the Odyssey Honor Award for The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry. In addition to several Earphones Awards, AudioFile magazine has included her narration on their list of Best Audiobooks of the Year. When not immersed in fabulous books, Jayne can be found on-screen in television shows such as The Good Place, Feud: Bette and Joan, You're the Worst, and Maron. Originally from the North of England, Jayne currently lives in Los Angeles.

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In May, I read the ebook copy of this book because I was enjoying the series and wanted to read all 5 books! So when it was released in audiobook format I wanted to revisit the story by listening to it. I already listened to the audiobooks of the first book A Girl Like You, the second book A Ring of Truth, and the third book A Promise Given, all of which I enjoyed as much as when I read them in print format. And I can say the same for this book too.

This fourth book in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series takes on a different turn as it deals with the death of Clive's father upon the couple's return from their shortened honeymoon. It also delves more closely into Elsie's life, as she struggles to find her own way, now that her grandfather is determined to marry her off to any wealthy bachelor who will have her after her scandal with the Lieutenant.

Once again, I immensely enjoyed yet another book starring the dynamic duo of Clive and Henrietta. In this book, their roles as husband and wife solidify as they return to Highbury and settle into married life. Clive must now take over his father's company. As he begins to go through his father's things, his detective antenna signals foul play and murder. Henrietta wants very much to be involved in helping him, and they finally face-off with past enemies.

Surprising is how Elsie's story takes off in this book. Through her, the reader gets a taste of what was expected of young women from wealthy families with domineering men at the helm. Elsie gets a chance to study in a women's college and she finds her calling, but she must fight her own lack of self-confidence. I enjoyed her story very much (and it did take a big chunk of the book) so I was somewhat disappointed that her story ended on a cliffhanger.

Apart from this, the author's writing is excellent with superb storytelling and great character building. As in all her other books, the author includes references to past events and gives the backstory from the previous books so they were fresh in my mind and added to my enjoyment of the series. I'm totally invested in this series, in the world of Henrietta, Clive, and their respective families. I feel like these novels could be turned into a TV miniseries. I guess that's why I'm loving the audiobooks so much.

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 14 hours 21 mins
Category: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Mystery
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There are sexual scenes, not too explicit, some violence)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 12 hours 5 mins
Category: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Mystery
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There are sexual scenes, not too explicit, some violence)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

In this second book of the series, Henrietta and Clive delightfully rewrite Pride and Prejudice―with a hint of mystery!

Newly engaged, Clive and Henrietta now begin the difficult task of meeting each other’s family. “Difficult” because Clive has neglected to tell Henrietta that he is, in fact, the heir to the Howard estate and fortune, and Henrietta has just discovered that her mother has been hiding secrets about her past as well. When Clive brings Henrietta to the family estate to meet his parents, they are less than enthused about his impoverished intended. Left alone in this extravagant new world when Clive returns to the city, Henrietta finds herself more at home with the servants than his family, much to the disapproval of Mrs. Howard―and soon gets caught up in the disappearance of an elderly servant’s ring, not realizing that in doing so she has become part of a bigger, darker plot.

As Clive and Henrietta attempt to discover the truth in the two very different worlds unraveling around them, they both begin to wonder: Are they meant for each other after all?

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 10 hours 21 mins
Category: Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical Mystery
Content Rating: PG-13 + M (There are sex scenes, not too explicit, some violence)

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

Henrietta Von Harmon works as a 26 girl at a corner bar on Chicago’s northwest side. It’s 1935, but things still aren’t looking up since the big crash and her father’s subsequent suicide, leaving Henrietta to care for her antagonistic mother and younger siblings. Henrietta is eventually persuaded to take a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall—and just when she’s beginning to enjoy herself, the floor matron turns up dead.

When aloof Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene, Henrietta agrees to go undercover for him—and is plunged into Chicago’s grittier underworld. Meanwhile, she’s still busy playing mother hen to her younger siblings, as well as to pesky neighborhood boy Stanley, who believes himself in love with her and keeps popping up in the most unlikely places, determined to keep Henrietta safe—even from the Inspector, if need be. Despite his efforts, however, and his penchant for messing up the Inspector’s investigation, the lovely Henrietta and the impenetrable Inspector find themselves drawn to each other in most unsuitable ways.

Series Title: A CHILD LOST (A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel #5) by Michelle Cox
Category: Adult Fiction, 409 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Publisher: She Writes Press
Release dates: April 2020
Content Rating: R: Rated R for 2 sex scenes that are somewhat explicit but which are tastefully done. There is periodic swearing (not excessive), religious profanity but no violence.

BOOK DESCRIPTION:

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.

So far I have read all five books in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series and this one is my favorite! It has all the characters I have come to know well, an excellent mystery with a great twist and, of course, the 1930s Chicago setting. But what I loved the most is how the author has fleshed out, even more, the characters of our dynamic sleuthing duo, Henrietta and Clive. We get to see more of their vulnerable sides within the context of the realities of married life.

In this aptly titled Book 5 of the series, Henrietta and Clive have informally begun to solve cases together. There is a spirit medium who has settled in an abandoned schoolhouse and she may be defrauding her clients. Henrietta's sister Elsie seeks their help in locating the mother of Anna, a 4-year old child who was left in the care of Gunther, the custodian Elsie is falling for. Their search leads them to the infamous Dunning insane asylum.

I've always had an interest in mental health, especially when it's a topic in historical fiction because so little was understood in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In the author's notes, Cox mentions that Dunning Asylum actually existed, and she did a good job of including the depravity that went on there without turning the novel into a horror story. I blazed through the last hundred pages as the suspense built, much like it did in the first book of the series.

There is not a dull moment in this book. Cox's characters are so well portrayed in their physical traits, their manner of speech, their actions, their personalities as well as through their dilemmas and moments of joy. Cox sure knows how to create characters that are memorable and distinct. And they stay true to character throughout the story or series.

This book did not end in a cliffhanger as did the previous one, but there is room for more adventures for our sexy couple, and I'm now eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. Michelle Cox is a gifted storyteller and she is now on my list of favorite authors!

Disclosure: I was sent a review copy by the author. I was not told how to rate or review this book.

MY REVIEW:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

This fourth book in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series takes on a different turn as it deals with the death of Clive's father upon the couple's return from their shortened honeymoon. It also delves more closely into Elsie's life, as she struggles to find her own way, now that her grandfather is determined to marry her off to any wealthy bachelor who will have her after her scandal with the Lieutenant.

Once again, I immensely enjoyed yet another book starring the dynamic duo of Clive and Henrietta. In this book, their roles as husband and wife solidify as they return to Highbury and settle into married life. Clive must now take over his father's company. As he begins to go through his father's things, his detective antenna signals foul play and murder. Henrietta wants very much to be involved in helping him, and they finally face-off with past enemies.

Surprising is how Elsie's story takes off in this book. Through her, the reader gets a taste of what was expected of young women from wealthy families with domineering men at the helm. Elsie gets a chance to study in a women's college and she finds her calling, but she must fight her own lack of self-confidence. I enjoyed her story very much (and it did take a big chunk of the book) so I was somewhat disappointed that her story ended on a cliffhanger. 

Apart from this, the author's writing is excellent with superb storytelling and great character building. As in all her other books, the author includes references to past events and gives the backstory from the previous books so they were fresh in my mind and added to my enjoyment of the series. I'm totally invested in this series, in the world of Henrietta, Clive, and their respective families. I feel like these novels could be turned into a TV miniseries.

The Henrietta and Inspector Howard series is an engaging look at 1935Chicago, a blend of noir-like detective stories that explores social classes and feminism with a cast of memorable characters. I'm loving this series!

I'm now eagerly reading A Child Lost which is the fifth book that's recently been released. Watch out for my review later this week.