The War Against Miss Winter (Rosie Winter Mysteries, 1)

This book is a delight from beginning to end. Wisecracking Rosie is dead-on for a New York gal of that time. It is different, fun and most enjoyable.As I may be one of the few still alive who was a teenager in New York at that time, I naturally look for anachronisms, which are usually plentiful in "historical" novels. I am absolutely astonished that Ms Haines has got that period, the way people talk, the expressions used, and the physical descriptions absolutely correct.There were one or two that slipped in (I don't think "hinky" was used then, but it may have been), but for somebody who obviously was not living during that time frame, it is astonishing how she has it all down pat. I hoped her brief bio might explain how she did this, but no such luck. I suppose she may have talked to her grandparents or others who lived then, but it is a tour de force in that respect.

Although it's a mystery, the plot isn't the thing in this book, at least for me. What I love is the setting, New York during WWII, and the quirky amateur sleuth, Rosie Winter, struggling young actress. The author obviously knows the theater, which she brings to life. Plot and much of the dialogue border on irritating, but the setting and the strong female characters of Rosie and her roommate make up for any shortcomings and give the book its real interest. I expect to enjoy reading more about Rosie.

I loved everything about this book. It made me laugh, it kept me turning the pages, and above all the author really knew her milieu. The narrative voice was absolutely spot on, and the running commentary on theater in general and actors in particular just tickled me. Eagerly awaiting the next installment!

As a reader with a great fondness for mysteries, the theater, New York, and the WWII period, I assumed this book could hardly fail to please me. Was I wrong! If the author had spent half as much time developing her characters as she did researching obscure slang, the work might have been mildly amusing. Rosie and her friends, however, were shallow enough to drown in a saucer. And the plot was completely implausible even by light weight mystery standards. Save your money and your time.

A good first mystery. Definitely elements set in place for future installments of this series such as the mysteriously disappearing boyfriend. The story could have focused a bit more on Miss Winter and left out some tangential story elements, such as the mobster boyfriend, but even this had its charm. Great period details from NYC during the war.

A really fun read. Rosie is an aspiring actress who pays the bill by working for a detective. When he's bumped off, she ends up taking over his last case. Set in New York during WW2.

This witty WWII mystery reads like a lively literary novel with its vivid descriptions and interesting period detail. Rosie Winter is a sassy, brassy lass who manages to handle murder and mayhem with a plucky "I can do it" attitude and a wicked sense of humor. Great characters, an original plot and clever crime make this fun-filled novel a stand-out!

Pretty good book, I purchased the next two in the series. Good atmospheric piece and well plotted.

just occasionally a new writer comes along and produces a genre busting novel, in recent times we have seen Christopher Fowler's Bryant & May and the superb Maisie Dobbs novels of Jaqueline Winspear. Here is another writer to be treasured. Haines's Rosie Winter is a serious threat to the hard-boiled genre once the province of the male writer.This book has not only a driving narrative that makes you read it as you want to "find out" but also it has a dry wit (so rare these days) and a reasearch that does not eclipse the story with its knowingness. For extra fun each chapter is names after a well known play which allows an interactive qualilty to the book. Highly recommended and I cant wait to read the next one

A good read