A Child Lost

A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel, Book 5

By: Michelle Cox

Narrated by: Jayne Entwistle

Length: 14 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

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.

©2020 Michelle Cox (P)2020 Michelle Cox

The girl, the spiritualist, and the asylum

A Child Lost is the fifth book in the great Henrietta and Inspector Howard series of beautifully written historical romance novels from best-selling and award-winning author Michelle Cox, brought to life once again by the talented voiceover artist and narrator Jayne Entwistle.

In A Child Lost, Inspector Clive Howard provides his young wife, Henrietta, with a strange case to investigate, hoping to distract her from what it’s transforming into a sort of depression. Henrietta, Clive and Hen’s sister, Elsie, are quickly drawn into the mysteries surrounding a lost girl, and an ominous asylum.

A Child Lost is a darker and more dramatic adult story set against the backdrop of mid-1930’s Chicago. Well written and expertly performed, A Child Lost is Michelle Cox at her very best. With such a dedicated narrator in Jayne Entwistle, this series becomes more entertaining, gripping and enthralling with each new release. I can’t wait to find out what comes next for our heroes…

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Perfect voice for this intriguing story

As the story opens, Jayne Entwistle’s voice and restraint invite the listener to savor the story itself as a mystery reveals itself and lives begin to unfurl. The narrator’s diction is perfectly matched to the story’s, and each character’s voice brings forth both image and personality.

A lovely story, beautifully told.

What happened?

I love the book series but why the sex scenes between the married couple? Why the language between some of the men in the book? I found it unnecessary and distracting.

Henrietta and Elsie

Well narrated and different voices very distinctive. I was really looking forward to this final book having so enjoyed the previous 4 books. But I felt the style of writing had changed and a lot more descriptive additional details included. I found this unnecessary and irritating especially the love making scenes. They were tender but overlong and became tedious. The story of Elsie could have been the main focus of the book but it kept veering back to Howards. I also felt there were a lot of not quite concluded stories. I had hoped the spiritualist story might have been wrapped up.
It felt unfinished in so many story lines. I would have anticipated a sequel if this book had been shorter. Engaging characters and interesting plot but spiritualist plot seemed unnecessary distraction. I was hoping Mr Tobin would turn out the real villain! Or there would be some link to asylum. This book received a lot of awards so many people felt it was outstanding. I think it would make good filmed serial.