by Stephanie Morrill
publisher’s synopsis
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.
If you’re looking for a 1920s Chicago mystery with an amateur sleuth, look no further than Piper Sail! The mystery will keep you wondering, while Morrill skillfully leaves the clues you need all along the way.
I appreciated how Morril tactfullly and purposefully wove in Piper’s hurt, trauma, and healing from Lydia’s death throughout the book and even tied it into the plot. It added an extra level of believability.
While it made sense for Mariano to feature less in the story with the coming-of-age and independence character arc for Piper, I did wish that he’d been involved more beyond the romance subplot.
Fans of The Lost Girl of Astor Street will enjoy getting to tag along with Piper for another case.
Cautions: moderate romance; several kisses; one blasphemy; the case Piper investigates is initially believed to have been suicide, and the topic comes up several times; brief, non-graphic moderate violence
I received an eARC through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The Secret Investigator of Astor Street releases August 2025.
Hailey Huntington 
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