Henry Oxshott: Hidden in Plain Sight by Simon Fraser

It’s the 1980s. Henry Oxshott is a cat of medium intelligence, lazy but well bred. He’s inherited a house from his late aunt – his parents lived lavishly and hardly had anything left (property or money) when they died. Uncle Bartholomew dies and Henry receives a letter from the solicitors asking him to meet them on a certain date. When Henry reaches the place, he meets Uncle Crispin and a pretty cat named Daphne. Henry learns Uncle B has left his estate to Daphne, a walking stick to Uncle C (much to his chagrin) and a Bible to Henry.

Days before the reading of the will, Henry takes help from a local cleaning services – a retired army sergeant named Finch (a dog) is willing to work for free – trial period. But Henry soon realizes Finch is smart and more helpful than he thought to be. When Henry starts to read the (inherited) Bible, he comes across a few underlined words. With the help of Finch and Daphne, Henry goes on a quest to find the ‘missing treasure’.

Well, missing treasure in quotes because halfway through the story, the mysterious painting that Uncle Crispin mentioned during the reading of the will takes the spotlight.

Henry Oxshott: Hidden in Plain Sight is a cute story. Intended for children in the age group of 7-11, this book is absolutely entertaining. Henry, Uncle Crispin and Daphne are cats while Finch is a bulldog. We also have a mysterious hyena making an appearance in the latter half of the story.

Henry and Finch make a fine pair. Henry needs a minder and we have Finch saving him from danger and bringing him onto the right path every now and then. There’s also a ‘catch the bad man (or cat, in this case) in the act’ – the kiddy version of Papa Poirot’s denouement.

Overall, this was a fun read. If you are an adult and looking for a fun and light read, give this book a try. Highly recommended to kids of the age group 7-11.

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I received an ARC from Troubador Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

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