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Henrietta and Inspector Howard #1
A Girl Like You
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.
RUNNING TIME ➜ 10hrs. and 21mins.
©2016 Michelle Cox (P)2017 Michelle Cox
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.
RUNNING TIME ➜ 10hrs. and 21mins.
©2016 Michelle Cox (P)2017 Michelle Cox
318 pages, Paperback
First published April 19, 2016
893 people are currently reading
2446 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Cox
11 books1,954 followersMichelle Cox has always been obsessed with stories of the past and has spent a lifetime collecting them. She is the award-winning author of historical fiction, including the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series, The Fallen Woman’s Daughter, and The Merriweather Novels. Cox also pens the wildly popular, “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” a weekly blog chronicling the lives of Chicago’s forgotten residents.
She lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her husband, an assortment of children who continually leave and then come back, and one naughty Goldendoodle. Unbeknownst to most, she hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, in love with both Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Likewise, she is happily addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
She lives in the northern suburbs of Chicago with her husband, an assortment of children who continually leave and then come back, and one naughty Goldendoodle. Unbeknownst to most, she hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, in love with both Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. Likewise, she is happily addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also marmalade.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 337 reviews
August 14, 2018
This was one category in the Challenge I took on in January (a challenge that I am enjoying immensely)! And another “first” for me as I have never experienced a reading challenge before:
A book on your TBR shelf by a debut author whose book you are both excited and nervous to read.
And this was what I chose, and the reason for choosing it:
A Girl Like You (Henrietta and Inspector Howard 01), by Michelle Cox - Excited because it’s a debut mystery novel set in 1935 Chicago; nervous because there’s romance and I hope it doesn’t over-ride the mystery.
This is a very difficult review to write. Reading this book was my choice alone. I probably could have looked harder and found a different one for this category because I love reading author’s debuts – especially authors from long ago whose works have prevailed through decades of readers.
However, this book wasn’t a good choice on my part. I really want to be clear on that point because I think this book would work well for a younger readership – older teens or YA.
What I liked:
• Its setting is Chicago, in 1935
• The action and pacing are good
• The storyline involving organized crime, prostitution, and other bad things of the time was well done.
• There was a nice little twist near the end
What bothered me:
• The romance part was a distraction and I didn’t feel it as a reality – with the exception of the first scene between Henrietta and Inspector Howard. It was downhill from there for me.
• There were several grammatical errors that jarred me. This surprised me because the author had a long list of first readers and others – can I have been the only one to notice?
• Maybe something got lost in digitizing, but there were words (such as "as") that were awkwardly repeated within a sentence. These errors, though small, were distracting and broke faith and trust between myself and the book.
I don’t want to shred this novel because it was fair to middling and I didn’t completely dislike it, but my other “botherations” are probably more subjective and I don’t want to discourage anyone who is interested from giving this novel a try. I see there is also a second one in this series so maybe it gets better as it goes along, although I won’t likely have time to read it.
I think it does boil down to the fact that it is intended for a younger audience and wasn’t quite the right read for me.
A book on your TBR shelf by a debut author whose book you are both excited and nervous to read.
And this was what I chose, and the reason for choosing it:
A Girl Like You (Henrietta and Inspector Howard 01), by Michelle Cox - Excited because it’s a debut mystery novel set in 1935 Chicago; nervous because there’s romance and I hope it doesn’t over-ride the mystery.
This is a very difficult review to write. Reading this book was my choice alone. I probably could have looked harder and found a different one for this category because I love reading author’s debuts – especially authors from long ago whose works have prevailed through decades of readers.
However, this book wasn’t a good choice on my part. I really want to be clear on that point because I think this book would work well for a younger readership – older teens or YA.
What I liked:
• Its setting is Chicago, in 1935
• The action and pacing are good
• The storyline involving organized crime, prostitution, and other bad things of the time was well done.
• There was a nice little twist near the end
What bothered me:
• The romance part was a distraction and I didn’t feel it as a reality – with the exception of the first scene between Henrietta and Inspector Howard. It was downhill from there for me.
• There were several grammatical errors that jarred me. This surprised me because the author had a long list of first readers and others – can I have been the only one to notice?
• Maybe something got lost in digitizing, but there were words (such as "as") that were awkwardly repeated within a sentence. These errors, though small, were distracting and broke faith and trust between myself and the book.
I don’t want to shred this novel because it was fair to middling and I didn’t completely dislike it, but my other “botherations” are probably more subjective and I don’t want to discourage anyone who is interested from giving this novel a try. I see there is also a second one in this series so maybe it gets better as it goes along, although I won’t likely have time to read it.
I think it does boil down to the fact that it is intended for a younger audience and wasn’t quite the right read for me.
October 28, 2016
This book was hard to review. On one hand I wasn’t entirely in love with it, but on the other hand I was invested enough to want to unravel the mystery.
I really enjoyed the authentic historic feel of the book and I also liked that the author decided to go with a little ‘seedy’ feel to the novel. It wasn’t a typical murder mystery for me which kept things interesting.
The whole prostitute ring and the dance hall darlings felt like a 1930s Law and Order SVU….I really really liked how the author went in a different direction than a traditional mystery novel.
As for the characters it was kind of a mixed bag for me. On one hand, Henrietta’s innocents was endearing but on the other hand I felt like it got annoying after a while. Here is this sweet young girl and it basically takes limited convincing to jump right into a darker world of what surmounts to the sex industry. Yes the family needed the money but it just seemed like she made the decision a little too easily.
Then the Inspector, I was kind of put off by him just throwing Henrietta into the sex industry like it was no big deal. It was clear he harbored feelings for her but at the same time I felt like he didn’t seem to care about her well being until it was too late.
Then when you put them together, I didn’t quite buy their relationship. They had one dance and limited time interacting together in the story and suddenly they were in love. I just didn’t buy it 100%. However, that said there were endearing moments between the two when they were together. I think it would have helped if the author maybe spent a little more time developing the sexual/romantic tension between the two.
As a first novel this was just ok for me. It was rough around the edges and could use some polishing but as I said before, it wasn’t terrible and I was invested enough in the story to see it through until the end.
See my full review here
I really enjoyed the authentic historic feel of the book and I also liked that the author decided to go with a little ‘seedy’ feel to the novel. It wasn’t a typical murder mystery for me which kept things interesting.
The whole prostitute ring and the dance hall darlings felt like a 1930s Law and Order SVU….I really really liked how the author went in a different direction than a traditional mystery novel.
As for the characters it was kind of a mixed bag for me. On one hand, Henrietta’s innocents was endearing but on the other hand I felt like it got annoying after a while. Here is this sweet young girl and it basically takes limited convincing to jump right into a darker world of what surmounts to the sex industry. Yes the family needed the money but it just seemed like she made the decision a little too easily.
Then the Inspector, I was kind of put off by him just throwing Henrietta into the sex industry like it was no big deal. It was clear he harbored feelings for her but at the same time I felt like he didn’t seem to care about her well being until it was too late.
Then when you put them together, I didn’t quite buy their relationship. They had one dance and limited time interacting together in the story and suddenly they were in love. I just didn’t buy it 100%. However, that said there were endearing moments between the two when they were together. I think it would have helped if the author maybe spent a little more time developing the sexual/romantic tension between the two.
As a first novel this was just ok for me. It was rough around the edges and could use some polishing but as I said before, it wasn’t terrible and I was invested enough in the story to see it through until the end.
See my full review here
February 8, 2016
A wonderfully written story by debut author Michelle Cox. If you enjoy historical fiction, with a little romance and mystery, you will love this book. I sincerely hope this becomes a series, because the characters are just so likeable you will find yourself fully vested in their lives within the pages of the story. Henrietta Von Harmon is pretty yet feisty young women in one of Chicago's hardscrabble neighborhoods in 1935. She lives at home with her widowed mother and seven younger siblings. After the stock market crash and her father's suicide, Henrietta, has tried to do her part to earn money for her family. At the opening of the story we find her working as a 26 Girl at Poor Pete's, a neighborhood bar. At least Poor Pete's owner keeps an eye out for her as if she were his own daughter, but Henrietta feels she needs to earn more money to help her mom, who's been depressed since her father's suicide, to put more food on the table. She takes a job as a taxi dancer, upon the recommendation of her friend Polly at a local dance hall, making 10 cents a dance from the lonely men who attend the dances. While she and Polly are working one night, the supervisor of the dance floor, turns up murdered. In the process of the police interviews of the staff, Henrietta realizes that one of her "dances" was with a police inspector. Was he there undercover? Did the police suspect something else was happening at the dance hall? Inspector Howard questions both Henrietta & Polly, then Polly turns up missing. Could there be a connection to Polly's missing sister who was working at a burlesque club with possible Mob connections? Inspector Howard asks Henrietta to go undercover, trying out for a position as an usherette so she can snoop around. Henrietta jumps at the chance to find out what happened to Polly and her sister and in the process make some much needed extra cash, but the burlesque club may be more dangerous than Henrietta or Inspector Howard realizes. Thank you to author Michelle Cox and She Writes Press for the opportunity to read and review this book.
February 7, 2017
Time travel does exist! I know this to be true because author Michelle Cox’s A GIRL LIKE YOU is a portal that transports readers back to the Chicago underworld of 1935. So authentic, so well written, my eyes stung from the blue haze of smoke hanging low in the dubious joint—the Marlowe—where Henrietta’s agreed to work undercover for Inspector Howard. And while her body's in physical danger of falling into the hands of gangsters, her heart's in emotional danger of falling in love with the inspector. I can hardly wait for the next installment—A Ring of Truth.
December 31, 2019
Henrietta Von Harmon was 18 years old. She was the oldest in a very large family and needed a job. Long story short, Inspector Clive Howard asked her to assist the police in a murder/prostitution ring bust. They had previously met when she was a taxi dancer and he was working undercover. I gave a wide berth to the multisided plot and more then once ignored realism for the sake of entertainment.
Like some other reviewers pointed out, this historical mystery was hard to review. On the one hand, the feel of the era was mesmerizing. I felt I was in the 1930’s. Henrietta was very naive but I liked her grit. Though Inspector Howard was in his mid-30s, I thought he should have used better judgement asking Henrietta to work for him.
The downside?
The author’s set of four books are available at my public library. I finished A Girl Like You but it took me several days. Because of my ‘spoiler’, I have no urge to continue with the series.
Like some other reviewers pointed out, this historical mystery was hard to review. On the one hand, the feel of the era was mesmerizing. I felt I was in the 1930’s. Henrietta was very naive but I liked her grit. Though Inspector Howard was in his mid-30s, I thought he should have used better judgement asking Henrietta to work for him.
The downside?
The author’s set of four books are available at my public library. I finished A Girl Like You but it took me several days. Because of my ‘spoiler’, I have no urge to continue with the series.
March 15, 2017
I've been having a run of bad luck when it comes to books recently. I wanted to like this one, as the lead character sounded interesting - a 30's woman that works as a dancer to support siblings and mother, and would be helping solve a murder mystery. Unfortunately, Henrietta turned out to be far from the spunky and smart woman I had imagined, and the added romance was not really believable.
**SPOILERS**
Considering how long she's been working (and as a super-gorgeous girl in sketchy places, so she should be more aware), Henrietta is ridiculously naive. Early on it sets her up as having discovered a small talent for acting from one of her jobs. I did not see any evidence of this, though other characters claimed she had fooled them into thinking she was more experienced. In actuality, she bumbled around being super obvious in her investigation and blabbered about working undercover for the cops to several different people, until it nearly got her and everyone else killed. Her family and various men she was interested in were not fleshed out well, just a bitter mom, dutiful sister, a bunch of children tossed in, and a man that didn't sound appealing. For someone that was determined to be a "good girl," she seemed easily infatuated with men and had extremely poor judgment about jobs. The romance with the inspector came out of nowhere, and then they're engaged. This sounded like the first of a series, so maybe later books will expound on their relationship more. Right now I can't understand what either sees in the other. The mystery portion never caught my interest, it just seemed too shallow and lacked tension.
**SPOILERS**
Considering how long she's been working (and as a super-gorgeous girl in sketchy places, so she should be more aware), Henrietta is ridiculously naive. Early on it sets her up as having discovered a small talent for acting from one of her jobs. I did not see any evidence of this, though other characters claimed she had fooled them into thinking she was more experienced. In actuality, she bumbled around being super obvious in her investigation and blabbered about working undercover for the cops to several different people, until it nearly got her and everyone else killed. Her family and various men she was interested in were not fleshed out well, just a bitter mom, dutiful sister, a bunch of children tossed in, and a man that didn't sound appealing. For someone that was determined to be a "good girl," she seemed easily infatuated with men and had extremely poor judgment about jobs. The romance with the inspector came out of nowhere, and then they're engaged. This sounded like the first of a series, so maybe later books will expound on their relationship more. Right now I can't understand what either sees in the other. The mystery portion never caught my interest, it just seemed too shallow and lacked tension.
May 30, 2020
A terrific good romantic thriller
This is a book set in a dark time in American history with poverty a reality for millions. To survive and provide for their families, young women put on their dancing shoes and smiles to entertain men with a dance and a few minutes away from the worries of the day. However, there is always someone who is making a great deal of money from this form of exploitation and where there is money there are gangsters.
Despite being thrust in to this world, Henrietta is still coming to terms with her beauty and her sensuality, putting on the required airs and graces demanded in this kind of job, where there is a fine line between decency and more immoral practices. Her justification is that she needs to bring in more money to feed her younger brothers and sisters, far more money that can be made by working in the factories or even the local bar where she currently works for a kindly old man.
She also wants to help her friend Polly in her quest to discover what happened to her sister who went missing the year before at the notorious club the Marlowe which is a place of secrets. Drawn into the investigation by the attractive police inspector Howard, Henrietta finds herself in the middle of a dangerous game with unknown players who will stop at nothing to protect their businesses and their own evil intentions.
This is a romance with mystery and thriller elements that will appeal to readers across those genres. The author has done a very good job of recreating the environment of Chicago of the 1930s and characters that are interesting and have potential to develop in the follow up books in the series.
A good start to the series and I look forward to reading the follow up books.
This is a book set in a dark time in American history with poverty a reality for millions. To survive and provide for their families, young women put on their dancing shoes and smiles to entertain men with a dance and a few minutes away from the worries of the day. However, there is always someone who is making a great deal of money from this form of exploitation and where there is money there are gangsters.
Despite being thrust in to this world, Henrietta is still coming to terms with her beauty and her sensuality, putting on the required airs and graces demanded in this kind of job, where there is a fine line between decency and more immoral practices. Her justification is that she needs to bring in more money to feed her younger brothers and sisters, far more money that can be made by working in the factories or even the local bar where she currently works for a kindly old man.
She also wants to help her friend Polly in her quest to discover what happened to her sister who went missing the year before at the notorious club the Marlowe which is a place of secrets. Drawn into the investigation by the attractive police inspector Howard, Henrietta finds herself in the middle of a dangerous game with unknown players who will stop at nothing to protect their businesses and their own evil intentions.
This is a romance with mystery and thriller elements that will appeal to readers across those genres. The author has done a very good job of recreating the environment of Chicago of the 1930s and characters that are interesting and have potential to develop in the follow up books in the series.
A good start to the series and I look forward to reading the follow up books.
April 28, 2016
Way, WAY too much exposition, including some scenes that really ought have been shown, not told. Also, the universal preoccupation with Hen's sexual experience (or lack thereof) got downright weird towards the end, and the age gap between her and Clive is squicky.
Overall, I would've liked to see a heroine with a little more moxie.
Overall, I would've liked to see a heroine with a little more moxie.
May 16, 2016
A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox is the first installment in a new mystery series featuring spunky Henrietta Von Harmon and the seemingly aloof Inspector Clive Howard. Henrietta is an extremely likable heroine. The oldest of eight children whose father recently killed himself, Henrietta struggles to help support her family. She’s willing to skirt the line of propriety if that’s what it takes to earn more money, but at heart, she’s a decent girl. Yet, as she goes from one job to another, she finds herself in increasingly shady—and dangerous—circumstances. Inspector Howard, nursing grief over a past tragedy of his own (I must confess, I’m a sucker for handsome, heartbroken detectives), decides to use her as an undercover plant, partially because he’s been fooled into accepting her worldly façade. As a result, Henrietta finds herself at the seedy Marlowe Theatre, where two girls have already disappeared and most likely been murdered. Soon both Henrietta and Clive Howard find themselves distracted from the case because of their increasing attraction to each other, a preoccupation that puts them both in jeopardy.
One of the strengths of the series is its setting: Chicago in the 1930s, with its mix of Depression-era struggles and gangster-controlled underworld. Cox evokes the setting with deft details and without overloading the descriptions. The plot twist behind this mystery will also delight readers; Cox does a great job of hiding the murderer’s identity. The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is that I thought the writing needed to be tightened up a little. Because of the skillfully drawn characters, setting, and plot, I look forward to future installments in the Henrietta / Inspector Howard series.
One of the strengths of the series is its setting: Chicago in the 1930s, with its mix of Depression-era struggles and gangster-controlled underworld. Cox evokes the setting with deft details and without overloading the descriptions. The plot twist behind this mystery will also delight readers; Cox does a great job of hiding the murderer’s identity. The only reason I didn’t give this book 5 stars is that I thought the writing needed to be tightened up a little. Because of the skillfully drawn characters, setting, and plot, I look forward to future installments in the Henrietta / Inspector Howard series.
May 9, 2016
Henrietta von Harmon is, in every way, the glowing center of this romp of a story set in 1930’s Chicago during the terrible Great Depression. Not only does Henrietta cope cheerfully with and financially provide for her many younger siblings and her mother, depressed and reclusive as a consequence of her husband’s suicide, she also teams up with the enigmatic Inspector Clive Howard, a man with hidden desires indeed when it comes to Henrietta! With her naivete and her beauty as her most useful attributes, she goes undercover in the seedy and dangerous world of drugs, crime and prostitution. The rewards? More money t0 provide for her family, the hope of finding out what happened to her friend Polly’s sister, and most of all, the chance to continue and deepen the relationship with the inspector! It sounds cheesy, but no, it is a delight. Henrietta’s voice is distinctive, Inspector Howard’s subtle flirting is seductive, and the historical detail really brings it this dark side of Chicago to life. All in all it is set to become, I am sure, the beginning of a very popular new series. And the cover is fabulous! I shall definitely look out for the next Henrietta & Inspector Howard mystery!
May 28, 2018
Well-written and enjoyable. A new historical era for me to read, but it was fun!
August 5, 2020
I am so grateful that a friend of my Mother’s shared this novel with her and graciously affirmed that I could certainly enjoy it too before return. The series begins in 1935, and introduces the Von Harmon family living in northwest Chicago. The eldest daughter, Henrietta Von Harmon is a hardworking young woman who has taken on many additional responsibilities for her struggling family especially after her father’s suicide and trying to shower even more love and attention on her younger siblings as her mother has become even more surly. As Henrietta has taken a new position she begins to find delight in having female friends. Never could she have anticipated that there would be a murder at work and that she would meet Inspector Clive Howard. Although seemingly distant and detached of personal feelings it is obvious to the reader that an interesting relationship is blooming.
This is a book that I couldn't wait to read at each opportunity and felt like I wanted to devour each page as quickly as possible and yet wanted to cherish each page for the pleasure of the story so that it wouldn't all come to end way too soon.
This is a book that I couldn't wait to read at each opportunity and felt like I wanted to devour each page as quickly as possible and yet wanted to cherish each page for the pleasure of the story so that it wouldn't all come to end way too soon.
February 17, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. Set in 1935, in the city of Chicago. Henrietta is out working at the age of 17, so that her mother can stay home with the other 7 children..other then her younger sister working as well, theirs is the only income coming in. Henrietta has a long time job at Poor petes as a 26 cent girl, but as the business slows she finds a job as a taxi-girl where the money is better, until the murder of her boss. Then she is asked to work undercover for a detective at the Marlowe, where things start good.
Henrietta starts getting into this undercover job, and starts to put herself in more danger in order to help Clive the detective uncover more then what Clive bargained for. Will Clive be able to rescue Henrietta before it's too late?
That's a question you want answered as you travel with these two characters and many more in this fantastically written book...I really enjoyed this book and will look forward to the second of this lovely series
Henrietta starts getting into this undercover job, and starts to put herself in more danger in order to help Clive the detective uncover more then what Clive bargained for. Will Clive be able to rescue Henrietta before it's too late?
That's a question you want answered as you travel with these two characters and many more in this fantastically written book...I really enjoyed this book and will look forward to the second of this lovely series
June 17, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. I look forward to reading more from Michelle in the future. The story was well written and flowed easily. I loved the different characters and the little twists...never saw the Neptune twist. I can't wait to see what the future hold for Henrietta and Clive.
August 31, 2020
AUDIO BOOK REVIEW: Before I ever started listening to A Girl Like You by Michelle Cox, I knew that I was going to love this story. Why? Because strangely, I have already read (with my ears) the fifth story in the series, A Child Lost, and adored it. I simply had to go back to the beginning and learn how Henrietta and Clive first met. And WOW! I am not disappointed. I devoured this book and listened straight through, resisting the temptation to increase the speed so I could find out the conclusion faster!
"Are you always this flippant, Ms. Von Harmon?"
Part of what makes Henrietta a fabulous character is her sass. She's had a rough life and upbringing, and has a lot of responsibility on her young shoulders. She has earned the right to be sassy and is more than capable of sparring with whomever she needs to in order to get what she needs. She's no shrinking violet, but she also knows how far to push and when to keep her mouth shut. She's street smart and worldly, but endearingly naive and innocent. In Henrietta, author Michelle Cox has given readers a fabulously layered character to cheer -- and fear -- for.
Also fabulously written are peripheral characters who really come to life with the terrific narration performed by Jane Entwistle. Whether it's the annoying Stanley, or the sultry sounding Clive, Entwistle's voicing of the characters perfectly complements Cox's writing. Entwistle tackles male and female, young and old, Chicagoan and Irish, with each having a unique voice and cadence to make it easy to keep up with the wide cast of characters.
And let's not forget the mystery! There's the nefarious Neptune and his dark world that threatens to consume Henrietta. Cox does a great job of dropping hints that something is off with a situation or a character, but she doesn't show her cards. She gives readers enough to niggle the brain and keep us engaged and guessing.
"I'm quite mad for you."
Ahhh, and the romance. Perhaps since I know where Henrietta and Clive are in book five, the attraction between them in A Girl Like You is all the richer. The attraction between the two of them is magnetic, and the sexual tension is palpable. Though it's a slow build and then a very fast romantic resolution, it works. Perfectly. One thing I love about having the book set in the 1930s is the language and diction. While there's often propriety in even the most intimate of conversations, there is also plenty of the coarse, rough talk of the working girls and fellas just trying to make a living -- legally, illegally, or within that gray area between the two.
I desperately wanted to go right into listening to book two, A Ring of Truth, but alas, it has to wait another week until I get about a million things off the checklist. The anticipation is DELICIOUS, and knowing that when I get my work done, I can go back into Henrietta and Clive's world is quite the motivator. This may be my most productive week ever!
Thank you to the author and iRead Book Tours for inviting me to be on this tour. I already had bought the audio book, but the tour pushed it to the top of my listening library -- and for that I am grateful! This full review and other special features on Hall Ways Blog.
"Are you always this flippant, Ms. Von Harmon?"
Part of what makes Henrietta a fabulous character is her sass. She's had a rough life and upbringing, and has a lot of responsibility on her young shoulders. She has earned the right to be sassy and is more than capable of sparring with whomever she needs to in order to get what she needs. She's no shrinking violet, but she also knows how far to push and when to keep her mouth shut. She's street smart and worldly, but endearingly naive and innocent. In Henrietta, author Michelle Cox has given readers a fabulously layered character to cheer -- and fear -- for.
Also fabulously written are peripheral characters who really come to life with the terrific narration performed by Jane Entwistle. Whether it's the annoying Stanley, or the sultry sounding Clive, Entwistle's voicing of the characters perfectly complements Cox's writing. Entwistle tackles male and female, young and old, Chicagoan and Irish, with each having a unique voice and cadence to make it easy to keep up with the wide cast of characters.
And let's not forget the mystery! There's the nefarious Neptune and his dark world that threatens to consume Henrietta. Cox does a great job of dropping hints that something is off with a situation or a character, but she doesn't show her cards. She gives readers enough to niggle the brain and keep us engaged and guessing.
"I'm quite mad for you."
Ahhh, and the romance. Perhaps since I know where Henrietta and Clive are in book five, the attraction between them in A Girl Like You is all the richer. The attraction between the two of them is magnetic, and the sexual tension is palpable. Though it's a slow build and then a very fast romantic resolution, it works. Perfectly. One thing I love about having the book set in the 1930s is the language and diction. While there's often propriety in even the most intimate of conversations, there is also plenty of the coarse, rough talk of the working girls and fellas just trying to make a living -- legally, illegally, or within that gray area between the two.
I desperately wanted to go right into listening to book two, A Ring of Truth, but alas, it has to wait another week until I get about a million things off the checklist. The anticipation is DELICIOUS, and knowing that when I get my work done, I can go back into Henrietta and Clive's world is quite the motivator. This may be my most productive week ever!
Thank you to the author and iRead Book Tours for inviting me to be on this tour. I already had bought the audio book, but the tour pushed it to the top of my listening library -- and for that I am grateful! This full review and other special features on Hall Ways Blog.
March 13, 2018
I went in with two minds:
one, this looks and sounds like a romance novel veiled in the mystery genre
two: we’re reading this for a mystery book club so romance aside, the mystery should be good
Before I go on, there will be spoilers of
the most extreme nature immediately. I’m just throwing them out there in all their obvious glory, so if this book somehow baffles and confounds you, and you’re still reading it, stop here.
Moving right along, I am sad to say, it wasn’t really a mystery. There was no question that the killer was some random, insignificant thug. Did anyone thing Mickey or Libby were alive? Who thought Larry was an all around good guy despite his simple minded behavior? Maybe Jenkins is a multifaceted character at the least? No. The answer is always no. This was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a mystery. It is a romance novel.
Now, if you like romance novels, (which I don’t) I think it might be a 3 star book. It follows the classic model. Girl and guy meet and share some attraction, to which each believes the other doesn’t feel. There’s an antagonistic period where they question and doubt those feelings. There are factors (in this case age and Katie) that make them pull back and not share themselves. And finally a big forced reveal of true love after a lot of suggestive leading on and need for the male to prove himself through means of force followed by the sex scene (or in this case almost sex scene because we want the main character’s chaste innocence maintained.) And I get that angle, she’s 18 and he’s 35. If he deflowered her in the park, even after the cliché punching of the villain and a marriage proposal, he’d seem pretty sleazy.
All this said, I wanted to find something I liked to take away and share at my discussion. (Kind of because the author is attending and it’s never good to blast a person who wrote to a certain audience and can’t please everyone.) I read with a desire to find good, and what I found was...
1. Extremely visual descriptions of characters. I doodled some of them. The pixie with curly blonde hair and dark eye liner. The bull dog matron. The greyhound usher and her ever so long legs. These were good and fun.
2. Very loving characters. The desire to hold a scared child, protect an innocent, love a
dog in your grief. Love is beautiful.
3. Lesbians in the 1930s loving themselves and embracing the idea that women also enjoy sex. Even identifying that women are led to believe they shouldn’t enjoy sex is something we rarely hear. Props to that.
All said, I think my aversion to the romance genre is a significant factor to this review. Consider what you want out of this book before you read it.
one, this looks and sounds like a romance novel veiled in the mystery genre
two: we’re reading this for a mystery book club so romance aside, the mystery should be good
Before I go on, there will be spoilers of
the most extreme nature immediately. I’m just throwing them out there in all their obvious glory, so if this book somehow baffles and confounds you, and you’re still reading it, stop here.
Moving right along, I am sad to say, it wasn’t really a mystery. There was no question that the killer was some random, insignificant thug. Did anyone thing Mickey or Libby were alive? Who thought Larry was an all around good guy despite his simple minded behavior? Maybe Jenkins is a multifaceted character at the least? No. The answer is always no. This was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a mystery. It is a romance novel.
Now, if you like romance novels, (which I don’t) I think it might be a 3 star book. It follows the classic model. Girl and guy meet and share some attraction, to which each believes the other doesn’t feel. There’s an antagonistic period where they question and doubt those feelings. There are factors (in this case age and Katie) that make them pull back and not share themselves. And finally a big forced reveal of true love after a lot of suggestive leading on and need for the male to prove himself through means of force followed by the sex scene (or in this case almost sex scene because we want the main character’s chaste innocence maintained.) And I get that angle, she’s 18 and he’s 35. If he deflowered her in the park, even after the cliché punching of the villain and a marriage proposal, he’d seem pretty sleazy.
All this said, I wanted to find something I liked to take away and share at my discussion. (Kind of because the author is attending and it’s never good to blast a person who wrote to a certain audience and can’t please everyone.) I read with a desire to find good, and what I found was...
1. Extremely visual descriptions of characters. I doodled some of them. The pixie with curly blonde hair and dark eye liner. The bull dog matron. The greyhound usher and her ever so long legs. These were good and fun.
2. Very loving characters. The desire to hold a scared child, protect an innocent, love a
dog in your grief. Love is beautiful.
3. Lesbians in the 1930s loving themselves and embracing the idea that women also enjoy sex. Even identifying that women are led to believe they shouldn’t enjoy sex is something we rarely hear. Props to that.
All said, I think my aversion to the romance genre is a significant factor to this review. Consider what you want out of this book before you read it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2016
meh. Imagine a historical young adult romantic cozy mystery, and you may have some sense of this story. The historical era and location were interesting, but... the YA connection comes in with an insta-love relationship between the two main characters (who we know are main characters, because the cover page says it's a series about them.) that was startling in its speed, as well as its young female protagonist. Also, several of the young characters were given to doing REALLY STUPID and impulsive things on a frequent basis. The cozy element comes in the fact that there's no real suspense. When a book starts off telling you it is the first in a series about two characters, you can make a pretty safe bet that a) they'll end up together, because b) they won't die or be otherwise defeated. My other main gripe was that I didn't actually like ANYONE in the series. Clive is kinda creepy with his lusting after virginal young Henrietta, who is impulsive and coquettish and headstrong and not always very logical. Stan is quite creepy too, with his stalker-ish behavior and REFUSAL to accept that a female like Henrietta might know her own mind and should be allowed to make her own decisions. Henrietta's mother is never given any redeeming characteristics, despite a brief sympathetic back story. And while the inclusion of a lively group of lesbians in the story was novel and interesting, they weren't exactly rich characters, nor were the villains. The writing didn't wow me, and the references to sex were just uncomfortable--detailed without being sexy, I guess.
So basically I didn't like the book. I FINISHED it, so I couldn't have detested it. But it didn't win me over in any way, and I can't see myself picking up a sequel if the author releases one. (She appears to be a new writer--good for her for achieving more than I have thus far, and I really hope her writing improves with time and practice.)
So basically I didn't like the book. I FINISHED it, so I couldn't have detested it. But it didn't win me over in any way, and I can't see myself picking up a sequel if the author releases one. (She appears to be a new writer--good for her for achieving more than I have thus far, and I really hope her writing improves with time and practice.)
April 18, 2016
I received this book from Book Sparks as part of their #ItsRainingBooks promotion for April and when I picked it up, I didn't have much information about it. Seeing it was a mystery really intrigued me, because personally I think the title and cover do not hint at that at all, and once I picked it up, I found it hard to put down.
The book is set in Chicago in 1935. Henrietta Von Harmon finds herself almost 18, and having to work hard to help support her 7 siblings and an ungrateful mother, following her father's suicide several years ago. Henrietta bounces from job to job, with some of them being quite questionable, yet she remains pure and naive. Through a chain of events, Henrietta meets Inspector Clive Howard and ends up working as an undercover informant in a seedy burlesque.
I loved Henrietta. Even though she was young, innocent and naive in so many ways, she was also headstrong, and independent. She has a loving and nurturing capability, but clearly understands that it is not her responsibility to raise her siblings their entire life and marry the first man her mother pushes her toward. Inspector Howard is a somewhat aloof detective who tries to keep a professional boundary with Henrietta, but finds it harder and harder to do as time progresses. This book also has a great cast of side characters.
The mystery in "A Girl Like You" kept me guessing until the end. I never really considered myself a fan of historical novels, but over the past year I have found that when mixed with other elements, whether they be magic, paranormal, or mystery, I have really good luck with the genre. I believe this is the start of a new series and I can't wait to see what lies in store next for Henrietta and Inspector Howard. If you love mystery books, or even historical fiction, I think you should give this book a chance.
I received this book from Book Sparks and the published in exchange for an honest review.
The book is set in Chicago in 1935. Henrietta Von Harmon finds herself almost 18, and having to work hard to help support her 7 siblings and an ungrateful mother, following her father's suicide several years ago. Henrietta bounces from job to job, with some of them being quite questionable, yet she remains pure and naive. Through a chain of events, Henrietta meets Inspector Clive Howard and ends up working as an undercover informant in a seedy burlesque.
I loved Henrietta. Even though she was young, innocent and naive in so many ways, she was also headstrong, and independent. She has a loving and nurturing capability, but clearly understands that it is not her responsibility to raise her siblings their entire life and marry the first man her mother pushes her toward. Inspector Howard is a somewhat aloof detective who tries to keep a professional boundary with Henrietta, but finds it harder and harder to do as time progresses. This book also has a great cast of side characters.
The mystery in "A Girl Like You" kept me guessing until the end. I never really considered myself a fan of historical novels, but over the past year I have found that when mixed with other elements, whether they be magic, paranormal, or mystery, I have really good luck with the genre. I believe this is the start of a new series and I can't wait to see what lies in store next for Henrietta and Inspector Howard. If you love mystery books, or even historical fiction, I think you should give this book a chance.
I received this book from Book Sparks and the published in exchange for an honest review.
February 15, 2024
A start to a series can either totally put me off the remainder, or convince me to read the next in the hope it improves on the things it gets right, or get me excited to read more.
This book was rough in many spots though promising, from its 1930s setting, to its interesting plot, and its inclusion of the darker side of people struggling during a tough economic period.
Henrietta is the sole breadwinner of her large family since her father's suicide due to the 1929 Crash. Hen's mother has never recovered from her husband's sudden death, and is practically a recluse in her home, while her mood is largely negative, particularly towards Hen.
Hen works in a local bar, then gets the chance to be a taxi dancer in a dancer hall. Her friend there is looking for clues to the disappearance of her older sister, who also worked at the hall. Hen's friend takes off after the nasty owner of the club is stabbed to death.
Hen meets Inspector Howard, who's intrigued by her odd mix of confidence, flintiness, smarts, and naivete. He decides to use her, and gets her to infiltrate a club with a bad rep, the Marlowe, which is a burlesque club with possible organized crime connections.
Working as an usherette at the Marlowe, Henrietta notes odd things, and discovers the club is really much more dangerous than she thinks. The story ends with both violence at the club and a proposal for Hen.
So Henrietta has great potential as a character, though I found her naivete often really irritating, even though I know it was necessary for the plot to move forwards.
I liked seeing the seamier side of Chicago, with its dance halls, prostitution rings and other crimes, and the things people were prepared to do for money to feed their families.
The prose was frequently awkward, and the romance was painful and not at all believable. I did like Hen's spunkiness, so I'll check out another book in this series.
This book was rough in many spots though promising, from its 1930s setting, to its interesting plot, and its inclusion of the darker side of people struggling during a tough economic period.
Henrietta is the sole breadwinner of her large family since her father's suicide due to the 1929 Crash. Hen's mother has never recovered from her husband's sudden death, and is practically a recluse in her home, while her mood is largely negative, particularly towards Hen.
Hen works in a local bar, then gets the chance to be a taxi dancer in a dancer hall. Her friend there is looking for clues to the disappearance of her older sister, who also worked at the hall. Hen's friend takes off after the nasty owner of the club is stabbed to death.
Hen meets Inspector Howard, who's intrigued by her odd mix of confidence, flintiness, smarts, and naivete. He decides to use her, and gets her to infiltrate a club with a bad rep, the Marlowe, which is a burlesque club with possible organized crime connections.
Working as an usherette at the Marlowe, Henrietta notes odd things, and discovers the club is really much more dangerous than she thinks. The story ends with both violence at the club and a proposal for Hen.
So Henrietta has great potential as a character, though I found her naivete often really irritating, even though I know it was necessary for the plot to move forwards.
I liked seeing the seamier side of Chicago, with its dance halls, prostitution rings and other crimes, and the things people were prepared to do for money to feed their families.
The prose was frequently awkward, and the romance was painful and not at all believable. I did like Hen's spunkiness, so I'll check out another book in this series.
Read
June 21, 2017It’s January 1935. Prohibition has just ended, but the Great Depression has not, and much of Chicago remains under the grip of the crime lords who profited from the trade in illegal liquor. Eighteen-year-old Henrietta von Harmon, despite her aristocratic name, struggles to keep food on the table for her overwhelmed mother and seven younger siblings. After too many evenings spent cleaning, peddling drinks, and keeping score for dicers at a local bar, Henrietta jumps at the chance to double her income by taking a new job at a nightclub, where she dances with customers for hours. Too bad she cannot share the story with her family, who would be scandalized at the potential damage to her reputation if they knew. Then her boss turns up dead, and the customer to whom she is most attracted reveals that he works as a detective for the Chicago Police. The search for the murderer leads Henrietta into even more unsavory circumstances, and soon she’s wondering whether even the police can keep her safe.
In A Girl Like You (She Writes Press, 2017) and its sequel, A Ring of Truth, Michelle Cox introduces a rich cast of characters and a lovable heroine just trying to make her way in a cold and unforgiving world.
Interview with the author at New Books in Historical Fiction.
In A Girl Like You (She Writes Press, 2017) and its sequel, A Ring of Truth, Michelle Cox introduces a rich cast of characters and a lovable heroine just trying to make her way in a cold and unforgiving world.
Interview with the author at New Books in Historical Fiction.
January 6, 2020
A great introduction to the marvelous Henrietta and her own brand of deduction
It’s 1930s Chicago, and a young Henrietta is working hard to help her family, eight siblings and her mother after her father committed suicide. She tries hard to be respectable as her mother wishes but can make more money as a taxi-dancer. When one Inspector Clive Howard visits the Promenade and dances with Henrietta, everything changes in her life as she becomes embroiled in the detective’s investigation.
“A Girl Like You” is a trip back in time. It will pull you into the era with fabulous descriptions of the locations, family situations, language that suits the time, and cops chasing gangsters in every way they can. Henrietta wants more from her life than just raising babies and has an inquisitive mind. Her additional incentive is to impress the handsome Inspector.
A five-star book, in my opinion, is one that will keep me awake reading into the small hours. “A Girl Like You” was one of those books as I followed Henrietta through her first ‘investigation’, piecing clues together and going into dangerous situations that my mind wanted her to pursue, but my heart didn’t!
If you like historical fiction, detective stories and a little romance thrown in, “A Girl Like You” is the book for you, heartily recommend.
It’s 1930s Chicago, and a young Henrietta is working hard to help her family, eight siblings and her mother after her father committed suicide. She tries hard to be respectable as her mother wishes but can make more money as a taxi-dancer. When one Inspector Clive Howard visits the Promenade and dances with Henrietta, everything changes in her life as she becomes embroiled in the detective’s investigation.
“A Girl Like You” is a trip back in time. It will pull you into the era with fabulous descriptions of the locations, family situations, language that suits the time, and cops chasing gangsters in every way they can. Henrietta wants more from her life than just raising babies and has an inquisitive mind. Her additional incentive is to impress the handsome Inspector.
A five-star book, in my opinion, is one that will keep me awake reading into the small hours. “A Girl Like You” was one of those books as I followed Henrietta through her first ‘investigation’, piecing clues together and going into dangerous situations that my mind wanted her to pursue, but my heart didn’t!
If you like historical fiction, detective stories and a little romance thrown in, “A Girl Like You” is the book for you, heartily recommend.
July 19, 2020
I received a free electronic copy of this novel from the author, Michelle Cox. Thank you, for sharing your hard work with me. I apologize for the delay in this review. My Kindle file branched off and I had trouble locating older books, but now my Kindle Tree is whole, again.
Michelle Cox writes an excellent historical novel. This one, 1930's Chicago, puts you right there, right then, with all the perks and detractions of that age, that time. Henrietta is an excellent protagonist, doing the best she can with what she has to work with, aiding her Mom and siblings and Chicago weather as she works her way through life. Her relationship with Inspector Howard is interesting, as is her work for him, and the look into her home life and the depression in the big city of Chicago are eye-opening. I am very attached to Henrietta and Inspector Howard. This is the first of the series, but there are several more now, ready and waiting.
Reviewed on July 19, 2020 at AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo, and GooglePlay.
Michelle Cox writes an excellent historical novel. This one, 1930's Chicago, puts you right there, right then, with all the perks and detractions of that age, that time. Henrietta is an excellent protagonist, doing the best she can with what she has to work with, aiding her Mom and siblings and Chicago weather as she works her way through life. Her relationship with Inspector Howard is interesting, as is her work for him, and the look into her home life and the depression in the big city of Chicago are eye-opening. I am very attached to Henrietta and Inspector Howard. This is the first of the series, but there are several more now, ready and waiting.
Reviewed on July 19, 2020 at AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, Kobo, and GooglePlay.
April 25, 2020
I chose this because I really like narrator Jayne Entwistle, but, despite the rave reviews, I guess I wasn't in the mood for the historical mystery/romance set in 1935 Chicago. Perhaps too many "spunky" heroines recently. This first in the series finds Henrietta von Harmon picking up odd jobs in bars and as a taxi dancer--until the matron who oversees the bar is found murdered. Then she agrees to go undercover for detective Clive Howard, with whom sparks have flown as they danced, to infiltrate an even seamier operation on Chicago's north side. She has to work to make money to support her mother and young siblings so, undaunted, she enters Chicago's gritty underworld. Cinematic, sexy, some social realism, interesting setting, and a graphic look at the "good old days."
July 18, 2024
The storyline is good, it moved along at a good clip and I never got bored, but some characters are just too much. Not smart. Too love struck. Too good. I guess I expected too much for 1935 in Chicago. The romance sections were nice. They were like reading a nice clean and loving romance novel back in the day when things were more simple when it came to love. As far as the mystery and murder sections, I knew what was coming most of the time, even though I didn’t know exactly when or where, but it was rather obvious by midway through the book. It is not as much fun when you can figure out what is going to happen. The drama picked up very well toward the end of the book. I am interested enough to check out book 2.
September 28, 2021
1930's depression/prohibition era story of a very naive young girl working to help support her widowed mother and numerous siblings. She ends up working undercover in a joint to help the police find a murderer and crack a prostitute ring. Some mystery, some romance, some family relationships and the author kept my attention. I listened to a library copy of the audiobook and was not required to write a review. Jane Entwistle did a nice job narrating Henrietta's adventure into the underworld which made for an enjoyable listening experience. The title says #1 of a series, I plan to look for more to read!
July 12, 2019
I didn't enjoy this book at all, it was very depressing. Henrietta is the oldest of 8 children in a very poor family, her father committed suicide and her mother only leaves the house for Mass. Henrietta has to work to help support the family and keep the type of work she does a secret from her mother. She is a dancer in a club until the manager is killed , where she meets the inspector looking into the case. She agrees to go undercover at another rougher club to try and find the killer and a prostitute ring. The whole book was grim.
October 13, 2020
***Audiobook Links***
Chirp: https://bit.ly/3dtEWf1
Audible: https://amzn.to/32jH5bb
Apple: https://apple.co/30eoY3W
Google: http://bit.ly/2XIwySI
Kobo: https://bit.ly/2AZGSyD
March 13, 2020
I found the characters (from family to friends and coworkers) very believable and appealing. Learning the different jobs available for a young 16-18 year old girl, the slang, cultural expectations, and the clothes of the ‘30s was absorbing. I also enjoyed the endearing and fun banner exchanged throughout the story between Henrietta and Clive. The final twists were unexpected and exciting. I had a knot in my stomach with worry a few times. Great read!
February 12, 2025
A great historical fiction set in Chicago in the 1930's that had a little romance and lots of mystery! This book made me think of the old black and white mystery movies that I used to enjoy watching and sometimes still catch on Turner Classic Movies. Definitely could see this as a movie. Great characters and fabulous storyline. I highly recommend it!!
May 13, 2019
The time is 1935. The title reminds me of the saying, "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this'" It fits the story perfectly.
Our heroine is a nice girl who gets herself into jobs that are more than dangerous.
She meets Inspector Howard and she'd do anything to win his attention and above all, his praise. Anything?
A good read.
Our heroine is a nice girl who gets herself into jobs that are more than dangerous.
She meets Inspector Howard and she'd do anything to win his attention and above all, his praise. Anything?
A good read.
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