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A review by bhnmt61
Henrietta Who? by Catherine Aird
5.0
In this book, the second in the Inspector Sloan series, university student Henrietta Jenkins is safely tucked away at school when her mother is killed by a hit-and-run driver. (Stop here if you want to completely avoid spoilers, but the bit I’m revealing happens in the second chapter so it’s not much of a spoiler.)
The autopsy reveals that the woman who was killed never had children, and suddenly everything Henrietta knows about herself and her family history is turned upside down.
It’s a fun read because Inspector Sloan has a very dry sense of humor that is used to excellent purpose- I read one chapter in a quiet public place and had to develop a fake cough to keep from laughing like a loon. And it’s fascinating to see how much attitudes toward adoption, children born outside of wedlock, and alternative families have changed in the 50 years since the book was written. (It turns out not all of those things apply, but Henrietta wrestles with all of them before she finally finds out what really happened.)
As with the previous Inspector Sloan book (The Religious Body), the mystery is not particularly complex, although there are a few unexpected twists. But it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
The autopsy reveals that the woman who was killed never had children, and suddenly everything Henrietta knows about herself and her family history is turned upside down.
It’s a fun read because Inspector Sloan has a very dry sense of humor that is used to excellent purpose- I read one chapter in a quiet public place and had to develop a fake cough to keep from laughing like a loon. And it’s fascinating to see how much attitudes toward adoption, children born outside of wedlock, and alternative families have changed in the 50 years since the book was written. (It turns out not all of those things apply, but Henrietta wrestles with all of them before she finally finds out what really happened.)
As with the previous Inspector Sloan book (The Religious Body), the mystery is not particularly complex, although there are a few unexpected twists. But it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.