I loved this historical mystery. There are many twists and it is rich in detail.
Many thanks to She Writes Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

An impressive historical thriller with a mystery added into the story to make for an entertaining story. Henrietta is a heroine that you can root for and we follow her in her journey. A journey that takes the main characters through mysterious places and we see obstacles thrown in their path for added drama. An intriguing and well written story.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for this review copy, I received this review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

First of all, this book stands alone, so there is no need to have read the other books in the series (although after reading this book, I will most certainly be reading the others. Secondly, this book is really great!

I thought the author had really brought the era back to life and the characters were superbly drawn. The story was well paced and it kept me turning the pages well into the night.

If you enjoy a page-turning historical thriller then this book will be right up your street. I highly recommend this novel.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley for review consideration

"A Spying Eye" is Book 6 in Michelle Cox's series, Henrietta and Inspector Howard and although I have not read all of the books in the series I felt like I was able to jump right in! Throughout the story, Michelle Cox weaves Henrietta and Clive's adventures in Europe along with the family and what is going on in America. What starts as a trip to see family and the sights, turns into a hunt for a missing painting. There is history, action and some drama in this fast paced read, that kept me guessing until the end of the book! I enjoyed Michelle Cox's writing and will be going back to the missed books to read. Thank you to She Writes Press, NetGalley, Michelle Cox and Kate Rock Book Tours for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

A Spying Eye by Michelle Cox is book six in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series. However, it works well as a stand-alone novel. While there were a few instances when I wished I had read the earlier books, the author does a nice job of filling in the spaces to keep the reader from feeling lost.

The storyline is based on a true story and you can tell the material was very well-researched. The characters drive the story, adding depth to the mystery. Each character has layers slowly peeled away until the reader has a deeper understanding of their true personalities.

The mystery is quite intriguing involving stolen art, Nazi henchmen, and chases through the French countryside. Henrietta takes a few risks that had my heart in my throat and nearly unravel her husband, Clive Howard. He still hasn’t learned that she isn’t a pretty keepsake to put upon a pedestal.

While at home in Chicago, various storylines are at play involving Henrietta and Clive’s family. These sections of the book really highlight the plight of women and children during this period of time. They live their lives under the thumb of male family members, who rarely have their best interests at heart.

Fans of historical fiction set in the 1930-1940 era will absolutely love this book. There is something for everyone to enjoy whether it’s action, mystery, light-romance, or intrigue.

While this is the first Henrietta and Clive story I’ve read, I hope it won’t be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sit back and relax because once you begin, this story will take you on a journey!

Mystery, intrigue, a hunt for a painting they need to find before Hitler's men beat them to it and a romance that is well... romantic!

This is my first book by this author, and I was so anxious to read because I am obsessed... Truly with historical mysteries and even more with audible books! I intend to start at the beginning and listen to them all.

A veritable blend of history with fiction that is perfect!!

A well plotted and fascinating book, the first I read in this series and won't surely be the last.
A solid and well plotted mystery that kept me guessing, vivid historical background, fleshed out characters.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

A Spying Eye is the sixth in the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series and is as delectable as the previous five instalments. Of course reading them all in order is the best way to enjoy the books but this one is easy to jump into. You'll quickly get to know and care about (some of) the eclectic characters on their literal and figurative journeys. This time, Henrietta and Clive are determined to start their marriage off right by honeymooning...as they were supposed to be doing a short time ago (see previous book). But life happened. So did death.

Set during WWII in America and then largely in Europe, this beguiling book is more than "just" a mystery, it is getting to know characters better and learn about their own life issues...of which there are many. But readers who are here for juicy murder will find satisfaction...in spades. Inspector Hartle enters the scene and persuades the couple to search for the infamous artwork, the Ghent Altarpiece, which was hidden during Nazi occupation. Guess who cannot resist?

Not only do we learn more about the sweeping control and power wielded by Nazis but about personal struggles. Elsie, Henrietta's younger sister, must make a life-changing choice. Julia, Clive's older sister is no stranger to abuse. Glamour and prestige are written into the words and stories, sometimes creating an atmosphere of gullibility as well as fascination. Henrietta herself is ambitious but shallow and oblivious at times which can be both fun and infuriating. Her choices can be questionable, too, but she is thankfully imperfect.

The story is based on true facts which are interesting on their own. Author Michelle Cox has a lovely way of introducing history into her writing, making the story feel that much more authentic. The Nazi influence is felt strongly yet does not overwhelm the subplots.

Those who adore Historical Fiction and/or Romance, this series has your name all over it!

My sincere thank you to She Writes Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wonderful book.

A spying eye is an intriguing story. The characters will keep you wondering who is trustworthy and who isn't. Lots of twists that will keep you reading to see what happens next.

Will the answers they will find what they were seeking …

I looking like the main storyline has now evolved to follow the path of more than the main couple.
Why I really need to read the books prior to this one.
Now there are three lead stories, Clive and Henrietta, Elsie, Henrietta’s younger sister and now Julia, Clive’s older sister.
The main couple is trying to revive their shortened honeymoon trip to finally get caught up with their meddling ways, how they find themselves investigating a missing painting. While Elsie is bullied to give up the man she loves because he does not fit the bill her haughty kin demands of any possible suitor. Then Julia, who meets a man unexpectedly a man who really sees her but trapped in a loveless abusive marriage, her situation is impossible.

Henrietta while a bit older than the first book I read, is still a bit on the naive side, thus how she finds herself in some tricky situations, she knows she attracts men’s gaze but she still does not fully comprehend the harm she could find herself if she plays wrong her charms. She is also quite gullible, and unable to read under people’s mask.
Clive being older is more circumspect, yet he himself gets caught in this tricky case.
Elsie is at a turn of her life, her hand suite forced to make a choice, while Julia who has spend years enduring her husband’s abuse in silence has lost hope to ever extricate herself from this sham of a marriage, that is her present and future.

The author leads us on a merry dance, chasing after Clive and Henrietta then wondering about Julia to cheer Elsie to choose the right path.
This romantic saga with a sleuthing couple is really an entertaining read, while following Clive and Henrietta, I felt like a sort of Indiana Jones without the hat and the whip thwarting the SS forces.
4.5 stars

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes

I have been granted an advance copy by the author, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

In London, a couple are asked to find a stolen painting; in Chicago, lovers are threatened with disinheritance; in Michigan, a wife is being abused. What links these story lines? Well the couple are Clive Howard and his wife Henrietta, née Von Harmon; the lovers are Elsie von Harmon, Henrietta’s sister, and her lower class paramour; the wife is Julia. Clive’s sister, married to a cruel and coercive husband. Readers who are familiar with the series – “Henrietta and Inspector Howard” – will know the background to all of this but new readers get enough information to understand this one. So, three plotlines, the first a classic search mystery, the second a star-crossed lovers romance, the third a possible knight rescues damsel in distress. The second and third are part of the continuing background story to the investigative duo, but the series is not titled “Tales of the Howard Family” so the rest of this review addresses only the mystery/thriller element. Clive and Henrietta are not long married, but their original honeymoon was curtailed by events described in the previous book. As this story begins. they are in England visiting Clive’s uncle, Lord Linley, as the first step on their second attempt at a honeymoon. Their next destination will be the Chateau Du Freudeneck near Strasbourg, the ancestral home of the Von Harmons, to whom she might be related. At a soirée in London, they meet the Duke of Buckingham and tell him of their travel plans and the next day are contacted by a man called Hartle, a former police inspector with whom they had previously, worked. He is now, it would appear, a member of British Intelligence and asks them if they could search the Chateau for a missing artwork which is being sought by the Nazis because of some spurious magical power it possesses (shades of Indiana Jones here). An agent had been sent previously but had disappeared, possibly murdered, despite which our intrepid pair agree. The rest of this story involved the usual boy’s own adventure tropes, involving chases and shoot outs.
The style of writing is quite authentic for the time period, if a little heavy on the more glamorous adjectives, and there are lots of references to the sorts of goings on that rich aristocratic types tend to indulge in. The plot, however, is not very intricate and presents no challenge. The historical background is accurate, in that Hitler did order his henchmen to hunt for such artefacts and the item featured here is a famously (still) missing portion of the Ghent Altarpiece. Overall, the tale is a pleasant little romp and will appeal to fans of the series (who will also relish the two other story lines, no doubt), but I was neither shaken nor stirred. I’m giving it a 4 but it isn’t really more than a 3.5.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Interesting historical mystery centering on Clive and Henrietta in Europe, looking for the missing "Just Judges" panel of the famous Ghent Altarpiece, which the Nazis are also searching for. I was fully invested in their storyline, less so with the simultaneous American storylines of Henrietta's sister Elsie's romance with Gunther and Clive's sister Julia's storyline.

This is the sixth book with Clive and Henrietta, although i havent read any of the previous books i was able to read it as a stand alone... A good detective and romance combined.. I found it interesting and was unable to put it down... I would have liked to have read the previous books for some insight into the relationship of Clive and Henrietta but it didnt spoil the reading of this one... well worth a read

This book was everything I wanted it to be. It had me turned pages without even realizing. It was so good!

I found this novel entertaining and recommend for those who love detective stories. The story line would be a mix of Historical Mystery and Romance. Clive Howard and Henrietta Von Harmons, they had been from Chicago, on their second honeymoon trip to visit Clive's ancestral home, Castle Linley, In Derbyshire, England. Henrietta's personal maid Edna accompanies her to foreign shores beyond the Chicago environment. Clive and Henrietta worked as fine detectives in their fledgling agency. Clive had been very protective of Henrietta. They were in London for more than forty-eight hours and their plan was to leave for Strasbourg soon to stay at Chateau du Freudeneck. At this time Mr. John Hartle Chief Inspector visits them in London before they leave to Strasbourg, France to discuss about a Ghent Altarpiece, a stolen missing panel of artwork, a masterpiece of European art, also the missing agent they had sent for detective work. One of the missing panel is called "The just Judges." This panel was hidden somewhere with Hitler's rising power guessing that his eye would soon fall upon the Ghent Altarpiece. It seems that Hitler has already begun sending out teams to scour Europe and South America and even North Africa for these relics, looking for for the panel itself. Detective Sources of Mr Hartle claims that they had seen the panel near Strasbourg and he wants Clive to search for it on his trip with his wife Henrietta.

In the heart of Strasbourg, Clive and Henrietta visits the owner of an old antique shop in town Mr. Monsieur Bonnet giving them a fascinating lesson about an extraordinary work of art-the Ghent Altarpiece. Monsieur Bonnet was explaining how it might be in the hands of an old family with ties to the Cathars - But with curiosity Henrietta wonders whether Von Harmon were descendants of the Cathars. One day they find Monsieur Bonnet lying in a pool of blood, a knife in his back, murdered with no leads or clear motive, suspecting a robbery.

Back in Chicago, Gunther approaches Mr. Exley, Elsie's grandfather for asking Elsie's hand in marriage. Mr. Exley objects them to marriage. Exley would cut Elsie from their family entirely if Gunther and her proceeded to marry against his wishes. Therefore Gunther felt in danger to marry Elsie which made it easier to dissolve the hasty engagement. Gunther was acting as a surrogate father to Anna from the moment of her birth counting for everything. Out of nowhere comes two strangers Heinrich and Rita claiming that they are Anna's legal parents. Not able to prove it but looks like all they want is money.

The wild goose chase in search of the art piece continues until Edna their servant steps up to help Henrietta find the missing panel. The author's note at the end of this novel should not be missed to know why Hitler obsessed about the panel. The whole mystery novel is fascinating. The theories about the missing panel is true, and the Ghent Altarpiece is real work of art painted in 1432, by Jan and Hubert van Eyck, and one of its panel. "The just Judges" really was really stolen from St. Bavo's Cathedral, Belgium on April 10th 1934.

I just reviewed the book, A Spying Eye: A Henrietta and Inspector Howard Novel, 6 by Michelle Cox. Thanks to Netgalley and Publisher She Writes Press for an advance copy for my honest review.

I received a copy via #netgalley. Good addition to the series with continuing growth in the relationship between Clive and Henrietta. Michelle Cox did a good job conveying the growing Nazi menace in Europe and those who supported its spread. Interesting mystery, although the ending was a bit of letdown for me, and made me question our heroes' judgment. There are separate storylines playing out in the US with family members Elsie and Julia, and the author manages to keep all of the storylines on track. Highly recommend for those already reading the series, but recommend new readers start at the beginning of the series. The development of the relationship between Henrietta and Clive is too good to skip over.

Henrietta and Clive have gone to Europe to try again for the honeymoon that was interrupted when Clive's father died. This time they hope to find Henrietta's family, the Von Harmons in Alsace-Lorraine. While stopping in London, they are approached by Hartle, the police inspector they previously befriended. He is now working for the British governments he says, and needs them to go undercover while visiting the Von Harmons as they are suspected of having a stolen artwork with a connection to the Nazis. Henrietta and Clive agree.
In the meantime, Henrietta's sister Elsie is trying to find a way to marry her love, Gunther and help him raise Gunther's foster daughter, Anna. Difficulties ensue and Elsie has to decide what kind of future she really wants and find the courage to go after it. The characters are, as usual wonderfully brought to life with a realistic feel for the era. I admit I am beginning to get impatient with Elsie's immature impulsiveness and lack of common sense, which seems to be at the root of most of the trouble she gets into but enjoyed her adventures anyway. I was less happy with Henrietta in this book, as she seems to have lost her own common sense and makes some really boneheaded moves. I love the series, though. It shows a fascinating glimpse into the surprising class consciousness of .American society before WWII and contrasts it with the spunkiness of the rebellious sisters, raised in poverty. In spite of the shortcomings, the suspense of both the family situations and Henrietta and Clive's investigations kept my attention..