A Child Lost: Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel by Michelle Cox
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Child Lost by Michelle Cox
Praise Child Lost by Michelle Cox
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. (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, Cox hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also, marmalade.
Stan joined Rose, his hands stuffed in his pockets, and they began walking briskly down the street, though Stan had no idea where they were headed.
“Want
to get a cup of coffee?” she asked without looking at him. They turned onto
Armitage, into the wind, causing them to bend slightly forward.
Stan
wanted to point out that they could have had free coffee if they’d stayed at
his parents’, but he didn’t say so. Clearly, Rose had something important on
her mind. “Sure,” he said and then added, “so what’s this all about, Rose?
Something wrong?”
“I’ll
explain in a minute,” she said loudly over the wind, still bent slightly and
looking down at the sidewalk as they walked.
They
continued in silence until they reached Kaufmann’s and went inside, the shop
bell tinkling as they entered. Rose led them
to a back booth, and Stan slid onto the thick, leather seat. Rose sat
opposite him. Stan looked at the small chalkboard hanging beside a Coca-Cola
sign to peruse the specials before remembering that they weren’t actually here
to eat. He pulled his eyes away from the menu to look at Rose now, but as he
did so, he nearly cried out loud. She had removed her coat and slightly pulled
back her scarf to fully reveal her face, the right side of which was swollen
and purple.
“Jesus,
Rose!” Stan bellowed, his stomach churning at the sight of her bruised face.
“What happened? Did you fall?” Then it suddenly dawned on him. He could see
tiny tears in the corners of her eyes. Jesus Christ. “Was it . . . it wasn’t
your dad, was it?” he asked, his breath labored.
Rose
gave the tiniest of nods and looked away.
Stan
felt as though he had been punched himself, fury shooting
through
him. How dare her old man! He would kill him! he resolved wildly. His urge was
to go right then and there. Why were they sitting calmly in a diner? How could
. . . how could anyone hit a woman, and your daughter at that? He knew Rose’s
father was a drunk, but it didn’t excuse it.
“I’m
going to kill him, Rose!” Stan huffed, grabbing his hat just as the thick
waitress appeared beside the table.
“What’ll
it be, kids?” she asked dully.
“Stanley,
just calm down,” Rose said firmly. “We’ll have two black coffees,” she said to
the waitress.
“That
it?” the waitress asked, clearly annoyed.
“For
now,” Rose said, staring her down.
“Nice
shiner,” the waitress said, looking over at Stanley as if he were a piece of
dirt.
“Hey!”
Stanley said, realizing the meaning behind her withering look, but she had
already moved away.
“Jeez,
Rose. I said if he ever touched you, I’d kill him! So, now I’m going to kill
him.” He threw his hat back onto the seat.
“Come
on, Stanley, be serious.”
“I
am being serious!” He was filled with rage and . . . and what? Mortification?
Humiliation? Rose was his! No one had the right to touch her but him, and even
then . . . Suddenly, he felt he might vomit. He couldn’t look at her face for
more than a few seconds at a time.
“Stanley,
I don’t know what I’m going to do!” she said suddenly, cradling her forehead on
the tips of her fingers and beginning to cry.
Stanley
felt a flood of something else release within him now, a desperate sort of pity
mixed with panic. “Rose . . . hey, Rose!” he said
gently.
“Hey, it’s going to be all right. We’ll think of something.”
“He’s
getting worse, Stan. He beat Billy again. And I can’t keep
taking
him to Lucy and Gwen’s. They were nice enough to keep him for a while. I
thought things had calmed down, so I brought him back a few nights ago. It was
a mistake, I guess. The ol’ man had a go at him the very first night. I tried
to stop it, and this is what I got,” she said pointing to her damaged face. “I
took Billy back to Lucy and Gwen’s, but I could tell they weren’t too happy. I
mean, I guess I wouldn’t be, either. He can’t just stay there forever.”
The
waitress appeared with two coffees. Seeing Rose’s tears, she gave Stanley
another snide look and walked away, mumbling “men” under her breath.
Stanley
wrapped his hands around one of the thick white mugs and tried to calm himself.
What the hell was he going to do? So far he had been elusive in describing
Rose’s familial situation to his parents, particularly his mother, only giving
the barest of facts that Rose’s mother was dead and that she lived with her
father and younger brother. Rose had been elusive, too, during the few times
she managed to come to dinner at the Dubowski’s, and Stanley had taken his cues
from her—not only on this subject but regarding many topics, actually. He was
impressed, truth be told, by how smoothly she outfoxed his mother—a difficult
feat by any stretch, one which he and his father had given up trying to achieve
long ago. His first thought was that they should explain the
situation—partially, maybe?—to his parents. But to what end? He could maybe
talk them into letting Rose move into the spare bedroom, but where did that
leave Billy? That seemed to be the real problem here. Billy. He hadn’t yet
mentioned to his parents that his fiancé’s brother was backward. He wasn’t sure
what they would say to that. Well, he could guess . . .
“I
. . . I’m desperate, Stan,” Rose was saying. “I don’t have enough money to move
out on my own, and we can’t stay there anymore.
I can’t take it. I don’t mind for myself, but I can’t take Billy being
punched and kicked and . . . ” She broke
down into sobs, covering her face with her hands.
“You
all right, doll?” the waitress called from where she poured coffee at the
counter for other customers.
“Yeah,
she’s fine,” Stan called out weakly, turning slightly toward the counter. The
waitress, holding the coffee pot midair, continued to stare at Rose, waiting
for some kind of confirmation from her.
As
if sensing the waitress’s eyes on her, Rose looked up and nodded sadly.
“Jeez,”
Stan mumbled. “A guy can’t win.”
Buy Child Lost by Michelle Cox
A Child lost is a gripping tale of mystery set in 1936. It was a time of great turmoil in Europe, and Gunther had to make the ultimate sacrifice as he went to America in the hopes for a future for him and Anna. A six-year-old girl, not related to himself, in the hopes to find her mother. Soon the plot became a serious of suspense as murder, theft and abuse take the front stage.
I understand this is part of
the series, the last book so far, but in the end, I trust the story will
continue with Henrietta and Clive’s journey. Though it began with Gunther and
Anna, the point of view changed to that of the would-be private investigators
in an era when it was unheard of for a woman to work or study. With this turn
of events, the author introduced another character as part of the growing
characters. Elsie is a young woman who is determined to find her own way.
Against the advice of her mother and grandfather she enrols in the, I believe
University to become a teacher.
Some topics worthy to mention
are mental illness, and the devastation of treatment these poor soles had to
endure while in Dunning, a mental institution. The author really had a good
understanding of this and touched the topic with finesse and empathy.
Miscarriage and the death of a spouse were also touched, and here we see one
husband’s desperate plea to take care of his wife as fear grabbed him. In the
end, both their attitudes towards their loss had built a bridge that will have
a lasting effect on the marriage. PTSD, and the effects of war, was another
subject the author wielded with great care.
The love of Clive and
Henrietta is touching the heartstrings and the love scenes done with passionate
ease. Love an important cornerstone of this couple and the story. Clive’s
overprotectiveness and Harriette’s independence caused for some interesting
moments.
Problems within the storyline:
Too much throat-clearing stopped the story’s flow. With unnecessary dialogue
that either could have been left out or cut in half.
Two other characters are also
introduced and though the subject of abuse at the hand of the father is
pertinent, it had no bearing on the story. Maybe it will continue in the
follow-up of this book.
A cursing Clive doesn’t fit
with the character he portrays, nor the period. I cannot see that a gentleman
of his status will talk in this manner.
There are a few times I
wondered if the book setting is in 1936. Then I had to go back to the synopsis
to remind myself that it is in fact historical. Some incidents seemed more
appropriate for today.
Final thoughts:
An interesting storyline with a worthy cause to generate a
pleasant story filled with enough mystery to keep reading. The romance is
believable and touching, which makes this a good read. The principal characters
are believable and the supporting characters played their roles perfectly, filling
in the gaps for the would-be detectives.
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I am so glad you enjoyed 'A Child Lost'. Thanks for hosting!
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ReplyDeleteThanks so much for reading and reviewing, A CHILD LOST, Lynelle! I'm delighted that you enjoyed it!!!
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