Henrietta Von Harmon learns about the 1935 version of social distancing when she gets engaged to Clive Howard in A Ring of Truth by Michelle Cox. As someone who comes from among the poorest neighborhoods in Chicago, Henrietta is shocked to learn that the Inspector Howard is really Clive Howard, Esquire, son of one of the richest and most socially connected families in Chicago.
When Clive takes her to stay at his family home of Highbury, Henrietta feels overwhelmed by the social expectations placed on her and sneaks down to the kitchen to play rummy with the staff every night. This action incurs the scorn of Clive’s family, who insist that Henrietta must be being socially distant from “the help.”
The official description of this book refers to its being a retelling of the Pride and Prejudice plot. However, it seems to me that all the compromise is on Henrietta’s side and not on Clive’s. I was annoyed that Henrietta has to give up regular time with her family, possible friendships, and having a place in society with her peers. I noticed, though, that Clive doesn’t give up much for Henrietta. If this were a true retelling of Jane Austen’s famous book, Clive would have had to make some kind of sacrifice to be with Henrietta.
A Ring of Truth is vastly different from the first book in the series, A Girl Like You. The first book is a dark, gritty detective story set in the world of gangsters, as Henrietta goes undercover at a men’s club to find the head of a sex crime ring. The second book barely has any mystery to it at all and is much more family-friendly than A Girl Like You. My biggest complaint about this book is that it ends so abruptly that it doesn’t even qualify as a cliffhanger. It’s as if the author hit her word count and just stopped. I really was disgusted by this detail. I give the book three stars.
