A Promise Given: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel

Set in 1935, Cox’s charming third novel featuring Henrietta Von Harmon and Clive Howard (after 2017’s A Ring of Truth) takes the couple from Chicago, where they have just been married, to Castle Linley, the ancestral Howard home in England. Against a backdrop of financial troubles stemming from the Great Depression, a murder in a village near Castle Linley shocks everyone, especially when Det. Chief Insp. John Hartle suspects that Wallace Howard, Clive’s secretive cousin, is the guilty party. While Henrietta is distracted by the unfamiliar trappings of aristocracy, former police inspector Clive, who’s fond of his cousin, feels compelled to try to prove Wallace’s innocence. One night, Clive and Henrietta follow Wallace and get a big surprise when they discover why he has been so secretive. Series fans will cheer the beginning of Clive and Henrietta’s private investigation business in an entry with welcome echoes of Pride and Prejudice. (Apr.)