What a wonderful Cinderella-like story! The adventures that Henrietta gets into as part of her inquisitive nature and getting ready to join Clive's family are so engaging. To discover her ancestry that her bitter mother has so stubbornly tried to keep secret is amazing, but will it pull her family out of poverty? Can't wait to read the next installment to this story!

I'm sorry to say this one just didn't do it for me. I found the characters boring, one-dimensional and basically unbelievable. Although this book is not advertised as "Young Adult", the protagonist, Henrietta, is portrayed as an old-time Nancy Drew, but without the smarts. In fact, the more I think about it, Nancy Drew was a lot more mature and certainly sharper than poor Henrietta. And truly, the Nancy Drew books are based on much more complex plots than what was presented here and are also much better written. In addition to implausible characters and flat writing, I was also disappointed in the lack of authentic detail regarding the setting (Chicago during prohibition). This book read more like a Harlequin Romance than a mystery, totally not my style.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book - unfortunately, I really loathed what I managed to get through, and I will not be finishing it. I have not rated or reviewed this book.

Because this series is called “Henrietta and Inspector Howard”, I’ll admit I was expecting something a bit different. More of a cosy mystery, where the mystery had a central role, if in a ‘cosy’ way.
Turned out, this is a romance with a mystery side thread, which was disappointing for me – which is entirely me, not a fault of the story.
Even if I’m not at all into romances, this was nonetheless a good one. The characters are well rounded and sympathetic and don’t normally go into the kind of unreasonable angst that I really don’t like in romances. Henrietta and Clive have some very serious matters to consider and overcome and they do it always in a credible way.
Yes, they are classic romance tropes (she’s young, daring and poor, he’s experienced, brooding and very rich), but they are handled in such a way that they feels real and convincing. I also liked that many threads are interwoven in the story. Henrietta and Clive’s love story is central to the plot, but there are side threads (the mystery one, but also the thread concerning Henrietta’s mother, and the one about her brother, the thread concerning Helen’s past) that are strongly set. Most of these side threads don’t find a resolution at the end (this is, indeed, and ongoing series) but they weave with the central story rather than proceed alongside, so that they feel part of it. I was not disappointed when they remained opened in the end, it actually felt quite natural.
The mystery thread turned out to be quite lame, I’m afraid, which was disappointing for me. But the romance is very strong, so if you are the kind of the romance reader, I’m sure you’ll appreciate this story a lot.

enjoyed this story very, very much! Looking forward to reading more of Ms Cox's work.

I enjoyed this second book in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series which focuses more on the budding relationship of newly engaged Henrietta and Clive, but does have a little mystery and an interesting family secret. Very good story, and I also love the setting and time period. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Michelle Cox's Ring of Truth lets readers into the loves and life of two very distinct people from very different socio-economic groups. Henrietta Von Harmon, freshly engaged to Inspector Clive Howard, discovers he is from a very wealthy family and it expected to follow his father into the family business. And much to her surprise, she also discovers some secrets about her mother and father. An interesting study in family dynamics.

Michelle Cox has created an improbable, but interesting set of characters in this Cinderella story.
It is a romantic tale with a plucky heroine and (typically) complicated love interest.

I enjoyed our protagonist, Henrietta's, social education by her less than enthusiastic mother-in-law to be, but found some of her personal choices less than laudable for a young woman who was "honored" by a wealthy and sensible man to be his wife. Her character just didn't ring true to me---the good characteristics were too far-fetched, and the gaffs didn't make sense in that context, BUT it didn't spoil the fun of this charming romance filled with social commentary.

NetGalley provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Henrietta Von Harmon and Clive Howard, detective inspector with the Chicago police, have just become engaged. They are journeying to visit Clive’s parents who are very wealthy and are known as The Howards of Winnetka. Henrietta is somewhat younger than Clive and has worked with him investigating some police cases. Her mother is not happy that she will wed Clive. The woman’s husband committed suicide leaving her to raise a number of children without any funds. She has been depending upon the money that Henrietta brings in. Sadly, she is a very bitter woman.

When Henrietta meets Clive’s parents, the Howards discover that her parents have roots going back to some very wealthy and well-known people. This is all new to Henrietta.

Clive returns to Chicago to continue with his job leaving Henrietta with his parents as his mother schools and dresses her to be acceptable to high society. Henrietta is lonely but when she tries to befriend some of the help, she is chastised by Mrs. Howard.

One day, while walking on the grounds, Henrietta happens upon a small cottage where an old woman named Helen lives. Helen used to work in the kitchen for the Howards who have allowed her to stay in the cottage after she retired. She has poor eyesight and a confused manner. She tells Henrietta that someone has stolen a ring that she had received from her grandmother. She says it is one of the gardeners. When Clive returns at the week’s end, she tells him about the missing ring and he reluctantly agrees to check into it. Henrietta also confides that she is not happy with the person his mother wants her to become. At the same time, Henrietta learns that her brother has been put in jail and she needs to return home to see what she can do to help. Soon, a misunderstanding between Clive and Henrietta tests them and their love for one another. Will Henrietta be able to accept Clive’s way of life so both of them can be together?

This is a nice story. It would help for the reader to read the first of the author’s novels to be able to be up with the relationship between Clive and Henrietta.

Copy provided by the author and publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I love the Henrietta and Clive stories! Michele Cox does such a great job of putting the reader in 1930's Chicago and her characters are so well drawn. This is the second book in this series that I"ve read and I think it only got better.

Problem happened review to follow on correct book soon

This is a story set in 1935 Chicago and for a book that supposedly has a mystery this unfortunately did fail to deliver. I was really looking forward to reading this but I found one of the main characters totally and utterly annoying.
I could have been interested in reading about the Inspector and his investigations, as I really like historical mysteries, but Henrietta would have had to be in the background. I haven't read the first in the series so I don't know whether that was a mystery or more of a romance story.

I would like to first and foremost thank the author for a clean romance. The main characters are very mindful of preserving sex for marriage. Things get a little heated a time or two, but there are no graphic descriptions, and Clive and Henrietta always remind themselves they want to wait until they are married. At one point, Clive even points out once that though they are engaged, he wants to take her to the marriage altar, unsullied even by him. I really appreciate someone willing to write characters this way, even when the book is set in a time period where it was becoming more acceptable to have affairs.

I did not read the first book in the series - although I certainly will now - but I did not feel lost here. I felt like the characters gave enough background to kind of fill in what happened, but not so much that it will spoil it to go back and read book one. Clearly there is also at least one more book to come, and I will absolutely be reading it.

Clive and Henrietta were very well-developed characters. I felt like their emotional struggles were real and not whiny. There love is written in a very deep and heartfelt way - not wishy-washy or superficial as romantic struggles are often wont to be.

I also loved the overall plot - I was blindsided along with the characters when they realized the trap that had been sprung. All along I thought the story was leading one direction, then out of nowhere, you realize why you had the sinking feeling some of these characters were trouble from the start. I loved the period society details, and the dialogue and clothing descriptions were historically accurate.

I had never read Michelle Cox before, but it's a name that will definitely grab my attention from here on.

I started this book and I liked it so much that I went back and purchased the first book in this series and read it first. Both books were very good. In this book, Clive and Henrietta are newly engaged. Henrietta (who comes from a poor family) has no idea that Clive comes from a very wealthy family. This is the story of how Henrietta learns to make it in Clive's world and become the lady of the house. Along the way, there is a mystery involving a ring as well as some secrets revealed about Henrietta's mother. I hope this series continues because I can't wait to find out what happens next with Henrietta and Inspector Howard!

This book was interesting in several ways. The poor girl marrying rich boy story is always very nice and when it all ends happily even better. In this case our rich man never said he was actually filthy rich and heir to an estate. He was just a chief detective and that is how our girl met him, whilst working on a case for him. Henrietta realised that he was rich only when she visited his home and saw how difficult it would be for her to fit in. On top of that the other twist in the tale, was that Henrietta's mother herself had a colorful past, one she had successfully hidden from her eight children for all these years. The fact that she was herself a rich heiress who disgraced her family by running away and then forsaking all attempts for reconciliation is now slowly coming to light.

In these circumstances, Henrietta visits the family home with the idea of getting used to their way of life and also to plan the much awaited engagement and wedding. To add another twist to the story a loss of a ring and the twist in the tale in its finding added another layer to this story.

Several different strands - a mystery, a follow up from a previous story plus a romance and a family saga. Very nicely combined.

Goodreads review up on 3/3/2017. Amazon does not permit a review. Review on my blog mid July 2017

Please read this book it is a great book, loved it can't wait to read more from this author

I loved this author's first book and was so excited to read this one. This book did not disappoint. It is a very well written and entertaining book. The characters are well developed and likable. The plot line was fun and interesting. All said this is a great read that I highly recommend.

A Ring of Truth is not a mystery novel.  It is a period romance with only the tiniest touch of mystery (a stolen ring).  Most of the novel is devoted towards class related angst as Henrietta fears her family’s poverty and lack of education make her an inappropriate bride for Inspector Clive.  While the novel is well written, the whining tone makes it difficult to bear.  Henrietta is a sweet heroine, innocent and good intentioned.  We see far less of Inspector Clive.  He is more two dimensional. the prince to Henrietta’s Cinderella. I rolled my eyes a bit when I discovered Henrietta’s mother was actually an heiress who ran away, giving up her inheritance.  It appeared to be engineered solely to justify Henrietta’s status and to elevate her family.   It definitely wasn't realistic.

A Ring of Truth will appeal most to fans of class conscious period dramas, such as Downtown Abbey.  It isn’t a book I would recommend to mystery aficionados despite it being labeled a mystery.  

3/5

I received a copy of A Ring of Truth from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

—Crittermom

It was OK. I found all the characters and the plot a bit simplistic.

I enjoyed the setting of the story, in the 1930's Chicago and Winnetka. Henrietta is from a poor family with seven siblings, who is engaged to Inspector Clive Howard. In meeting his parents, Henrietta realizes he has kept his background a secret. The mystery was based on the previous book, which I had not read, and would have made a difference in my rating. I would recommend only after reading the first in the series.