A Child Lost

A Child Lost: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox. She Writes Press, 2020. 409 pages. ****

In this 5th book in the series, Henrietta is despondent after her miscarriage and Clive is worried and willing to do anything to help her recover. He begs Sergeant Davis to pass on any cases that can help launch their detective agency. Henrietta's sister, Elsie asks for their help in finding 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 horrific news about Liesel. When Liesel's child, Anna, is herself admitted to the asylum after an epileptic fit, Clive and Henrietta return to Dunning to retrieve her. While talking to one of the patients, Henrietta begins to suspect that there is an evil presence at work on the wards. One of the cases from Sergeant Davis is a spiritualist woman who is suspected of taking advantage of and robbing people. What begins, as an open and shut case gets complicated when the spiritualist shares information with Henrietta and Clive that no one could possibly know. Does she really communicate with the dead or is someone helping her with information? Henrietta begins to think that she may be losing her mind.

After reading A Veil Removed I couldn't wait to read this one. I was not disappointed! Thankfully, it was on sale through Amazon and I was able to purchase the Kindle version. I love the way Henrietta stands up to Clive and the way that women are treated rings true for the time period. Elsie comes into her own in this book, her feelings for Gunther and Anna driving her actions. The way the mentally ill are treated gives Henrietta a cause to fight for even at the expense of her own health.  Cox provides background and notes on the places mentioned in the book, Dunning Asylum was a real place and she shares stories about this horrific place. A sad testimony to our treatment of fellow human beings. Henrietta and Clive are determined to solve the mystery of the spiritualist, support Gunther and Anna, and regain the closeness they lost during their bereavement. I look forward to the next book in the series, even though I read the book in a day. I am captivated once I start it.

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.  For more information about the series, http://michellecoxauthor.com/a-girl-like-you/



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