Louise Pearlie is the creation of Sarah R. Shaber. Tough-minded, warm-hearted, and likable, Louise is a young widow in her late twenties who left rural North Carolina and came to Washington D.C. to work as a file clerk for the OSS (the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor to the CIA).
In Louise’s War, the first book in the series, Louise is trying to help an old friend—a French Jewish citizen who is trapped in Vichy France along with her two children—before all three of them wind up in a concentration camp. But when a file containing a document concerning her friend’s husband disappears following the sudden death of Louise’s boss, Louise attempts to re-create the file, discover why it disappeared, and find out what really happened to her boss.
A traditional mystery, Louise’s War is set in the sweltering summer heat and humidity of 1940s D.C., and it definitely captures the flavor of the time. Filled with plenty of intrigue, a great many engaging characters, and touches of humor, it is a great read.
Note: While each book in the series can be read as a standalone, there are continually developing storylines involving Louise, her co-workers at OSS, and the people at the boarding house where she lives, so it’s best to read them in order. Sarah R. Shaber also writes the popular Professor Simon Shaw mysteries.
I Love A Mystery 