Dorothy “Dot” Wortham, a life-long friend of Louisa’s, has just returned from a yearlong honeymoon in Europe with her new husband, Preston. However, it quickly becomes apparent to Louisa that Dot is not the same woman she was when she left. When Louisa arrives at the Worthams’ for a welcome-home tea, Dot appears almost two hours late and seems distracted and upset. Eager for an explanation, Louisa makes plans with Dot to talk the next day. Unfortunately, Dot never gets the chance to share what’s been troubling her – her body is discovered floating in Boston Harbor the following morning.

The going theory is that Dot drowned herself, committing suicide for reasons unknown. However, Louisa isn’t convinced and launches her own investigation into her friend’s mysterious death. She swiftly learns that her suspicions were spot-on as the coroner discovers evidence of murder. Now unable to leave the case alone, Louisa quickly compiles a list of suspects as long as her arm, including disgruntled siblings, an unknown gentleman from Dot’s past, and a husband with a dubious background, all with a motive to want her dear friend dead.

With the help of her family, friends, and the newly-formed Boston Police, Louisa uses her keen and creative mind to track down a killer before anyone else meets the same fate as Dot.

Anna MacLean begins a new historical mystery series featuring Louisa May Alcott as her sleuth with Louisa and the Missing Heiress. Like other series with a similar premise, using an historical author as a primary character provides many interesting dramatic opportunities. As MacLean aptly demonstrates, such a premise allows for interesting side elements to entertain the reader which do not bear directly on the mystery at hand. Over the course of the novel, readers have the opportunity to peer into Alcott’s life and learn about her work with unwed mothers and the abolitionist movement.

Fortunately, MacLean retains a strong ability to draw enjoyable characters while still remaining true to the historical basis of her tale. The secondary players are particularly well-done, especially Louisa’s mother and father, Abigail (Abba) and Bronson Alcott. The relationship between the two is genuine and heart-warming, creating a close-knit core cast that should do well in future outings.

However, the mystery aspect of the story does not fare as well as the characterization. While the identity of the villain is well-concealed, the ultimate motive for murder seems shaky and suspect, particularly when MacLean plants several more plausible motives as red herrings. MacLean also attributes a fairly advanced knowledge of forensic science to some characters, which sticks out as a bit anachronistic given that the field was in its infancy at the time.

Though the mystery is not as strong as it could be, Louisa and the Missing Heiress should prove enjoyable to fans of Louisa May Alcott’s work who would like to learn more about the authoress and her life.

--Jessica Plonka