Winter in June

Winter in June
By Kathryn Miller Haines
Harper, 2009. 320 pgs. Mystery

The third book in the Rosie Winter mysteries travels with Rosie to the Southern Pacific on a USO tour performing for the armed forces. But Rosie has personal motives for signing up: she's hoping on hearing word of her MIA ex-boyfriend, Jack. Joined by her loyal best friend, Jayne, they travel the Pacific Islands, but a shadow is cast over their journey by a body that was found in the waters of San Francisco on the day they embarked. Rosie can't help feeling it's linked to their tour in some way, but her inquisitive nature may land her in trouble if she gets too close to the truth.

Although I felt that this started out a bit slow, it was made up for by the complete immersion in the sights and sounds of the armed forces in the Pacific in the 1940s. I'm always impressed with the minutia of war-time culture that Haines is so familiar with and incorporates into her stories. Also, happily, the book picks up and leads readers through a satisfying who-done-it brainteaser. Fans of historical fiction (especially WWII) and clean mysteries will love this series, starting with The War Against Miss Winter and then The Winter of Her Discontent.

BHG