The Winter of Her Discontent

by Kathryn Miller Haines

Book Overview

It's tough shooting for stardom when there's a war on. But Rosie's got enough pluck for two: she's willing to stumble around in a Broadway dance chorus that she has no right to be a part of, in a musical that's got flop written all over it. And all the while, she's worrying about her missing-in-action soldier boyfriend, who hasn't written in months. Lately, she's also been keeping bad company with her mob-muscle pal, Al, who's dabbling in a host...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061139807
• ISBN13: 9780061139802
• Release Date: June 2008
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

The Winter of Her Discontent

Mrs. Haines has again captured the memories of the 40's in an outstanding mystery novel. Rosie is at her best trying to make ends meet as an actress and solve another crime at the same time. Mrs. Haines is able to describe the hardships faced by the up and coming thespians and at the same time weave a mystery that unfolds within the settings of the theatre. She is able to bring her characters to life and make us either love, hate or feel sorry for them. As she tells the story, WW II is ever present playing its part in the outcome of the novel. Mrs. Haines has again written a must read book that should be #1 on every mystery lovers list!

The Winter of Her Discontent

Rosie is at it again in the second installment of Kathryn Miller Haines' World War II era series starring Rosie Winter as the intrepid sleuth. Miller Haines filled out the characters better this round and touched on a topic, the black marketing of essential daily items, few of us today really give much thought to. Rosie and Jane face an underworld that stops at nothing to make a profit. It's what they traffic that makes us a bit squeamish.

Spunky heroine does it again

The second installment in the Rosie Winter mystery series offers more details on all fronts -- on Rosie, spunky actress and accidental private investigator, on life during WWII, as well as a backstage look at the NYC theatre scene. A great read for those who love historical mysteries and those with fabulous female heroines.

entertaining WW II era New York tale

In 1943, wannabe Broadway actress Rosie Winter feels guilt and remorse as she just broke up with her boyfriend, sailor Jack, who is reported missing at sea. She and her roommate at Shaw House Jayne obtain work on the theatrical production of Goin' South, but Rosie fears the role will kill her career before it begins because she is part of the dance chorus and knows she can't dance; still it is work. However, as opening night looms, Rosie feels good she has not been fired (so far). Someone kills one of the stars Paulette; shockingly Rosie's friend Al, the small time thug who works for Jayne's boyfriend Tony as an elbow breaker, confesses. Rosie does not believe Al committed the crime, so sets out to prove he is innocent even while dealing with beefless nights and starlets, as broke as she, live lives of luxury. Although the final dance number seems somewhat anticlimactic, THE WINTER OF HER DISCONTENT is an entertaining WW II era New York tale. The amateur sleuth elements and the danger to Rosie and Jayne come late as the story line focuses on how the war impact people at home who sacrifice (some in strange ways like the black market repast industry that surfaces) to support the cause. Fans will enjoy this period piece in which the tidbits supersede the whodunit (see THE WAR AGAINST MISS WINTER for her previous home front WW II experience). Harriet Klausner

Haines does it again!

In WAR AGAINST MISS WINTER, Haines created the irrepressible, wise-cracking character of Rosie Winter and set her mystery tale against the backdrop of New York's theatre scene during World War II. While that highly enjoyable novel teased with a level of verisimilitude that we're not used to seeing in a lot of mystery series, Haines takes Rosie several steps further in WINTER OF HER DISCONTENT. While the first novel's theatre-set story took place with WW II as a backdrop, the follow-up novel goes several steps further, giving us a mystery that's even more integrated into the moral and ethical dilemnas of wartime America. The result is a book that's as zippy and sharp as the first, but with a richness of character that's firmly set in a very specific time and place. Haines examines every nook and cranny of wartime New York City without ever sacrifcing the pacing and thoughtfulness that made WAR AGAINST MISS WINTER such an enjoyable thriller. As pulpy and lively as it is, there's an emotional truth to this series that you won't find elsewhere. Haines is really on to something and I, for one, can't wait to see what she comes up with next.