The Missing Maid by Holly Hepburn is a fantastic cozy mystery that follows the Dynamic Harriet White as she defies social convention and strides into her own path. The Grandddaughter of a Baonness, she yearns for her independance and so goes to work in a bank with an utterly vile boss, the bank manager.

The slimy bank manager makes untoward advances and Harriet gives it beans in rejecting him (oh how I cheered!) This in turn, causes Harriet to be booted from her cushy position at the bank and demoted to the post room, sorting out all the letters that arrive in error for the famous Sherlock Holmes.

Harriet puts her all into this tedious job and she will not be deterred from following her path. A particular letter however, leads her into the dark underbelly of London, to help a family in finding their missing maid but she soon realises that this sleuthing malarkey is not as easy as it seems

Harriet is a firebrand, brave, dynamic, intelligent and yet still a gem. Hepburn has created a wonderful character that you find yourself cheering on as she navigates the darker side of London whilst trying to avoid the suitors her mother puts before her, with very, very, strong encouragement.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery because it is at the intersection between cozy mystery and historical fiction and it is simply brilliant. Hepburn weaves a strong plotline and Harry shines throughout. A real pleasure to read

Thank you to Netgalley, Boldwood Books and the author Holly Hepburn for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

If you like The Sherlock stories or Agatha Christie, then you will enjoy this, what starts off as a demotion for Harry leads her into an adventure that might lead to a career change for her so hopefully we’ll meet her again soon.

Harriet ‘Harry’ White works in a bank, in a dull but steady secretarial role. Until she rebuffs the advances of her boss, as punishment she is sent to work in another area of the bank. Here she is given sacks of letters, sent to the celebrated fictional detective Sherlock Holmes whose address is within the banks. Her job is to respond to all letters, politely saying that the great detective cannot help. Until one catches her eye, being sent from the village close to her family home. Against her better judgement she becomes a not-quite-great detective, aiming to solve her first, and Holmes’ latest, case.

This is the first book by the author I’ve read, I do enjoy a cosy mystery and a period story so this seemed a good fit. I’m glad to say I wasn’t disappointed. I was hooked from the first chapter, I was incensed and rooting for the main character. The mystery was interesting and the story had some lovely lighthearted moments, the interplay with her family and potential suitors. I’m rooting for a romance for Harry and Oliver, and believe this is the first in a series - a series that I would continue reading.

A very enjoyable and fast paced cosy crime mystery from Holly Hepburn. Easy to read, and a great heroine in Harry. I liked this departure from the author’s usual genre of books and look forward to reading the next book in the series. Harry comes from a wealthy, well connected family. She has a good job in a building society, based in Baker Street, London, however, after an altercation with her boss, Harry finds herself demoted to the post room and tasked with replying to the hundreds of letters addressed to the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Most letters get a standard reply, until one peaks her interest and she decides to investigate the case of the missing maid…….. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another enjoyable read in the cozy mystery genre. I appreciate learning about other countries roles in WWII. I thought the plot development was fine, characters interesting. There were a few incidents that fell into the unbelievable category. I look forward to the next title in the series.

The Missing Maid by Holly Hepburn is a cosy crime with a rather delightful premise involving 221B Baker Street and Sherlock Holmes.

When our heroine finds herself somewhat unceremoniously ejected from her plush office in the bank, she's somewhat wary of being redirected to the post room, but once there, she discovers her job is, if anything, somewhat tedious. However, as she types standard replies to the requests asking Sherlock Holmes to resolve problems for those writing to him, she finds herself struck by one of the requests. She is determined to do all she can to help the family while pretending to be Mr Holmes' secretary.

The mystery leads her to some rather dodgy places in 1930s London, and she gets involved with some rather shady characters as well. She also discovers that the talent for solving crimes is not as easy as she might have hoped.

Harriet, or Harry as she's called throughout the book, is a fun character with the fiery determination to be expected from a well-to-do young lady trying to make her way in the world in the 1930s when most seem to think all she should do is settle down and marry someone who can keep her in the way she's accustomed. And that includes her mother.

Her wealthy background both opens doors and precludes her from gaining entry to everywhere she might wish to go. She also has to rely on a family friend for legal advice. This feels quite true to the period.

The mystery's resolution is well constructed, and I particularly liked that it's not 'easy' for Harry to solve the crime. It takes determination and acknowledging that she can't do everything herself.

A delightful, cosy crime sure to appeal to fans of Sherlock Holmes and Golden-era crime novels.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

An easy to read cosy mystery. If you are looking for a whodunnit without gore and violence then this book would be for you. I found it enjoyable even though it’s not my usual type of book. A neat little mystery that all gets wrapped nicely at the end.

This book was a hit for me on several levels!

Judging from the few cozy mysteries I’ve encountered, The Missing Maid had a little more heft and was devoid of cutesy. While flowery book covers have their place, this was a little darker in tone than the previous cozy stories I’ve read. (Although, I’m no means an expert as it’s just been a few).

I loved the main character Harry who was a force responding to her vile bank manager’s advances by creating lemonade from lemons. She was determined and kick-ass while attempting to solve a mystery and also avoid her mother’s matchmaking efforts - which had me smiling.

I also like the 1932 time frame since I enjoy historical fiction. The challenges women faced and how they overcame them is of interest to me.

I’ve been gravitating lately to women’s stories focusing on strong resourceful female characters. Whether it’s crossing over between genres, I’m shying away from the damsel in distress and toward a take charge attitude by protagonists. That reason alone was enough for me to enjoy the book as Harry was someone to root for.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for my advance review copy due to publish on March 27, 2024

Harriet (Harry) White works at 221 Baker Street where she answers letter addressed to Sherlock Holmes. One day, she decides to step into the famous detective's shoes, helping a local girl search for her missing sister.. This novel is a near paradigmatic cozy mystery with that genre's trademark characteristics: gentleness, amateur sleuth, undeserving victim, quirky friends, red herrings, etc. Beyond the stock elements, I've come to think that the key appeal of the genre is a care for the characters. While there are aspects of the mystery and general plotting that were very much by-the-numbers, The Missing Maid delivered on that care for its protagonist with easy grace. While it won't be for everybody, if you want a gentle mystery with heart, it'd be hard to go wrong with The Missing Maid.

What initially seems like revenge for blocking her boss’s advances, Harriet White’s new position (demotion) in the postal department in the basement of the Baker Street building soon becomes a blessing in disguise. Cloistered away in a new office (broom closet), Molly begins sorting through correspondence intended for Baker Street’s famous resident, Mr. Sherlock Homes. She offhandedly sends off a simple, evasive answer (the same one to all requests for his sleuthing skills) until she comes across one she can’t forget….and she takes matters into her own hands, opening her first case as Sherlock’s assistant!

This first book in the new cozy crime series, The Baker Street Mysteries, has an intriguing premise. For those who enjoy a cozy mystery, this Sherlock Holmes-inspired historical cozy mystery will be enticing. Allow Hepburn to show you her skills in this new genre and sweep you away to 1932 London.

I was gifted this copy by Boldwood Books and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Rating: 1.4/5

Whilst Holly Hepburn is not new to the world of fictional writing, this is her first venture into the cosy crime arena. All of her work prior to this change of direction was very much of the romance / feelgood / chick-lit ilk. I was attracted to "The Missing Maid" by the premise, which is based on a factual occurrence. In 1932 a building society moved into its new head office premises in London's Baker Street. The company's address spanned the fictional location of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective, Sherlock Holmes. In spite of Holmes being merely a creation of the author's mind, there were many people who would write to him at his Baker Street address, seeking his assistance. The amount of such correspondence received by the building society became so substantial that they actually employed somebody to process the letters and reply to them - essentially, a secretary to Sherlock Holmes. In "The Missing Maid", Holly Hepburn has embellished this factual element by imagining what could have happened if the person employed in this role actually took things a step further and investigated some of the matters referred to in the letters. Enter Harriet (Harry) White, the well-to-do granddaughter of Baron Abinger, and the game is afoot.

Sadly, in spite of the attempt to add an element of uniqueness to this story through the link to Sherlock Holmes, this book is, at best, a very ordinary period crime story. Still more disappointing is that the mystery at the heart of it isn't even particularly compelling. The author's previous experience as a writer of feelgood, romantic chick-lit is clearly evident and it leads to extended periods of very little happening other than playing up to hackneyed stereotypes. The mystery itself is unlikely to impress any regular readers of the crime genre. The developments that lead to the solving of the case are childishly simplistic and fortuitous. Enid Blyton may well have got away with that approach, but then she was writing for a much younger audience and it was the best part of a century ago. This doesn't really pass muster in crime fiction aimed at an adult audience in the 21st century, whether of the cosy variety or otherwise.

I believe that "The Missing Maid" is intended to be the first book in a series, but there is nothing here that is likely to tempt me back for any more.

As ever, I would still like to convey my thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review. It is a pity I was not in a position to pass more favourable comment on this occasion.

This was a very engaging cosy crime read with a fantastic heroine in Harry, the granddaughter of a baroness who prefers to forge her own path in life hence working at a bank. When she is effectively demoted for resisting the advances of her manager she is given a unique role replying to letters sent to Sherlock Holmes requesting assistance which the bank has an accumulation of due to their address. When one letter catches her attention she embarks on a fabulous mission to try to solve a mystery. The best element of this is Harry herself - she’s a fabulous character and has a great voice, the mystery is simple enough but with enough unexpected elements to add a lot to the whole crime. There’s some brilliant characters and mix of locations and I sped read through this, it was such good fun. 9/10