Piper Sail is due to graduate soon but has no real idea what she wants to do next. She shares everything with Lydia, who lives three houses down on the affluent Astor Street, but then discovers her best friend has a big secret of her own! When Lydia vanishes after leaving Piper’s home everyone is worried but she has never been able to sit and do nothing and almost before she realises it Piper is investigating and getting to know one of the detectives assigned to Lydia’s case. With everyone keeping secrets and the name of a notorious Chicago gangster keep appearing Piper is determined to find Lydia and make everything return to normal.  This is Chicago in the 1920's however, and nothing is going to be normal ever again.

Originally published in 2017 this is re-released to coincide with the second in what could easily become a must read young adult mystery series with a great main protagonist in Piper Sail. Red herrings abound with numerous possible reasons for Lydia’s disappearance alongside family secrets, romance, gangland rivalry, and even a shaggy dog story to keep the reader entertained in a most satisfactory manner.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Blink, but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this and look forward to reading book two very soon.

I absolutely loved this cozy little mystery novel. I really loved that it was set in Chicago during Prohibition and that we got to see what life was like during the 1920s. I really enjoyed Piper's character and I really felt for her when she learned that her father was getting remarried and then her best friend went missing. I enjoyed watching her overcome her fear of dogs and learning to live her life without her mom.

I enjoyed this mystery and the journey back in time! I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

1920s mystery featuring 18 year old Piper Sail, whose best friend Lydia DeVine goes missing in Chicago. In the course of investigating, Piper meets and starts dating young detective Mariano Cassino, makes new friends, and gains an unwelcome step mother. And she also learns that maybe not all kids and dogs are to be avoided…

A decent mystery and characters, this is a good introduction to a new series. Piper starts off a little prickly but thankfully warms up a bit and isn’t too afraid to grow as a person (see above with gaining a new dog called Sidekick and spending time with a young neighbour kid). I’ve got the second book in the series so I look forward to more of her adventures with Mariano!

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

Coming of age mystery novel. Set in 1924 Chicago, Piper an inquisitive and energetic eighteen year old daughter of an attorney who defends criminal types, finds herself in a death and life situation. Her BFF, Lydia, a naive but sweet young woman has an epileptic fit right in front of Piper. Soon after, Lydia is hijacked off the street. Piper is determined to find out what happened over the objections of her father. Before she can find anything out Lydia's body is pulled out of a river. Though crushed, Piper is more determined than ever to find the killer. Heedless of the possible consequences she is determined.

As she does her best to investigate she catches the eye of a young Chicago detective who becomes very protective of this young headstrong woman who appears deaf to his appeals to let the police do their job.

The story is compelling and the pacing keeps the reader interested and curious about what twist or turn will occur next. The nascent romantic connection also keeps the reader guessing.

The tension and action rises to a peak as the story races to a conclusion. All in all, a book that any mystery enthusiast will enjoy.

Really enjoyed the 1920s setting, which was really well fleshed out with the tiny details, from the cars to the outfits to the language used by the characters. The romance was really cute, and the mystery actually had me guessing through most of the book!