Stephanie Morrill – författare

To most people, Piper Sail looks like a rich girl with little potential, but she surprises everyone, including herself, when she starts investigating her best friend’s disappearance. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Maureen Johnson, The Lost Girl of Astor Street combines the allure of Jazz Age Chicago with a twisting mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.Lydia has vanished. Lydia, who’s never broken any rules, except falling in love with the wrong boy. Lydia, who’s been Piper’s best friend since they were children. Lydia, who never even said goodbye.Convinced the police are looking in all the wrong places, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail begins her own investigation into Lydia’s disappearance. With the reluctant help of a handsome young detective, Piper searches for answers in the dark underbelly of 1924 Chicago. Did Lydia get abducted by one of the city’s most notorious gangsters? Or does the trail lead back to their own affluent neighborhood?“Morrill has a keen eye for historical details and setting, making Jazz Age Chicago Piper’s invisible yet omnipresent sidekick. A…well-crafted historical whodunit.” -Kirkus ReviewsPiper must decide if she’s willing to risk her life to find out the truth.

A 2026 LIBRARIAN FAVORITE, Children’s Book CouncilAfter high school graduation, Piper Sail isn’t quite sure what her future holds—until a possible murder case lands in her lap. Filled with both the glitz and glamor of high society and the dark mafia underbelly of 1920s Chicago, The Secret Investigator of Astor Street is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Maureen Johnson.Piper Sail knows what she wants: to become a detective. After all, she already solved the case of her missing best friend, and there’s no shortage of crime in 1920s Chicago. But for an eighteen-year-old society girl—even one who’s currently dating a police investigator—it simply isn’t done.That is, until a girl asks her to dig into her brother’s recent death. The police ruled it a suicide, but she's convinced it was murder. And she wants Piper to help her prove it.In this companion to The Lost Girl of Astor Street, Piper once again grabs her notebook and plunges into the underworld of mafia-controlled Chicago. But she’ll need all her wits and courage if she wants to become The Secret Investigator of Astor Street.

Perfect for fans of Veronica Mars and Downton Abbey, Stephanie Morrill’s atmospheric mystery, The Lost Girl of Astor Street, will take readers from the glitzy homes of the elite to the mob-run streets of 1920s Chicago.Endorsements for the book:“The Lost Girl of Astor Street boasts a strong, smart, and courageous heroine, a note-perfect Jazz-Age Chicago setting, and a terrifically engaging plot that kept me reading into the middle of the night.”Jennifer Robson, international bestselling author of Moonlight Over Paris “Here’s hoping this won’t be the last case for this strong and admirable female sleuth to solve. A…well-crafted historical whodunit.”Kirkus ReviewsLydia has vanished. Lydia, who’s never broken any rules, except falling in love with the wrong boy. Lydia, who’s been Piper’s best friend since they were children. Lydia, who never even said good-bye. Convinced the police are looking in all the wrong places, eighteen-year-old Piper Sail begins her own investigation to solve the mystery of Lydia’s disappearance. With the reluctant help of a handsome young detective, Piper goes searching for answers in the dark underbelly of 1924 Chicago, determined to find Lydia at any cost. When Piper discovers those answers might stem from the corruption strangling the city—and quite possibly lead back to the doors of her affluent neighborhood—she must decide how deep she’s willing to dig, how much she should reveal, and if she’s willing to risk her life for the truth.

“Within These Lines is a moving story of love, hope, and family set against the dark history of Japanese internment in America. This book had me captivated!” —Maureen McQuerry, YALSA award-winning author of The PeculiarsEvalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family in 1941 is quiet and ordinary … until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and the fact that interracial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and are incarcerated in a Japanese internment camp.Degrading treatment at Manzanar Relocation Center is so difficult, Taichi doubts he will ever leave the camp alive. Treasured letters from Evalina are his sole connection to the outside world. Embracing the boldest action she can to help Taichi, Evalina begins to radically speak out at school and at home, shining a light on this dark and shameful racial injustice. With their future together on the line, Evalina and Taichi can only hold true to their values and believe in their love against all odds to have any hope of making it back to one another.Within These Lines is:A historical YA novel set against the backdrop of WWII and the shameful era of American injustice surrounding Japanese internment campsTold from the dual points of view of an Italian-American woman and Japanese-American man brought together by love then separated by war, injustice, and hatredAs haunting and unflinching as it is hope-filled and love-drivenPerfect for fans of Monica Hesse, Ruta Sepetys, and Elizabeth Wein

“Within These Lines is a moving story of love, hope, and family set against the dark history of Japanese internment in America. This book had me captivated!” —Maureen McQuerry, YALSA award-winning author of The PeculiarsEvalina Cassano’s life in an Italian-American family in 1941 is quiet and ordinary … until she falls in love with Taichi Hamasaki, the son of Japanese immigrants. Despite the scandal it would cause and the fact that interracial marriage is illegal in California, Evalina and Taichi vow they will find a way to be together. But anti-Japanese feelings erupt across the country after the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Taichi and his family are forced to give up their farm and are incarcerated in a Japanese internment camp.Degrading treatment at Manzanar Relocation Center is so difficult, Taichi doubts he will ever leave the camp alive. Treasured letters from Evalina are his sole connection to the outside world. Embracing the boldest action she can to help Taichi, Evalina begins to radically speak out at school and at home, shining a light on this dark and shameful racial injustice. With their future together on the line, Evalina and Taichi can only hold true to their values and believe in their love against all odds to have any hope of making it back to one another.Within These Lines is:A historical YA novel set against the backdrop of WWII and the shameful era of American injustice surrounding Japanese internment campsTold from the dual points of view of an Italian-American woman and Japanese-American man brought together by love then separated by war, injustice, and hatredAs haunting and unflinching as it is hope-filled and love-drivenPerfect for fans of Monica Hesse, Ruta Sepetys, and Elizabeth Wein