THE SECRET INVESTIGATOR OF ASTOR STREET

A recent high school graduate from a well-to-do family investigates the gritty underworld of 1920s Chicago.

Piper Sail has a lot on her mind. Still mourning the loss of her best friend, Lydia LeVine, whose kidnapping and murder she solved, Piper is grappling with what to do with her life: “If only that were a career option for women—being a detective.” When Louisa Dell, a student at Piper’s alma mater, Presley’s School for Girls, asks Piper to look into her brother Clarence’s supposed suicide, Piper launches herself into another investigation. She navigates the social restrictions of the time with aplomb, while also continuing her romance with handsome detective Mariano Cassano, much to her status-conscious family’s chagrin. Readers will enjoy Piper’s tenacity and her unwillingness to be socially pigeonholed even as she takes risks and courts danger. Morrill nicely depicts Piper’s growing independence as she steps into adulthood, while realistically showing that a young woman of means would face blowback for entertaining the unconventional career of private investigator. The author presents several potential suspects, keeping readers on their toes right alongside Piper, who’s an engaging and sympathetic protagonist. The exploration of shifting family dynamics and looming adulthood feels relatable, no matter the time period. Most characters are cued white.

A twisty story that will keep armchair sleuths guessing—and rooting for its appealing amateur sleuth.