In Bowler Hat and By Bicycle, Harriet Morrow is On the Case!

Please welcome Rob Osler, here to tell us about designing the protagonist of his new historical series, and its first offering The Case of the Missing Maid:

In Bowler Hat and By Bicycle, Harriet Morrow is On The Case!

My new historical series, “Harriet Morrow Investigates,” stars a young woman detective solving crimes in the Progressive Era (1890-1920). The series’ first book is THE CASE OF THE MISSING MAID, set in Chicago in the late 1800s.

Choosing Chicago gave me a large, vibrant city for Harriet to navigate as she chases clues. Harriet conducts most of her investigation by trusty Victoria Overman bicycle, so it was important to have a variety of distinctive neighborhoods, such as Polish Downtown and the Levee District, and landmarks for her to visit. In the 1890s, Chicago was America’s second-largest and the world’s fastest-growing city. Also, like other cities at the time, Chicago struggled with political corruption, deplorable housing, poor working conditions, wage disparity, immigrant vilification, suppression of voting rights, the list goes on. The place and time of the Progressive Era give a young, intrepid private detective a lot to work with.

The name Harriet Morrow is taken from my grandmother, Harriet Pruatt, and my great-aunt, Vera Morrow. My mother inspired Harriet’s unfailing pluck. All three women were long divorced or widowed, so from an early age, I experienced them as single women. Each was independent, energetic, and big-hearted. I strove to imbue Harriet with those qualities.

Also, Harriet is a lesbian—or a “sexual invert,” to use the clunky term of the time. As a gay man, I was intrigued to explore Harriet’s triple struggle as an outsider. First, Harriet is a woman in a man’s world (women held few jobs of seniority or authority at the time). Second, she is determined to do a job considered suitable only for a man. Third, as mentioned, she is a lesbian, which was an identity so outside the public consciousness at the turn of the century that society didn’t much consider the existence of such a person—talk about an outsider!

I can’t talk about Harriet without highlighting her bicycle! Bicycling was wildly popular in the 1890s. Fun facts: Chicago was home to 88 bicycle makers at the time, producing two-thirds of the nation’s two-wheelers. While women riding bicycles was considered somewhat scandalous, many did. My agent and I occasionally exchange photos of women riding bicycles at the time—some wearing bloomers—doubly bold! Aside from the snowy, frigid winter months, Harriet riding a bicycle would have been efficient given the choked roads, jerky streetcars, and newfangled motorized contraptions.

Mostly, I love imagining Harriet, dressed as a man, with her bowler hat firmly in place, whizzing around Chicago. Harriet and her author invite you to ride along on her first case: a maid, the young and beautiful Agnes Wozniak, has gone missing from a grand Prairie Avenue mansion!

Rob Osler writes traditional mysteries featuring LGBTQ+ main characters. Believing that relatability is as important as representation, he strives to showcase our shared humanity across individual identities. Rob’s just-released historical novel THE CASE OF THE MISSING MAID is a USA Today Bestseller, earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, and is an Amazon Editors Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense. His other work has been a finalist for the Edgar, Anthony, Agatha, Lefty, and Macavity Awards, a CrimeReads Best of the Year, and a winner of the Mystery Writers of America Robert L. Fish Award. After living in Boise, Chicago, and Seattle, Rob resides in California with his husband and a tall gray cat.

Buy link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-case-of-the-missing-maid-rob-osler/1145170132

Thanks for visiting today, Rob! We’ll be reading~

MIss Demeanors

Author

Marni Graff is the award-winning author of The Nora Tierney English Mysteries and The Trudy Genova Manhattan Mysteries. Her story “Quiche Alain” appears in the Anthony-winning Malice Domestic Anthology, Murder Most Edible.  Managing Editor of Bridle Path Press, she’s a member of Sisters in Crime, Triangle SinC, Mavens of Mayhem SinC, the NC Writers Network, and the International Crime Writers Association.