Augusta Hawke

The protagonist of Malliet’s series launch, mystery writer Augusta Hawke, narrates this account of her involvement in the case of her missing neighbors, and her narration begins the same way it will proceed—easily sidetracked. Augusta tends to stare out the window while plotting out her successful mystery series (starring French detectives Claude and Caroline), but it isn’t until the police show up outside her home one day that she realizes she hasn’t seen her next-door neighbors for a week, though she heard the married couple arguing occasionally. Seeking to learn why the neighbors disappeared without their baby, Augusta puts together a small investigative team—herself, a neighbor, and a PI who’s also a true-crime writer—despite the best efforts of the police to keep Augusta out of the case. She’ll need all the skills of her novels’ protagonists to solve the real-life mystery.