Ellen here, excited to welcome Rob Osler to Chicks. I loved his Hayden & Friends Mysteries and cannot wait to read his new historical mystery, The Case of the Missing Maid, which is already earning rave reviews. He’s going to tell us all about his new book today…

My new historical series set in Chicago during the Progressive Era (1890 -1920) stars a bicycle-riding, bowler-hat-wearing, young woman detective named Harriet Morrow. The name is taken from my grandmother, Harriet Pruatt, and my great-aunt, Vera Morrow. My mother inspired Harriet’s unfailing pluck. All three women were long divorced or widowed, so from an early age, I experienced them as single women. Each was independent, energetic, and big-hearted. I strove to imbue Harriet with those qualities. But wait! There’s more! Harriet also identifies as queer—or a “sexual invert,” to use the clunky term of the time. As a gay man, I was intrigued to explore Harriet’s double struggle as an outsider. First, as a woman doing a job considered suitable only for a man and second, as a lesbian whose sexual identity was so foreign at the turn of the century that much of society didn’t consider the existence of such a person—talk about an outsider!

Let’s talk about the book’s setting. Chicago gave me a large, vibrant city for Harriet to explore. She conducts most of her investigation by trusty Victoria Overman bicycle, so it was important to have a variety of distinctive neighborhoods and landmarks for her to visit. In the 1890s, Chicago was America’s second-largest and the world’s fastest-growing city. But wait! There’s more! This is a crime series. Chicago, like other cities at the time, struggled with political corruption, deplorable housing, poor working conditions, wage disparity, immigrant vilification, suppression of voting rights, the list goes on. The place and time give a young, intrepid sleuth a lot to work with.

A few words on other series characters. I wanted each of the recurring series characters, Harriet’s sixteen-year-old brother, for whom she’s guardian; Matthew McCabe, her fellow Prescott Agency operative and friend; Pearl, her surrogate mother; and Barbara, her love interest, to round out Harriet’s world and serve the story by intermittently pushing, supporting, and frustrating the bejesus out of her. But wait! There’s more! Harriet’s imperious boss, Theodore Prescott, is reliably in her corner (or his corner office), ready to bark advice. I tried to throttle the mood throughout the book between challenge, tension, and joyous adventure. It would be a bummer if it were Harriet against the world. Still, even those on her side never coddle. Instead, she gets tough love, served in different ways, which I hope rings true for readers.

Lastly, Bicycling! Bicycling was becoming wildly popular in the 1890s. However, while women riding bicycles was considered somewhat scandalous, many did. My agent and I occasionally exchange photos of women riding bicycles at the time—some wearing bloomers—doubly bold! Aside from the snowy, frigid winter months, Harriet riding a bicycle would have been efficient given the choked roads, jerky streetcars, and newfangled motorized contraptions. Mostly, I love imagining Harriet, dressed as a man, with her bowler hat firmly in place, whizzing around Chicago.

Readers, describe your first bicycle and a fun memory of an early ride!

BIO: Rob Osler writes traditional mystery novels and short stories. His work has been a finalist for a 2024 Edgar Award (MISS DIRECTION, EQMM), the 2023 Anthony, Agatha, Lefty, and Macavity Awards (DEVIL’S CHEW TOY), and the winner of the 2022 Mystery Writers of America Robert L Fish Award (ANALOGUE, EQMM).His new historical series Harriet Morrow Investigates just launched with THE CASE OF THE MISSING MAID, which earned a Publishers Weekly Starred Review and is an Amazon Editors Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. After living in Boise, Chicago, and Seattle, Rob resides in California with his husband and a tall gray cat. Visit Rob at https://robosler.com/

ABOUT THE BOOK: “The first woman hired by a Chicago detective agency faces one daunting challenge after another in this excellent historical series launch from Osler. When Harriet Morrow reports for her first day at the Prescott Detective Agency in 1898, she’s determined to make a success of it and leave her dull bookkeeping career behind. Yet from the minute Harriet walks through the door, she’s met with skepticism from her male colleagues. Only the boss, Theodore Prescott, believes in her, but even he gives her an apparently toothless assignment: report to the home of Pearl Bartlett, an elderly and often confused widow, to follow up on her complaint that her maid, Agnes Wozniak, has disappeared. While Pearl has a reputation for crying wolf, Harriet believes her this time and suspects that Agnes has been abducted. As Harriet digs deeper into the case, she also grapples with escalating hostility at the detective agency, wariness among Agnes’s peers in Chicago’s Polish community, and fears that her secret life as a lesbian might be exposed and used against her. As the intrepid, bike-riding lady detective plunges into Chicago’s seedy gay clubs and criminal hangouts, Osler doles out well-placed clues that set the table for a knockout conclusion. With lush historical detail, optimistic but plausible gender politics, and an unforgettable heroine, this series is primed for success.” —  Publishers Weekly Starred Review

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