A Child Lost: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book: (summary from Goodreads)

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.

my thoughts:

A Child Lost by Michelle Cox is the fifth book in her Henrietta and Inspector Howard series; fortunately for me, the book can be read as a standalone novel. And, let me just say how much I LOVED this story. It was gripping from the start and kept me up late at night, eager to find out what was going on at Dunning Asylum. I absolutely enjoyed every minute spent with Henrietta and Clive - talk about a dynamic duo! I just loved getting to know them both and can't wait to read more about them in this awesome mystery-thriller series. Cox has created a wonderful cast and her storytelling talent shines through. 

Henrietta and Clive are married and have opened their own private detective agency. She's recently had a miscarriage is depressed, so her husband decides that a new case will do the trick of cheering her up. So, he gets the Sergeant to send them a case their way.  Unfortunately, Clive thinks it's rather boring - a spiritualist woman is thought to be robbing people. What he doesn't expect is for his wife to take to the spiritualist's ramblings. However, that's not the only case on the docket. Turns out that Elise, Henrietta's sister, is in need of some help.  She's befriended a custodian who has been saddled with looking after a little girl. He's trying to look for her mother, but he's so busy working, too, that he can't seem to manage it all. Plus, the little girl has epilepsy, which makes it imperative that she is looked after at all times. So, Elise wants Clive and Henrietta to help track down the girl's mother. This new case leads them to the Dunning Asylum, which has Henrietta considering her own melancholia.  And that is all I will write about this terrific story. You have to check it out for yourself and enjoy the mystery, suspense, and thrills all on your own. 

I would happily recommend A Child Lost to fans of Cox and for anyone looking for their next new read - you will fall in LOVE with this book!!

GIVEAWAY: $100 Amazon Gift Card

This giveaway is open to Canada, the U.S. , and UK only and ends on March 31, 2021, midnight pacific time. If you live in the UK, the amount will be the equivalent in pounds. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only. 

Here's the Rafflecopter link for: A CHILD LOST GIVEAWAY

Good Luck!!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!