MRC RECOMMENDS: Little Boy Blue By Margaret Fenton
“Little Boy Blue is a wonderfully written glimpse into the foster care system.” – The Mystery Review Crew
Little Boy Blue
By Margaret Fenton
Series: Social Worker Claire Conover Mystery #4
Genre: Mystery
Claire Conover is in the midst of personal upheaval: an indiscretion has cost Claire her relationship with longtime love Grant Summerville, and she is trying to weather the challenges of being a single foster mother to 13-year-old LaReesa Jones. At least her job hasn’t put her in danger again—at least until Grant is accused of child abuse by a former employee, Regina Maynard. Even though she and Grant are broken up, Claire vows to prove his innocence, despite repeated protests and warnings from her Unit Supervisor, Mac McAlister. Convinced of Grant’s innocence, Claire starts to investigate.
Then Regina is murdered, and Claire takes charge of Regina’s six-year-old son, Dylan. When she starts to unravel the destruction and chaos Regina left behind, Claire realizes there is no shortage of suspects in Regina’s murder, including Grant himself. Regina had plenty of enemies, including people she stole from and ex-lovers she was blackmailing. But who wanted her dead? And more importantly why?
Complicating matters even further, LaReesa’s drug-addled biological mother comes back into the picture, causing the teenager to spiral– and causing Claire immeasurable anxiety over what the future could hold.
The stakes have never been higher: against the backdrop of a ticking clock, Claire and Grant must work together to solve Regina’s murder before Grant loses everything. But it’s clear that someone doesn’t want the truth to come to light, and soon Claire herself becomes the target. She’s lost Grant, she’s afraid she could lose LaReesa …but this time, Claire may lose something even more valuable: her life.
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Review of Little Boy Blue by Margaret Fenton
Little Boy Blue is a wonderfully written glimpse into the foster care system. The book takes place in Alabama, and sometimes I grab a book because of its familiar location. It adds that little bit extra I’m always looking for.
The characters are realistic and I felt invested in their outcome. The action surrounding the characters keeps the novel moving at a steady pace.
Claire Conover works for the DHS as a social worker. She helps to place the children who have no parents, or whose parents are not fit to raise them. She, herself, fosters LaReese, a fourteen-year-old black girl with a large personality.
Dylan, a six-year-old boy, enters her life when his mother becomes unfit. He is a sweet boy who seems older than his years. Dylan’s mother is claiming Claire’s ex, Grant Summerville, molested him. There’s no way Claire is going to stop investigating the claim, no matter what her boss says. Claire is no angel, and that’s why Grant is her ex. Can the damage she wreaked on their relationship be repaired? Does she deserve a second chance?
Claire’s life takes a turn for the worse after two young ladies are found dead and someone is trying to kill her. The biggest mystery she may need to solve is her own.
Little Boy Blue by Margaret Fenton has all the feels. At times I was angry, sometimes sad, and other times I had a smile on my face. I’m not sure what I expected, but I got so much more. With a little spit and polish, this could be a five-star read.
Little Boy Blue by Margaret Fenton is the second book in the Claire Conover mystery series.
About Margaret Fenton
Margaret grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and moved to Birmingham in 1996. She received her B.A. in English from the Newcomb College of Tulane University, and her Master of Social Work from Tulane. She spent nearly ten years as a child and family therapist before taking a break to focus on her writing.
