The War Against Miss Winter (Rosie Winter Mysteries) [Paperback]

It is incredibly satisfying to discover new authors with a flair for fiction that typically denotes decades of publishing under the belt. In one such exceptional debut novel, The War Against Miss Winter, actor and playwright Kathryn Miller Haines introduces readers to Rosie Winter, aspiring actress, part-time file clerk, and amateur sleuth. Rosie takes on a job keeping books for a private detective to make ends meet in between acting jobs. When she has the unpleasant experience of finding her boss Jim's dead body in the office after a holiday break, she finds herself being forced from all directions into resuming Jim's work and recovering a missing play manuscript that may very well be the cause of his death. Rosie is not alone in her quest and the person who shares a common goal is willing to commit murder under the watch of a corrupt legal system to achieve it.

Readers will immediately find Rosie endearing. She is funny, smart, sarcastic and sassy: a feminist before her time. She stands tough against the many shady characters she encounters, ignoring obvious threats to her survival. Who can't respect a woman who can sit down and offer a doughnut to a mob henchman who's been tailing her? She makes it difficult to say goodbye to The War Against Miss Winter when the adventure is over. We can rest assured, she'll be back with another mystery in 2008, The Winter of Her Discontent. Hopefully there are many more adventures in store.

On a more somber note, with The War Against Miss Winter being set in 1943 in the midst of World War II, Haines captures the turmoil brewing in a society paranoid that the enemy lurks around every corner. Citizens struggle with rationing, moral dilemmas in what would otherwise be mundane daily activities, the emotion of sending loved ones off to war, and the devastation of loss as soldiers inevitably succumb to the perils of battle. Rosie can't walk a block without seeing a war poster or some reminder of the conflict overseas. Finding the manuscript almost becomes a way of distracting her attention from the fact that her own boyfriend has shipped out without a letter or a goodbye.

Haines has created a novel that not only provides a perplexing journey, but actively engages the reader in solving the mystery. This is the type of story that causes the mind to wander with possibilities as it progresses, eager to solve the crime. The characters could have stepped right out of the screen of a classic black and white detective flick, complete with drama and slang. This reviewer will be eagerly awaiting the next installment of Rosie's adventures.

An undeniable triumph for both author and lead character on debut, "The War Against Miss Winter" is a witty, period-perfect portrayal of the exploits of an endearing young woman who has one eye set on stardom, and the other on the look-out for anything of a suspicious nature. Set in New York in the 1940s, our heroine, Rosie Winter, is a talented, yet unemployed aspiring actress, who has a fall-back day job at a small detective agency. Her boss, Jim McCain does the normal "cheating spouses" cases through the front door, but has another type of clientele that make use of the fire escape and the back window to his office.

Just after the Christmas holidays, Rosie visits the office and finds her boss swinging, and not in a good way. Although ruled a suicide by a cynical police investigator, Rosie isn't convinced, and soon finds herself swept up in her most dangerous role ever, involving mobsters, murderers, hired muscle, a missing play and a lot of people desperately seeking salvation.

Strong female characters dominate every chapter, and this novel is so rich in description that you'll turn the last page with the feeling that you were actually there. A very promising debut by Kathryn Miller Haines, and hopefully just book one in the Rosie Winter detective series.

Rated: 4.5 stars

Amanda Richards, October 5, 2007

I am 60 pages into this book and I'm not even sure I will finish it. The author has Rosie Winter speak and think in a slang so thick you almost can't see the plot behind it. Get Real, Kathryn Miller Haines (or stick to theater scripts)