An entire hour has vanished. The clocks insist it happened. The people who lived through it can't remember a thing.

For private investigator Hester Calder, running an office for odd enquiries means accepting that magical problems rarely come with straightforward explanations. But when a distressed clockmaker arrives with a most peculiar complaint, even Hester has to admit that this case is going to test her patience.

Elspeth Wren has lost an hour of her morning. Her clocks continued ticking, her repairs were completed, and someone even recorded the day's work. Unfortunately, she remembers absolutely none of it.

And she's not the only one.

Across the bustling district of New Milton, mysterious gaps in people's memories are causing confusion, missed appointments, and increasingly frantic preparations for the upcoming Clockmakers' Fair. With reputations and livelihoods at stake, Hester must uncover what's happening before the district's most anticipated celebration falls apart.

Her investigation introduces her to an argumentative enchanted brass assistant, a rather opinionated ghost who objects to being called one, and an assortment of townsfolk whose recollections contradict one another in the most inconvenient ways.

As Hester follows the evidence through clockmakers' workshops, forgotten records, and peculiar magical instruments, she discovers that the mystery may be connected to an old promise that has outlived the people who made it.

Fortunately, she has the support of Ivo Mercer, whose quiet affection and practical expertise are becoming an increasingly welcome part of her life. Unfortunately, even he can't persuade a stubborn ghost to cooperate with an investigation.

With a little ingenuity, a great deal of tea and her customary refusal to accept nonsense as evidence, Hester might just put things right.

But when magic refuses to let go of the past, can an entire community agree on how to move forward?

The Curious Case of the Vanishing Hours is a heartwarming cozy fantasy filled with enchanting mysteries, witty characters, quirky magical companions, found family, gentle romance, and the wonderful complications of everyday life in a magical city.

Perfect for readers who love the comforting magic of Legends & Lattes, the whimsical mysteries of Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries, and fantasy adventures where friendship, kindness and a good cup of tea can work wonders.

Return to the world of An Office for Odd Enquiries, where every mystery has its own peculiar explanation and even time itself can be terribly uncooperative.