The Secret Investigator of Astor Street

After high school graduation, Piper Sail isn’t quite sure what her future holds—until a possible murder case lands in her lap. Filled with both the glitz and glamor of high society and the dark mafia underbelly of 1920s Chicago, The Secret Investigator of Astor Street is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Maureen Johnson.

Piper Sail knows what she to become a detective. After all, she already solved the case of her missing best friend, and there’s no shortage of crime in 1920s Chicago. But for an eighteen-year-old society girl—even one who’s currently dating a police investigator—it simply isn’t done.

That is, until a girl asks her to dig into her brother’s recent death. The police ruled it a suicide, but she’s convinced it was murder. And she wants Piper to help her prove it.

In this companion to The Lost Girl of Astor Street, Piper once again grabs her notebook and plunges into the underworld of mafia-controlled Chicago. But she’ll need all her wits and courage if she wants to become The Secret Investigator of Astor Street.

My Review:

Phenomenal sequel to the first Piper Sail Mystery novel! It’s been a long wait but I am thrilled that this series is continuing. Love the edgy Nancy Drew vibe. Instead of bucolic River Heights, Piper sleuths in mobster-run Chicago in the 1920s, a full decade before Nancy put on her deerstalker hat! Makes for some classic atmospheric amateur sleuthing!

Piper’s dream of becoming a full-fledged private investigator seems destined to go unfulfilled. She is constrained by the expectations placed on a recently graduated high society young miss (aka get married and serve at charity functions.) Can she help it if she excels at crime solving instead of flower arranging?!

So her indomitable spirit and gritty determination seem destined to remain buried in a stifling clerical job until a sleuthing opportunity presents itself. Ofcourse, she can’t resist diving in. Love the complexity of the investigation, the intriguing plot twists, and the tremendous character growth Piper experiences along the way. I’m also a fan of the way her relationship with her police detective boyfriend develops as well. He is refreshingly supportive, a truly forward thinking man of the times!

Tumultuous complications in Piper’s home life, and even in part of her romance, add extra depth to the story and kept me riveted. Definitely a read-in-one-sitting kinda book…or in my case compulsively listen because, once again, I enjoyed Megan Trout’s narration. Love the way she portrays all the characters, especially Piper. And she captures all the intricacies of emotion and humour…and even hair-raising danger…to perfection.

My thanks to Harper Collins Focus / Blink and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

13 thoughts on “The Secret Investigator of Astor Street”

  3. Thank you so much for your review on THE SECRET INVESTIGATOR OF ASTOR STREET!

    Why haven’t I heard of this amazing sounding book before. It makes me feel as if I live under a rock at times when I miss a great book. Love stories in this era. For a young woman to go out of the norm also makes it a must read.

    Most definitely on my TBR list now!

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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    1. This series was just kinda hovering in the shadows, I think. The first book was published…7, 8 years ago? and I’m not sure it got all the fanfare it deserved. And now here we are with a brand new one out this month. Yay! Happy Reading, Kay!

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  4. Great review & so cool! About 15 yrs (?) ago Stephanie Morrill & I chatted on FB & she sent me an ARC of her book to see what I thought. If I’m not mistaken it was a suspense, but it’s been a lot of yrs & soooo many books later so I’m not sure. I don’t even remember the title & back then I really wasn’t too involved on GRs. I was hit & miss with it so Stephanie’s book I read isn’t on there. Ugh. I got involved in my blog & we lost touch somehow. I see she has quite a few published books now. Yay for her! 😃

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    1. I just checked out one of Stepanie’s books from the library — WWII homefront setting. I’m looking forward to reading it soon. So hard to keep up with all the authors and books we want to…but it sure is fun trying. Happy Reading, Diane!

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      1. It IS hard & some get dropped by the wayside bc of, well . . . life. And new authors & trying to keep up with favorite authors! What a dilemma. Ha! Happy reading, Kav!

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