I have reviewed A Child Lost – A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox for Reader’s Favorite.
After the miscarriage, Henrietta lost her will to engage in daily affairs. In his desperate attempt to bring his wife back to normalcy, Clive accepted a seemingly boring case of an alleged fraud charlatan. The charlatan, a woman who could talk to the departed, as it turned out, impressed Henrietta enough that, much to the dismay of Clive, she ended up believing the woman as a real deal. Unbeknownst to him, Henrietta accepted to help her sister, Elsie, in finding the mother of a little girl, Anna. Surmising both the cases to be undemanding, Clive felt no harm in including a distraught Henrietta. Besides, he figured, the distraction could help with her depression. Little did he know that it also produced a life-threatening situation for her that nobody could have ever imagined. Moreover, the seemingly open and shut case of finding Anna’s mother revealed the disturbing truth of Dunning Asylum.
“You’ve clearly managed to thwart the investigation for today, but don’t think I won’t be back.”
“There is a man near you, too,” Madame Pavlovsky said calmly, even as they walked away from her. “Your father, I believe. He stands by a large house. ‘Linley’ is engraved in cornerstone.”
An excerpt from A Child Lost – A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox
Although A Child Lost is a part of A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel series, Michelle Cox has left enough breadcrumbs for a first-time reader to be able to imagine the back story. Henrietta and Clive create an instant connection with the readers. One could just imagine a rich and handsome Clive holding a pipe in his hand with all the money and servants at trying — and failing — to control Henrietta’s wild impulses. Even though Clive treats Henrietta as a delicate woman, Michelle Cox brings forth her strong personality — more than even Clive, at times — by relaying Henrietta’s difficult past. Clive’s unfailing love and his protectiveness would speak to the romantics, while the mystery of the asylum and the charlatan would intrigue the suspense lovers.
“How do you know she was sent to an asylum?”
“I finally go. To hospital. I very worried about Liesel. I bring crucifix for devil. But she gone. Nurse tell me where she go. I forget,” she said, rubbing her forehead. “Starts with D…”
An excerpt from A Child Lost – A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox
Michelle Cox expertly transports her readers into thirties with a vivid description of the setting, conversations, traditions, and apparel. The graphic detail of the objects and buildings is one of the most cherished aspects of the book. The plot is as engrossing as they come. The delightful storytelling has a bewitching charm that would hold the readers glued to their seats. A Child Lost – A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox weaves the historic facts with a fascinating mystery and adorns it with a passionate romance. Readers with an interest in the perfect concoction of absorbing historic facts, intriguing mystery, and thrilling romance would be the perfect audience for A Child Lost.
“But what about her mysterious visitor?” she exclaimed. “The man? Maybe it was Heinrich, Anna’s father. Shouldn’t we try to find him? And what about this ‘gibberish’ that she was supposedly telling Nurse Harding? Don’t you find that odd?” She was growing more agitated by the moment. “Maybe Nurse Harding doesn’t really speak German, and this poor woman wasn’t really insane! You don’ know that she was!”
An excerpt from A Child Lost – A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox
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