Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Zofia Turbitynska has helped her husband to achieve a university professorship and assure their place in comfort and respectability. As part of her role as dutiful wife, and to cement their position, she holds a charity raffle, visiting across town to secure the patronage of suitable aristocratic ladies. She visits Helcel House where two of the residents are found dead and begins to investigate when no-one seems to believe that the deaths are suspicious.

Szymiczkowa creates characters and settings reminiscent of the Golden Age crime novels in the the English-speaking world but her descriptions of Poland at the end of the nineteenth century are fresh and vivid and amusing. There is plenty of humour and the author cleverly invokes plenty of period crime tropes. The characters are both recognisable and entertaining. Zophia is an incorrigible snob, a rabid social climber and a general busy-body and it takes a while to warm to her but after a while her sharpness and tenacity won me over.

Zofia Turbotyńska’s favourite pastimes are organising her university professor husband’s career, hiring and firing housemaids and taking a keen interest in Cracow society. Though once engaging, these trifles now leave her wanting so she decides to plan a charity raffle and takes herself off to Helcel House. Helcel House is a retirement home run by nuns and houses people from all classes including a countess and a baroness. As she starts planning her raffle, Mrs Mohr, one of the residents goes missing. Zofia asked herself, ‘How can a frail old lady simply vanish without any trace?’ and takes it upon herself to find the disappearing old woman. Her investigation leads her into a dark world of revenge, hatred and murder.....so much more thrilling than firing housemaids.

Mrs Mohr Goes Missing is an entertaining and enjoyable book though in parts it felt as if the story was swallowed up by the descriptive historical backdrop. However I did learn a little about Cracow in the late 1800’s so it wasn’t completely unwelcome. I did like the main characters very much, Zofia is a snob but her dogged determination and sense of right throughout the story endeared her to me. Her husband Ignacy is a man of habit, he reads the same newspaper, in the same chair, at the same time every day whilst telling Zofia about his day at work over supper - I found him delightful.

I think that the translation could have been better but I’m not sure if that would have made the novel any more interesting.

Thank you to Oneworld Publications and NetGalley who provided this book to me in exchange for my unbiased review.

A quirky historical mystery with the unusual setting of turn of the century Poland, I was both amused and educated by this book.
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I had the chance to read a preview copy of the book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers.

A very charming novel set in Poland in the late 19th century. Zofia is a bit of a social climber and fancies herself a detective so, when an elderly lady goes missing from the local convent, she charges herself with the task of getting to the bottom of the mystery. She encounters more than she bargains for. This is a funny, spirited book as well as being poignant at times. A very good mystery read.

The thing with humour is that you either share the humour and find the amusing tidbits funny or you don't and then the whole book becomes annoying. Sadly, I just did not find it amusing at all, but that's not really anyone's fault and does not make this a bad book. It just was not right for me.

I picked this book up mainly for the reason that it's written by a Polish author and playing in 19th century Poland.
I liked the rough around the edges main character Zofia and enjoyed her investigation into the murders, but it was noticable that the translation felt a bit off sometimes. I'm not usually one to read much of the mystery genre, but wanted to give this a shot.

I can definitely recommend this to anybody interested in historical murder mysteries with an interesting female nain character.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an eARC.

This is a translated historical mystery from Maryla Szymiczkowa, a refreshing take in its historical European setting on the classic age of golden crime with a structure that echoes the likes of Christie, including the finale with its assembled cast of interested parties and suspects where the truth and a killer is revealed by the protagonist, 38 year old Zofia Turbotynskya. She is married to Ignacy, a university medical professor, whose career promotions have been engineered by the wily Zofia. Set in 1893 in the Poland and the city of Crakow of the time, a melting pot of diverse ethnicities, languages and religion that reflects the regional history and culture. It took me a little time to warm to the flawed Zofia, she engages in familial rivalries, determined to improve her position, a name dropper, with every intention of climbing the social ladder, in many ways this novel is a study in the social manners and class divisions of the time in this part of Europe.

Zofia writes poetry, which has yet to receive the public acclaim that she feels it deserves and is engaging in organising a charity raffle, seeking the patronage of elderly aristocratic women to raise her social and public profile in society. To this end she visits Helcel House, a retirement home run by Mother Zaleska. Zofia finds herself distracted by the disappearance of a judge's widow, Mrs Mohr, and is instrumental in the discovery of her body. This is just the beginning of the murders and disappearances at Helcel House, where investigating magistrate Klossowitz is dismissive of Zofia and her input. Aided by her cook, Franciszka, Zofia develops a taste for poking about in other peoples' business, whilst keeping her husband in the dark about what she is doing. She is a force of nature, with a talent for cajoling the truth from witnesses and suspects alike, not above engaging in underhand machinations, and making extensive use of her wide ranging social contacts to get to the complicated truth of the case.

The author includes some real life figures from this historical era, and does a stellar job of evoking the atmosphere of the period and the location with her rich descriptions of Crakow, its social and political class divisions, culture, religion and attitudes of women. The more I read of Zofia, the more I began to like her, sure there are times when she is distinctly unlikeable, but as a woman of the times, there were not many opportunities for women to make their mark or to develop their skills outside of the home. She begans to feel increasingly confident in what is a man's world as she begins to get results from all the efforts she expends on the case, although none of it is publicly acknowledged, and she is hiding her successes from Ignacy. This is a wonderfully quirky and entertaining read from Maryla Szymiczkowa, which I recommend highly to those looking for a slightly different take on the classic crime tradition with its unusual location of Crakow in the tail end of the 19th century. Many thanks to Oneworld Publications for an ARC.

This is an interesting book. I think it suffers a little in the translation, because so much of the story and its events are rooted in Poland and polish ideas, culture and lore. It's fun and amusing but I found myself struggling to follow and keep attention as I was reading. Definitely for readers who like stories with a bit of a gothic touch but enjoy the Agatha Christie style mystery sleuthing.

A really deliciously smart and amusing novel. Zofia Turbotyńska is a wonderful firecracker of a snobby protagonist whose shameless social climbing and desperate craving for something more satisfying in life were both utterly endearing. While a lot of modern novels which try to walk the line between comedy and mystery often fall into farce, Zofia's adventures were as cleverly amusing as a Jane Austen and as intriguingly mysterious as an Agatha Christie. The 19th century Polish setting was constructed with a light and elegant touch that was as entertaining as it was believable, and the translation was light and really quite delightful. I really look forward to seeing what Zofia and Maryla Szmyczkowa do next.