Customer Reviews

Little Lamb Lost

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I'm glad I found this book; it's a great read--excellent writing, great mystery, and an interesting story. I'll watch for your next one. Alice Heath-Gladden

In Birmingham, Alabama, the police arrest Ashley Hennessy in the death of her infant son Michael, who died from a drug overdose. Although the evidence seems overwhelming especially with Ashley's track record with drugs and alcohol, social worker Claire Conover does not believe her client would even accidentally kill her son. Claire also admits feeling some guilt since she persuaded the court to return Michael to his mother.

Convinced the woman is innocent as she worked extraordinarily hard to become clean, to be a good mother and hold two jobs, Claire investigates the crime believing someone murdered the child. The social worker knows the personal cost could be her job as she crosses the line, but does not care as guilt and justice motivate her to find the killer although she never anticipated the number of viable suspects she would uncover.

LITTLE LAMB LOST is a fabulous regional amateur sleuth starring a caring protagonist who goes way beyond the extra kilometers to prove her instincts re her client is right. The story line is fast-paced while also bringing out a taste of Birmingham. However, the tale is totally owned by the dedicated heroine who risks her career and her life because she believed her client had changed while the cops assumed the culprit remained a trashy drug using loser. Readers will enjoy this intriguing Alabama whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

Author, Margaret Fenton was born in Florence, Alabama, and grew up on the Gulf Coast in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Cozy Mystery writer, Anne George, encouraged Margaret to write a mystery since she loved reading them so much.

She received her B.A. in English from Newcomb College of Tulane University in New Orleans, and her Master of Social Work from Tulane. She is a breast cancer survivor and is the current President of Birmingham Chapter of Sisters Crime.

Margaret is married to her high school sweetheart and resides in Birmingham, Alabama.
Social worker Claire Conover is about to live through one of her deepest fears. What would she do if one of her clients was found dead? What can she do? She truly believed she could make a difference in the world until she received the call that changed her life forever. Detective Ed Brighton confronts Claire. "I'm sorry. Michael's dead." Images of the curly blond, blue-eyed two-year-old, Michael Hennessy rushed her mind.

She was now on a hunt to find Michael's murderer. On a quest to find answers.
Fingers start to point to Michael's mother, Ashley. But Claire isn't convinced. Ashley had sobered up and earned back custody of Michael. She worked two jobs just to make ends meet.
Mac McAlister, Claire's supervisor, has a get-over-it kind of attitude. She feels Michael is just another number to him, but for her, Michael was more than a statistic. He was a victim, someone who deserved justice. Claire becomes Michael's voice.

Did Ashley murder Michael? It just didn't seem to fit the picture. Claire becomes her own detective and questions every possibility.

Were Alexander and Karen Madison capable of murdering their own grandson? Did being owners of a huge corporation have anything to do with it?

Could it have been Zander Madison, little Michael's father? How far would he go for drugs? Would he kill his own son if his parents told him to?

Why is Al Mackey curious if Michael and Ashley have life insurance? Would he commit murder for money? Does Al's prior physical abuse have anything to do with the care of Michael's murder?

Who exactly is Jimmy Shelton, Ashley's mysterious boyfriend?
Could Flash, Ashley's ex-boyfriend have a motive for killing poor little Michael?

The possibilities are endless and Claire is about to find out the truth.

New Mystery writer Margaret Fenton keeps the questions coming, making Little Lamb Lost a riveting read. She does a fascinating job at creating a "whodunit" mystery from the get go. A truly mesmerizing tale filled with a whole lot of drama and suspense. It will leave you wanting more up until the very last page.

This is only the beginning for debut author Margaret Fenton.

Reviewed by Martha Ramirez of Bookpleasures

Michael Hennessey's mother, Ashley, was a recovering drug addict who had worked hard to get her life back together. Coming clean, working two jobs, and passing all her drug tests allowed Ashley to regain custody of her son. The person who authorized his return to his mother was Claire Conover.

When news of Michael's death became public and Ashley's suspected role in the tragedy became known, Claire found herself vilified by the press, her job threatened, and herself heart-broken by the death of the little boy she had grown to love.

Determined to find out how she could have made such a tragic error in judgment, Clare begins to search for the truth. What she finds is an assortment of suspects and several unexpected allies.

Little Lamb Lost is a profound heartbreaker of a mystery. A little boy has died, and his mother who has tried to reclaim her life is the chief suspect.

Debut author Margaret Fenton's background in social work obviously was put to good use in the writing of this taut story of love and tragic loss. Providing detail and insight only an insider could, Fenton has created a heroine who has done the best she could, but now has to question her own motives and actions.

Fenton's insight into the soul of her protagonist speaks volumes as to her ability as a writer. She creates characters with depth, slyly revealing their motives while drawing unexpected emotions from her readers regarding those characters.

Little Lamb Lost is a tough but riveting read, thoroughly satisfying to anyone desiring an intelligent, entertaining mystery. One can only hope Ms. Fenton will continue providing additional Claire Conover cases setting up a compelling new series from the Deep South.

Little Lamb Lost

The plot is a little far-fetched, the mysteries kept on the "I know but I can't tell you" basis; but I can see the potential of the author.

The main character is too much of an old heroin stereotype to my taste and I don't think she's a loyal person as she claims to be, since she could not stop talking when she was not supposed to... but she grows on you as you read.

Despite some flaws in the story, it is well written, in a smooth prose.

I think for a debut it's OK.

This novel is the perfect combination of gripping suspense and a heart-warming tale. Author Margaret Fenton writes an interesting read, with amazing insight into child protective services and Birmingham, AL. I look forward to heroine Claire Conover's next set of adventures!

Eight-thirty one Tuesday morning, Claire Conover gets the phone call every social worker dreads. One of the children on her caseload, two-year-old Mikey Hennessey, is dead. And it was Claire who recommended that a judge send him back to his mother only two months previously. The inevitable happens: the mother is charged; stories and editorials appear in the paper about the underfunded, overworked, just-plain-don't-care Department of Human Services. Claire's job is on the line, and she has strict instructions from her boss that she is to have nothing to do with the investigation.

One thing I enjoyed about this book was how well the author handled those things we knew had to happen. Her bosses are caring, sensible people instead of stereotypes. Even the newspaper reporter who has it in for DHS may not be the most likable person in the world, but he's willing to treat Claire decently. The way that Claire collects information seems natural. No forcing the amateur detective into the role the police should be playing.

This is a clever story, unwinding smoothly as Claire starts by sticking by one strong premise: Mikey's mother had been clean and sober for a year-and-a-half, she loved Mikey, and she would never poisoned him. The mystery is nicely spiced with a bit of chick-lit--the women in this book bond a lot--and a hit of blossoming romance.

by Sharon Wildwind
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Book Title: Little Lamb Lost
Author: Margaret Fenton
Publisher: Oceanview Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-933515-51-9
Release Date: 1 June, 2009
Reviewer: Lee Carper

Debut author Margaret Fenton, tackles a difficult subject in her mystery novel, Little Lamb Lost.

Claire Conover had built her career as a child welfare social worker and trusted her instincts to lead the way. Thus far, she categorized her cases as successful, however the fear of making a wrong decision always remained just beneath the surface. She'd been lucky up to this point, until she finally received the phone call every social worker dreads. A client had been found dead. Worse, little Michael had yet to celebrate his third birthday. Claire had given his mother a second chance, but perhaps she'd made the biggest mistake of her career. Who murdered Michael? With no shortage of suspects and whatever the cost, Claire decides she must find the answer. Her reputation - and possibly her life - were on the line.

I would have appreciated a bit more action, however, Little Lamb Lost is a classic well-written whodunit. For readers who enjoy a good mystery, this novel is recommended.

Guilt is a powerful thing, even if the one feeling guilty is not entirely at fault. "Little Lamb Lost" tells the story of Claire Conover, a social worker who was working with a family of two, Michael and Ashley. Ashley struggled hard to get Claire to return Michael to her custody, and Claire finally allowed it. But when Michael is allegedly murdered by his mother, Claire's career goes to hell, and she's left to find the real story as fingers begin to point at her as the one responsible for Michael's death. A riveting story of the trials and tribulations some social workers face with a good bit of thriller thrown in, "Little Lamb Lost" is highly recommended reading.

This debut novel takes a look at a dedicated social worker, Claire Conover, who doesn't believe that her client murdered her two-year-old son with an overdose, despite the fact that she pled guilty and was sentenced to prison. Previously Claire had returned the baby, who had been put in foster care, to the mother after the latter cleaned up her act, was sober for 18 months and was working two jobs.

There is no shortage of suspects and Claire continues to be haunted by her belief that someone other than the mother was guilty of the crime. Warnings to close the case, threats of losing her job, and caution that her life could be in danger do not deter her from her efforts to "reach the truth."

For a first effort, the novel moves fluidly and maintains the reader's interest with excellent descriptions and a solid plot. It provides an insider's insights into the human resources system and foster care [as well as a native's knowledge of Birmingham, Alabama], and is recommended.