The Lost Girl of Astor Street: A Novel

In The Lost Girl of Astor Street, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail’s best friend, Lydia, goes missing. Piper is determined to find out what happened to her friend. Piper has a number of suspects; was it the chauffeur on whom Lydia had a crush? Or how about the creepy father of the little boy she was the nanny for? Could it have been Lydia’s own father who didn’t want the secret of her epilepsy to get out and ruin his practice? And let’s not forget that 1924 Chicago is run by the opposing mafias, Irish and Italian, whom Piper’s father represents as a criminal defense attorney. Was Lydia even the original target? Piper is going to solve this case and bring justice for her friend, no matter what the cost.

On the back cover of this book, one author says, “If Veronica Mars met the Roaring Twenties, you’d end up with The Lost Girl of Astor Street.” I cannot think of a more accurate description. Piper is very similar to Veronica Mars, who happens to be one of my favorites, so I very much enjoyed this book. Piper is easy to connect with as a young woman who can’t just sit around and do nothing while her best friend is missing, and she struggles to conform to society’s ideals. Ms. Morrill did a wonderful job of making great characters, of thoroughly researching the setting, and of still writing a worthwhile mystery. I personally loved that there was nothing inappropriate, no foul language, and no sex scenes. Just a good old-fashioned mystery that is a fun read. If you like Veronica Mars, you will enjoy this book, just like I did.