Synopsis

Child welfare social worker Claire Conover is back in Little Boy Blue. She and Grant Summerville have broken up, and she is getting used to being a single foster mother. When Grant is accused of child abuse by a former employee, Regina Maynard, Claire vows to prove his innocence.

Then Regina is murdered, and Claire takes charge of her six-year-old son, Dylan. There is no shortage of suspects in Regina’s murder, including Grant himself. Regina had many enemies, including people she stole from and ex-lovers she was blackmailing. Claire and Grant must work together to solve her murder before Grant loses everything.

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Praise for Social Worker Claire Conover Mysteries

“Did my usual thing of plunging in without reading the blurb on the back cover and my heart sank when I saw the story was about social services and child welfare? So glad I wasn’t put off as this is a great, well told, murder mystery with a cast of interesting characters. The book has a nice writing style and kept me reading as the plot developed at a frantic pace. I had real trouble putting this down and finished it in two sittings as I couldn’t wait to find out the conclusion.”- Kevin Cannon, Monty’s Book Reviews

“Claire, a social worker, finds herself involved in the death of a clients child. Little Mikey only 3 dies and when they found out it was because of a drug overdose his mom, -a long time addict gone clean – gets sent to jail. But nothing is quite like it seems because Claire does not give up until she finds out the truth –even if it puts her life in danger. Finished this book in 2 days. Could not put it down.” =-Agnes, Bubbie’s Books

“Little White Lies” by Margaret Fenton captured my attention with an intriguing storyline that never wavered throughout. I voraciously tore through the pages of this immersive book in one sitting; it was the ultimate escape from reality! I loved piecing together the clues from this political mystery.  The author did an excellent job of illustrating conflict within a relationship.
“Little White Lies” had all the necessary ingredients for a deliciously immersive mystery—perfect pacing, well-developed characters, and puzzling clues to uncover. Readers interested in books about racial disparity and familial dysfunction will be quickly immersed in the story.”- Reader Views’s Review

“Margaret Fenton has given the reader a wonderfully written mystery in Little White Lies that has so much exciting action and so very many lies that the reader will be completely involved and not put it down until the very last page. In Claire, the author gives the reader an excellent main character that we come to care about. Quill says: This is an excellent and well-rounded story that I would recommend to anyone who loves a really good mystery. It would be a huge surprise if, after reading Little White Lies, you don’t turn around and go right out to read the first two books in the series. I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens to Claire and the others in the next book.”- Feathered Quill Book Reviews

Guest Review by Nora

“I brushed my teeth and put on my pajamas and quietly crept into bed. Grant was already asleep, on his side, his brown curls over his eyes. He was snoring softly again. I kissed him gently on his cheek and watched him sleep for a while, thinking, This. This is what I want forever. Then I drifted into a deep sleep.”

A wonderful installment in this series with strong characters and a great mystery!

Margaret Fenton’s writing is everything I want from an amateur sleuth series, it’s both atmospheric and well-plotted with characters that I actually care about and want to see happy. I know that seems like it should be standard, but I truly find it so rarely!

This series revolves around Claire Conover, a social worker who helps children find families. But, unfortunately, sometimes she must deal with the fallout you would expect in such a position. In this case, Claire’s ex, Grant gets accused of child molestation by an employee that he fired from his company.

It is obvious to everyone involved that Grant is innocent and the women who accused him is lying to get revenge for the firing. However, that still needs to be proved before the case can be dismissed.

Although Claire is officially supposed to stay out of it, she begins investigating to help Grant and finds herself entangled in an even bigger case than she could have possibly imagined. On top of this, Claire is dealing with stress from her teenage foster daughter’s mother who might be trying to come back into the picture.

I greatly enjoyed this! I hope Margaret Fenton is planning to write more books in this series, because I will certainly be waiting for them!

A compelling series that I can’t wait to read more of in the future!

Guest Post

Six things I Didn’t Know About Little Boy Blue and the Claire Conover Social Work series

by Margaret Fenton

1. I didn’t know what to call it. When I wrote Little Lamb Lost so many years ago, I wanted it to be the first in a series. I wanted a “catch word” if you will, like the late, great Mary Dahiem did with her Alpine series (that is my personal favorite). The word Little just seemed to fit, since Claire Conover works with little kids. The titles just seemed to flow after that one, including Little Girl Gone (book two), Little White Lies (book three) and of course, Little Boy Blue, book four.
2. Claire’s actions are often a surprise. I read a great quote the other day about writing being the process of inventing characters you love and then putting them through hell.  Forgive me for not remembering it exactly, or who said it. I know conflict is what makes a good story. You have to give your characters something to overcome, so the readers will love them. I have put Claire into some difficult situations, especially romantically, and I never know quite what she is going to do.
3. Come to think of it, I have been surprised by all my characters, a lot. In Little Girl Gone, Claire investigates the disappearance of a thirteen-year-old girl named Samantha Chambless. Samantha vanishes after her mother is murdered. While searching for her in a west Birmingham neighborhood, she comes across a young, black girl who is flirting with older men in a parking lot. She introduces herself as LaReesa Jones. She was supposed to be in one scene. One, that’s all. But she wouldn’t go away. She kept getting into my head and demanding to be part of the story. All the stories, in fact. She’s great, and she’s now Claire’s foster daughter.
4. I do break some of the rules. Social workers are not allowed to foster children from their own county, like Claire does with LaReesa. I’ve been told it’s the agency’s policy, and done with everyone’s safety in mind. I get that, but like I said, LaReesa just wouldn’t go away. I am glad she didn’t.
5. I love romance in a story, but I find it really hard to write. I’m better at writing the subtle emotional moments between characters, but please, please don’t ask me to write a sex scene. The verbs are just…no.
6. I feel like I’m getting to the end of the story. I’m going to write one more Claire Conover book, but I think that might be it. I am, in the deepest part of my soul, a cozy mystery fan. I’m trying to write one with my good friend and mother-in-law. You never know, though, maybe Claire and crew won’t go away. We’ll see. Stay tuned.

©Margaret Fenton

About the Author

Award winning author, Margaret Fenton spent nearly ten years as a child and family therapist for her county’s child welfare department before focusing on writing. Hence, her work tends to reflect her interest in social causes and mental health, especially where kids are concerned. She has been a planning coordinator of Murder in the Magic City since its inception in 2003. Margaret lives in the Birmingham suburb of Hoover with her husband, a retired software developer, and their adorable Papillons.

She received her B.A. in English from the Newcomb College of Tulane University.

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Giveaway

This giveaway is for 2 print copies and is open worldwide.

This giveaway ends on January 31, 2025 midnight, pacific time.

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