- Title: The Case of the Missing Maid
- Author: Rob Osler
- Publisher: Kensington
- Genre: Historical mystery
- Formats: $27 hardcover | $22.95 ebook | $20 audiobook
- Released: Dec. 24, 2024
- Bookshop | Amazon
Rob Osler was a copywriter and senior brand strategist at leading global agencies and corporations before turning to fiction writing. Osler resides in California with his husband and a tall, gray cat. Prior to publishing The Case of the Missing Maid, Osler published two novels and three short stories. His work has earned many honors, including having been recognized as an Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist and a 2022 Robert L Fish Award winner by Mystery Writers of America.
The Case of the Missing Maid is set in Chicago, 1898. Rough-around-the-edges Harriet Morrow has long been drawn to the idea of whizzing around the city on her bicycle as a professional detective, solving crimes for a living without having to take a husband. She seizes the chance when the prestigious Prescott Agency offers her a job as its first woman operative. Only an hour into the job, Harriet has an assignment: Discover the whereabouts of a missing maid, Agnes, from one of the most extravagant mansions on Prairie Avenue. Harriet’s burgeoning career depends on working through a labyrinth of eccentric characters and murky motives in a race to discover who made Agnes disappear.
When asked what contributed to the book landing on the USA Today bestseller list, Osler said: “While many authors can rely—as they’ve earned—on their brand names to drive sales … The Case of the Missing Maid is the first in a new historical series featuring a queer woman detective in the Progressive Era by an author who is not a household name.” However, as noted above, Osler’s work has accumulated numerous awards. He maintains an active presence on social media, where he makes a point to be an active literary citizen. He posts about his colleague’s books and mentions authors he participates in events with.
Osler has promoted his latest novel through events, podcasts, and a BookBub promotion. The novel also hit several “best of” lists. He said, “All those third-party/trade endorsements give the book moments to cut through the mountain of choice readers face and provide some assurance that their money will be well spent.”
He credited a few standout placements for driving his success. “While I trust the book’s quality is there, its immediate sales success would seem to be driven to some unquantifiable degree by a feature in the Washington Post, a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and being selected as an Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense,” Osler said. “A good book and an outstanding publicist are essential. I hope I provided readers with the former, and fortunately, I have the latter in Larissa Ackerman at Kensington Books.”
E. J. Wenstrom believes in complicated heroes, horrifying monsters, purple hair dye and standing to the right on escalators so the left side can walk. She writes dark speculative fiction for adults and teens, including her new release, a young adult dystopian novel titled Departures (August 10, 2021). When she isn’t writing fiction, E. J. Wenstrom is a regular contributor to DIY MFA and BookRiot, and co-hosts the Fantasy+Girl Podcast. Learn more at her website.
