Once again, Michelle Cox threads together facts and fiction, romance, mystery, blackmail, and murder in A Spying Eye (She Writes Press), the sixth book in her inviting mystery/romance Henrietta and Inspector Howard series.
As usual, Cox weaves together an intricate plot. This time, she splits her story in two. Clive and Henrietta make another attempt at a honeymoon, which begins with cocktails in London and a fancy dress ball. Although their original itinerary would have taken them to Italy, Switzerland, and France (Henrietta has long dreamed of visiting Paris), their plans are altered by her mother-in-law’s insistence that they take a detour to a chateau near Strasbourg, which is owned by the VonHarmon family — presumably distant relations of Henrietta’s.
Back home in Chicago, there’s family drama. Unbeknownst to Clive’s mother, Antonia, her daughter Julia is married to a cruel and abusive man. The little girl named Anna, who is being cared for by Antonia’s mother, has become a pawn in an expensive and dangerous tug of war. A wealthy rancher arrives on the scene, intent on purchasing a work of art in the Howard gallery, but finds something he may want a great deal more.
A POLITICALLY-CHARGED SEARCH
Cox deftly switches back and forth between the two narratives.
Henrietta and Clive are sent on what Clive refers to as “a wild goose chase” looking for a stolen work of art which, according to a colleague of Clive’s, may well be in the possession of the VonHarmons.
But they are not the only people who want it.
Set in the unsteady years before the Second World War, Nazis are on their quest to gain power and respect. Cox’s talent for research is on display here, featuring the connections between Nazis and the occult, the history of the priceless Ghent altarpiece, the ancient religions of the Cathars and the Knights of the Templar. Details about the Ghent Altarpiece’s history, importance, and possible meaning drive this part of the book. The altarpiece is a polyptych of 14 panels, crated in 1432, and which has been sold, stolen and returned over the centuries. One panel, The Just Judges, remains missing to this day.
This is the panel that Henrietta and Clive are sent to find in the dark recesses of the VonHarmon manor house. Their search leads them into the secret room of a musty bookstore, down cobblestone streets in Strasbourg, and into dark gardens and uncomfortable conversations. Henrietta, a bit of a flirt to begin with, bats her lashes at the wrong men, Clive gets a little too close to being killed and readers get a psychological look at why men become Nazis.
SUSPENSEFUL TO THE VERY END
And in Chicago? No bloodshed, but certainly enough suspense among the Exley family to make it hard to put the book down. Who will raise little Anna? Will Henrietta’s sister Elsie wane away, heartbroken and emotionally lost, in a convent in Illinois? Clive’s mother appears to be smitten too soon after her husband’s death; family and friends have their doubts.
Michelle Cox keeps readers unsure about what’s fact and what’s fiction – which brings another dimension to her smoothly-written mysteries and keeps her readers completely engaged.
While A Spying Eye — and each book in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series — can easily stand on its own, Cox coyly drops references to earlier novels and leaves readers ready for Book Seven, which is under construction. “I’ll just get my hat,” Henrietta says on her way out the door at the end.
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About 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. 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. Visit michellecoxauthor.com.
