We always want to see the positives of the Edwardians but there was a dark side as well. This is a well written and heart pulling novel. A good read.

I downloaded a copy of this book to check a printing mistake pointed out by a reader. I cannot offer a review as I am the author.

Bland, boring, and forgettable - read this months ago and forgot to even give feedback to it, so that says something. Anachronisms are aplenty, the dialogue is wooden, stilted and horrifyingly modern, and the female characters are all ahead of the period.

Not recommended, sadly.

Part of a series and part historical fiction and part of an ongoing detective series, Flora has been involved with the police before in a murder investigation. Now Flora is married very happily to Bunny and has a very young baby. Very comfortably off her existence is far removed from the extreme poverty in London and the sleaziness of the slums.
An invitation to St. Philomena's Hospital for children depicts a different side of the fate of children in London to both Flora and Bunny. Children from deprived homes who are sick and who because of their very poor environment have very little hopes of recovering from some of their ailments. Meeting the Matron in charge of St. Philomena's also brings a spark of a memory to Flora though it is only later that she can pin her thoughts down to a specific one.
Following the visit Flora and Bunny are notified that young children are disappearing in London and no one seems to know where they end up. The police are not bothered by it as domestic issues like this at the time are considered family matters and cannot be prosecuted. No one seems to be willing to listen to them, that something is amiss specially since the Salvation Army seems to be involved. The Salvation Army works amongst the poor and are seen as just one of the few organisations trying to help the poor.
With the help of friends and the support of the Matron Flora and Bunny unearth a plot of far reaching ramifications. Trying to save the children taken so far puts them all in a dangerous situation from which they manage to escape with the children intact and all the villains under lock and key.
The book was an eye opener as to living conditions amongst ordinary folk in London in the early 1900s. It also highlighted the indifference of the rich to these conditions and very few took any interest in trying to help in any way possible. Those who did were not looked at very favourably either, which I found strange.

Review on my blog 10/4/2018. Review on Goodreads and Amazon posted on 932018

*thank you to Netgalley and Aria for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

I was pretty excited to read this after a friend of mine had just finished it and I will tell you that it did not disappoint at all! I haven't read the other 3 books in this series but it didnt matter too much. It was an emotional heart felt read. I love books that can make you feel deep emotions, good or bad. This is just the kind of historical fiction that I like. Highly recommended.

Nothing wrong with the style of writing just not my kind of story - Would definitely try another book by this author.

Flora Harrington has it all, a beautiful house, a loving husband, beautiful young son and lots of servants to help run her home in Belgravia. When she and her Ptolemy (better known as Bunny) accept an invitation to visit St Philomena’s Hospital – a charity founded to provide medical care for the children of the poor - neither have any idea just how this visit is going to change their lives.

The matron, Alice Finch, is taking them on a tour around the hospital when there is a scream and on the investigation, the body of a young nurse, Lizzie Prentice, is found. Is this murder linked to the disappearance of several children immediately after they’ve been discharged from the hospital, once again in good health?

I’ve not read the previous books in this series, however, I had no difficulty in following Flora and Bunny’s paths to this latest adventure. Anita Davison has very definitely, studied the period – the early 1900’s. Life was good if one lived in a suburb like Belgravia, but treacherous if one lived in the slums. Children contracted illnesses like bronchitis because of the fog, a result of the factories that had no laws governing the smoke they emitted. Children as young as nine, worked in shocking conditions, with very little food.

Flora finds herself embroiled in the children’s plight and living conditions when she helps Alice Finch trace the missing children. Aided by Lydia, her wonderfully confident, exuberant friend, Flora, and accompanied by her equally quirky maid, Sally and the gentle giant, Abel, for protection, Flora must visit the worst parts of London to meet the families of the children who seem to have vanished into thin air.

I enjoyed this book. The subject of the missing children was something we’ve all forgotten as life has improved since 1904. Unfortunately, trafficking still takes place, in as sophisticated a manner as that used so long ago.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

4 stars! I found this cozy mystery highly entertaining!

Prior to receiving this book, I had no idea it was part of a series (or I never would have picked it up as I don’t like jumping into the middle of a series). With that being said, I felt this story flowed perfectly as a standalone. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything from the previous novels.

I ADORED the main characters Flora and Bunny (yes, you are reading that correctly – Bunny is Flora’s husbands name – nickname actually, but it is what he goes by throughout the story). They were delightful, charming and had such a great dynamic together. The author, Anita Davison, masterfully created a suspenseful and intriguing mystery surrounding missing children set in London in the early 1900’s. I felt a strong connection to the characters and setting.

I found this to be an easy and enjoyable novel to read. I will definitely be adding the previous books in the series to my TBR list as well as any future series novels.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Aria and Anita Davison for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Even though I have not read the previous books I still really enjoyed this book. It is beautifully written and full of intrigue. Recommend

Another good entry in this engaging series. Flora is on the trail for missing children and to solve the murder of a nurse at a hospital. The search takes her to the downtrodden in Whitechapel and a ring of child kidnappers for profit slowly unfolds. The pacing is a tad slow in the beginning until Sally, Flora's maid disappears. Then the story unfolds at a furious pace, with an exciting ending and a very heartfelt ending. If you follow this series, you will enjoy this entry. I recommend reading them from the first book. Go get 'em, Flora!

Another wonderful story in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and following Flora's next adventure. She's a great character who is rounded and a little flawed, but that makes her more dimensional.
Very good period descriptions by the author make this series very enjoyable and brings the period to life.

5☆ Full of Intrigue, Mystery, the perfect mix of Historical Fiction and Crime!

This is the Forth Book in the series, However i haven't read any of the other books yet I still thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
There are some things that are uncovered that I'm guessing ties up the rest of the previous books. So although this can be read as a standalone, to fully appreciate some of the story it might be best to read the others in order.

The Forgotten Children is beautifully written. It's full of intrigue and really delves into the darker side of London Crime.
It was the perfect mix of Historical Fiction with a twist of Mystery and Crime.

When Flora and her Husband Bunny are invited to view a Children's Hospital in the hope they help provide funding.
A young Nurse is murdered.
No stranger to death and mystery Flora sets out to discover the mystery behind the murder and to unlock the secrets of St Philomena's Childrens Hospital.

But is all as it seems or is Flora about to enter a dark and dangerous world and open up can of worms that most would rather stay shut!!
Is Flora in danger?
Why are Children going missing?
Why was The Young Nurse Murdered?

You really must read it to find out more!

I loved Flora she has so much determination and strength, she isn't one to give up without a fight.

The Forgotten Children really is an intriguing read!
There is drama and murder within the first few pages.
Some subjects within the book are sensitive,but Anita handles them with care and sensitivity.

Overall a beautifully written story with great characters, a perfect blend of History and Crime.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who love Historical Fiction, Mystery, London Crime.

I can't wait to read more from Anita Davison.

Unfortunately, this book was archived before I got chance to read it.

The talented Anita Davison continues her enchanting series about intrepid sleuth Flora Maguire with The Forgotten Children, the latest gripping installment of this terrific series of historical mysteries.

Flora Maguire’s life is as close to perfect as it is possible to get. With a beautiful home in Belgravia bursting at its seams with servants to cater to her every whim, a loving husband and a gorgeous baby boy, Flora seems to be living a life straight out of a fairytale, but away from the refined drawing rooms of the upper classes, the city of London teems with darkness and evil as she discovers when she is invited to tour St Philomena’s Children’s Hospital in deprived Southwark. Flora is absolutely stunned by the grimness and darkness which she encounters, but there are further shocks in store for her when she discovers that children are going missing…

Flora can never resist a mystery and she is determined to get to the bottom of this shocking conundrum. Children are being sold by their families and then disappearing from the hospital. With the police reluctant to investigate and showing her the door, Flora decides to do the sleuthing by herself – helped by hospital matron Alice Finch. This mission takes Flora away from Belgravia and straight to the seedy criminal underbelly of London. With dangerous enemies on every corner, Flora must tread carefully not to incur anyone’s wrath, but that soon proves to be easier said than done…

Will Flora manage to find the forgotten children? Or is she doomed to fail in her quest?

A thoroughly enjoyable mystery that is nail-biting, gripping and wonderfully atmospheric. The Forgotten Children is not merely an engrossing historical whodunnit, but a fantastic read that skilfully and deftly plunges the reader into the darkness of Edwardian London with its meticulous depiction of what life was truly like for the poor in the earlier part of the twentieth century.

Flora is as wonderful as ever and her courage, resilience, stubbornness and championing of the underdog make her one of crime fiction’s most delightful heroines.

Anita Davison gets better and better with every new book she writes and I cannot wait to read the next terrific installment of the Flora Maguire mysteries!

I am a massive fan of historical fiction so this book was right up my street and one I was really keen to read, after seeing the cover and reading the blurb I knew it was going to be one for me with it being set in Edwardian London.

The story is really well written and it deal with some really tough subjects very well.  The book is gritty where it needs to be as quite a lot is dealing with the darker side of London and the crimes that didn't get reported and the potential sale of children.  

The book is a darker historical fiction than I would normally read but I'm a huge crime fiction fan so where this one crosses genres was excellent for me - I thoroughly enjoyed it and have given the book 5 stars!!

When a wealthy couple takes a visit to a children's hospital for the underprivileged, one of the nurses ends up dead in the yard. As the investigation gets started it's made known that some of their previous patients have gone missing. However, the families aren't the ones who seem to care the kids have gone missing. It isn't until a child goes missing right from the hospital itself that the police finally get involved but that doesn't stop our heroine Flora and her gang of strong willed women from continuing their mission to find these children.

I wasn't aware this was the fourth book in a series but it was easy to read as a stand alone. I really enjoyed the characters. The storyline was pretty good as well though towards the end when it was supposed to be the most exciting I just couldn't keep my attention in to it. It was a good read and I may recommend it to some people I know would enjoy it but it's not something I would recommend to everyone.

Honestly, I enjoyed this MUCH more than I thought I would! Flora, a seemingly spoiled, comfortable matron with a new baby and attentive husband, tours St. Philomena's Childrens Hospital and finds herself involved in the disappearance of many London children. The matron of the hospital is also intriguing, and Flora, amateur detective, finds herself solving not only the disappearances but also finding about herself and her past.

Flora’s life was perfect until her and her husband Bunny were invited to attend a sponsor evening at St. Philomena ‘s hospital. Everything changed on that night and that sets the scene for this brilliant story. Children are mysteriously going missing from Southwark and Flora wants to find out why. This takes her to some of the most deprived places in Southwark where danger lurks behind every passage. There is something vaguely familiar about Miss Finch who is the matron at the hospital but Flora doesn’t know why. Could it be something to do with her past? This story was captivating and sadly true in some parts. A great novel. I was sorry it ended and look forward to reading more books by Anita Davison.

On a visit to St Philomena's Children's Hospital in Southwark, with the hopes that the Harringtons would offer to sponsor equipment, a body is discovered. Flora is convinced that it was no accident, but is lead in another direction by the tale of missing children that once had been patients in the hospital. But at the same time events lead her to question her history.
I have read this series in order though the book can be read as a stand-alone.
I enjoyed the story, it's well-written, some good characters but there were a couple of times I felt irritated by Flora, in particular, her belief that she was smarter than everybody.

The Forgotten Children is the fourth book in the Flora series and sees our intrepid detective dip her toes into the less savory side of London. Through out the books to date, as well as solving crimes, Flora is also solving the mystery of her own past and here we step a little closer to seeing her learn a lot more about herself and her family. I would recommend this series to anyone, it really is a lovely read, perfect for darkening evenings. If you like Frances Brody - Flora is more than a match for Kate Shackleton - certainly one to watch!