Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing

Mrs. Mohr Goes Missing by Maryla Mzymiczkowa, 349 pages

It's 1893 in Cracow, and Zofia Turbotynska is BORED. She's the wife of a university professor and the only thing to keep her occupied is a charity auction she's spearheading with the sole purpose of climbing the social ladder. It's in pursuit of prizes for this auction (and a countess to help sponsor the endeavor) that she ends up at Helcel House, a retirement home for both the very well-off and the destitute, where she learns that the titular Mrs. Mohr has gone missing. Zofia fancies herself a bit of a detective, and working on the correct assumption that Mrs. Mohr is dead, Zofia starts investigating...and filling her time.

This is a fun historical murder mystery, filled with observations about the social world of Poland in the 1890s, vibrant characters, and a heroine reminiscent of Miss Marple. I enjoyed the escape provided by this book.