When Winter Returns: A Rosie Winter Mystery

“Kathryn Miller Haines perfectly captures the feel, sights and sounds of New York in the 1940s….A lot of fun.”
 —Rhys Bowen

Aspiring actress and sometime sleuth Rosie Winter is back in When Winter Returns—the fourth installment of Kathryn Miller Haines’s atmospheric and suspenseful World War II era mystery series. Fans of historical whodunits like the Maisie Dobbs books by Jacqueline Winspear—and readers who love stories of feisty female sleuths, like Alexander McCall Smith’s #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novels—will thrill to Rosie’s big city adventures, as she encounters espionage on her own doorstep.

Back from their USO stint in the South Pacific in the fall of 1943, Rosie Winter and her best friend, Jayne, head upstate to visit the home of Jayne's recently deceased fiancé. But what they find leaves Rosie wondering if the man ever existed to begin with.

As Rosie searches for the truth behind his identity—and a way to help heal Jayne's broken heart—she faces an unpleasant homecoming of her own. The newspapers are filled with tales of saboteurs infiltrating the East Coast. Her ex, Jack Castlegate, is also back in Manhattan, nursing severe war injuries, under scrutiny for desertion, and engaged to a gorgeous WAC private. Rosie and Jayne's friend Al is in hiding and no one seems willing to help him out.

Desperate to make things right, Rosie finds herself telling lie after lie to protect her friends and herself. But as her deceit mounts and lures danger out of hiding, she starts to wonder if they weren't all safer on the warfront than they are on the home front.

“Give Kathryn Haines...a standing ovation!” - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“Haines...excels at breezy nostalgia.” - Kirkus Reviews

“What a blast from the past. Kathryn Miller Haines perfectly captures the feel, sights and sounds of New York in the 1940s. Her Rosie (not a riveter but struggling actress and reluctant sleuth) is feisty, mouthy and a lot of fun.” - Rhys Bowen

“Haines captures the spirit of the home front.....Thoroughly entertaining for anyone who enjoys reading about the WWII era.” - Booklist on When Winter Returns

“Haines vividly recreates WWII-era New York City.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review) on When Winter Returns

“Haines brings glamour and sass to the genre with spunky, no-nonsense Rosie Winter. Fans will be thrilled to see this timeless heroine up to her old tricks....The storyline, witty dialogue, and Haines’ meticulous research make for an entertaining read with a good balance of humor and suspense.” - Romantic Times on When Winter Returns

“[Haines’s] careful re-creation of the pop culture and lingo of the era steal the show.” - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on When Winter Returns