Review: The Case of the Missing Maid by Rob Osler

Title: The Case of the Missing Maid

Series: Harriet Morrow Investigates: Book One

Author: Rob Osler

Length: 321 Pages

Category: Historical Mystery

Rating: 4 Stars

At a Glance: Not fast paced but paced perfectly for the time in which the story is set, when life was a little slower than we know it now, The Case of the Missing Maid takes readers on a tour through a long-gone but vibrant and bustling Chicago.

Reviewed By: Lisa

Blurb: Rough-around-the-edges Harriet Morrow has long been drawn to the idea of whizzing around the city on her bicycle as a professional detective, solving crimes for a living without having to take a husband. Just twenty-one with a younger brother to support, she seizes the chance when the prestigious Prescott Agency hires her as its first woman operative. The move sparks controversy—with skeptical male colleagues, a high-strung office secretary, and her boss, Mr. Theodore Prescott, all waiting for her to unravel under the pressure . . .

Only an hour into the job, Harriet has an assignment: Discover the whereabouts of a missing maid from one of the most extravagant mansions on Prairie Avenue. Owner Pearl Bartlett has a reputation for sending operatives on wild goose chases around her grand estate, but Harriet believes the stunningly beautiful Agnes Wozniak has indeed vanished under mysterious circumstances—possibly a victim of kidnapping, possibly a victim of something worse . . .

With Mr. Prescott pushing a hard deadline, Harriet’s burgeoning career depends on working through a labyrinth of eccentric characters and murky motives in a race to discover who made Agnes disappear. When her search leads to Chicago’s Polish community and a new friendship in Agnes’s charming older sister, Barbara, clues scattered across the city slowly reveal just how much depends on Harriet’s inexperienced investigation for answers . . . and the deep danger that awaits once she learns the truth.

Review: First wave feminism and a woman determined to pave her own path makes for a great start to this cozy historical mystery. Harriet Morrow doesn’t aim to smash the entire patriarchy; she simply wants to break a few barriers to become the first female detective at Theodore Prescott’s prestigious agency. That she was given the opportunity to prove herself was as much a shock to her as is the growing complexity and intrigue of what was supposed to be a throwaway case. That her co-workers, all but one, seem to resent her very presence as a junior detective makes the situation nearly unbearable.

I enjoyed this book because of Harriet. She is strong yet vulnerable, smart yet naive, and she cares. A lot. Which is what matters. Her drive to prove herself makes her determined to find Pearl Bartlett’s missing maid, Agnes Wozniak. Her effort to find Agnes puts Harriet in direct contact with no small amount of danger. That the danger was aided and abetted by someone Agnes should have been able to turn to for help raises some rightful ire. Harriet escaping a few tight spots offers a bit of tension to the story, as well, and a nice little twist to the mystery as she eventually resolves the case injects an understanding of the lengths people will go to in the name of love.

Harriet wasn’t supposed to fall in love along the way, but that she does—or is as close to as she’s ever been—gives readers an idea of what life was like near the turn of the 20th century, not only for a single young woman seeking independence and to provide a stable life for her brother, but for LGBTQ folks discovering community too. The revelation of why Harriet might have been given the opportunity to work for the Prescott Detective Agency is a touching moment of understanding as well.

Not fast paced but paced perfectly for the time in which the story is set, when life was a little slower than we know it now, The Case of the Missing Maid takes readers on a tour through a long-gone but vibrant and bustling Chicago.