Book Spotlight: A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox

Title:A Girl Like You

Author:Michelle Cox

Series:The Henrietta & Inspector Howard series, #1

Published:April 2016, She Writes Press

Format:Paperback, 288 pages

 

Henrietta Von Harmon
works as a 26 girl at a corner bar on Chicago s northwest side. It s
1935, but things still aren t looking up since the big crash and her
father s subsequent suicide, leaving Henrietta to care for her
antagonistic mother and younger siblings. Henrietta is eventually
persuaded to take a job as a taxi dancer at a local dance hall and just
when she s beginning to enjoy herself, the floor matron turns up dead. 

When aloof Inspector Clive Howard appears on the scene, Henrietta agrees
to go undercover for him and is plunged into Chicago s grittier
underworld. Meanwhile, she s still busy playing mother hen to her
younger siblings, as well as to pesky neighborhood boy Stanley, who
believes himself in love with her and keeps popping up in the most
unlikely places, determined to keep Henrietta safe even from the
Inspector, if need be. 

Despite his efforts, however, and his penchant
for messing up the Inspector s investigation, the lovely Henrietta and
the impenetrable Inspector find themselves drawn to each other in most
unsuitable ways.

What readers are saying…

“Fans of spunky, historical heroines will love Henrietta Von Harmon.” —Booklist starred review

“Michelle Cox masterfully recreates 1930s Chicago in A Girl Like You, bringing to life its diverse neighborhoods and eclectic residents, as well as its seedy side. Henriette and Inspector Howard are the best pair of sleuths I’ve come across in ages–Cox makes us care not just about the case, but about her characters. A fantastic start to what is sure to be a long running series.” –Tasha Alexander, New York Times bestselling author of The Adventuress

“In A Girl Like You, Michelle Cox offers striking descriptions of the seamy side of 1930s Chicago. Readers of historical romance and suspense will root for the destitute but hardworking Henriette Von Harmon as she risks everything for Inspector Howard in a story that will keep readers guessing up to the last page.” — Kristen Harnisch, award-winning author of The Vintner’s Daughter and The California Wife

“The authentic setting rich in cinematic detail of Chicago during The Great Depression is the perfect backdrop for a plethora of vivid characters in Michelle Cox’s novel A Girl Like You – one being an ambitious dance hall girl, Henrietta Von Harmon, soul breadwinner of her fatherless family. But when her boss is found dead, in walks Inspector Clive Howard whose chemistry with Henriette promises even more twists and turns in this highly entertaining mystery.” — Sande Boritz Berger, author of The Sweetness

“Cox brings the economic hardships and rigid class structure of 1930s Chicago to life in her captivating mystery, A Girl Like You. Henriette Von Harmon must provide for her family after the suicide of her father, but jobs are scarce. Although she must hide her job from everyone she knows, Henrietta becomes a taxi dancer, a woman of questionable virtue who dances with men for money. When someone is murdered and a girl disappears, Henrietta is persuaded by Clive, a handsome homicide detective, to go undercover at a dangerous venue. Anyone who enjoys a well-written romantic mystery set in a gritty time and place will enjoy A Girl Like You.” — M.A. Adler, author of In the Shadow of Lies

“The Depression-era world of a poor girl‘s Chicago is a dicey deal for Henrietta Von Harmon–but she is resilient. In Michelle Cox’s capable hands, Henrietta takes the reader of A Girl Like You on a wonderful romp through the seamier side of an early 20th-century working girl’s life. The realities of a fatherless family, a weary mother, and a dearth of opportunity don’t overpower Henrietta’s curiosity, her willingness to work hard, her knack for making alliances, and her vision of a better future. The book’s cast of additional characters, headed by Inspector Howard, accompanies Henrietta through a murder, a dangerous job, and touching remnders that life turns on small intimacies. This engaging book bodes well for the following works in the series!” — Barbara Stark-Nemon, author of Even in Darkness

 

  

A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox is one of  BookSparks “It’s Raining Books” reading selection picks. 

Follow the #itsrainingbooks hashtag on twitter to read reviews on this book as well as reviews on the other 4 books!