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Little Lamb Lost

by Margaret Fenton

     

Margaret Fenton has produced a modern day mystery that could have come straight from the newspaper headlines. Her debut novel, Little Lamb Lost, is a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat mystery with fine detail—but it almost was never written.

An avid mystery fan, Fenton was active with Sisters in Crime, a collection of authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers, and librarians who support women mystery writers. Fenton had never decided to become a writer until fellow Sisters in Crime writer, the late Anne Carroll George, a former Alabama State Poet and co-founder of Druid Press, suggested Fenton try her hand at writing. The result, which took seven years to come to print, is a flawless cozy set in a large city (probably Birmingham) in Jefferson County, Alabama, though the city is never referred to by name.

Little Lamb Lost introduces social worker Claire Conover, who is convinced that the mother of a two year old did not contribute to his death by drug overdose. Unfortunately, she's the only one who believes that, and it becomes exceedingly more difficult to prove her point when the mother pleads guilty to child endangerment. Even though Claire is told to let the case drop by her superiors at the Jefferson County Department of Human Services, she continues to investigate, soon finding her name splashed across the city newspapers by an eager investigative reporter who is not only interested in what she knows, but is interested in her romantically.

Claire's anxiety level soars through the roof as she faces losing her job and having her agency sued. Mixed into this mess are the good intentions of match-making friends and the introduction of a very attractive computer geek who salvages her computer. As Claire unearths more information, she soon finds that her trail is leading to some very powerful and dangerous people who plan to stop her at all costs.

This book has a depth of detail that could only come about because Margaret Fenton herself is a social worker. Readers get an up-close and personal look at a necessary but not very glamorous profession. Fenton's characters are also quite real and run the gamut of society, from the affluent to life on the skids. And her plot will keep readers rapidly turning pages.

It is my hope that Little Lamb Lost becomes the beginning of a new series about Claire Conover and other cases she comes across as a social worker.

The Book

Oceanview Publishing
June 1, 2009
Hardcover
1933515511 / 978-1933515519
Mystery
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Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

Janie Franz
Reviewed 2009
NOTE: Reviewer Janie Franz is the author of Freelance Writing: It’s a Business, Stupid!and co-author of The Ultimate Wedding Reception Book and The Ultimate Wedding Ceremony Book.
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