The Girl is Trouble (The Girl is Murder #2)
by
Kathryn Miller Haines (Goodreads Author)
Iris Anderson and her fatherhave finally come to an understanding. Iris is allowed to help out at her Pop's detective agency as long as she follows his rules and learns from his technique. But when Iris uncovers details about her mother's supposed suicide, suddenly Iris is thrown headfirst into her most intense and personal case yet....more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
July 3rd 2012
by Roaring Brook Press
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This sequel to The Girl is Murder had a different feel than the first book. Instead of throwing in a lot of superficial allusions to it's 40's time frame (a somewhat-but not completely-unfair summary of the first book's modus operandi), this book mostly highlights the big-picture aspects of WWII America, focusing on anti-semitism and wartime anxiety instead of Deanna Durbin. Which results in a heavier book, though that's probably unavoidable considering the main plot is Iris' efforts to find out...more
I didn't like this one quite as much as the first one, although it was still good and I will read any further adventures of Iris. (I still miss Rosie Winter, though!) But I will give it four stars, if for no other reason than this quote:
“ ’That’s how it starts, isn’t it , Iris? All these awful things in the world? We don’t stand up for the people being hurt because the ones doing the hurting are our friends and family and we can’t believe that they don’t have a rational explanation for why they
...more
The Girl is Trouble by Kathryn Miller Haines is the quickly paced, satisfying second installment in the Girl is Murder series. I have not read the first installment, and I don't think it is necessary for the reader to pick that book up to enjoy The Girl is Trouble. I had a great time reading the book without any idea at first that their was a first. Hats off to the author for the smooth writing! I wasn't put off at all by references to previous cases.
Although Iris is perfectly likeable, I felt l...more
Although Iris is perfectly likeable, I felt l...more
Things are finally starting to look up for Iris Anderson, or at least, they aren’t as chaotic and awful as they used to be. Iris is blending into her high school on the Lower East Side, even if everyone else thinks her closest friend Pearl is a bit weird. And even though the Rainbows haven’t totally forgiven her, at least they aren’t giving her too much trouble either. But the best part is that Iris’s Pop is finally letting her help out with his detective agency, as long as she follows every one...more
THE GIRL IS TROUBLE is a follow-up to THE GIRL IS MURDER. I supposed it's possible to read them out of order, but I don't recommend it.
It's only days after the story ends in THE GIRL IS MURDER, and life isn't all that great for Iris. Once again, Haines expertly brings us into the life and times of a fifteen year old girl in 1941 - a year after Pearl Harbor, and only one year into a war that isn't looking like it's going to end soon.
The tone of this book is much darker. There are threats against...more
It's only days after the story ends in THE GIRL IS MURDER, and life isn't all that great for Iris. Once again, Haines expertly brings us into the life and times of a fifteen year old girl in 1941 - a year after Pearl Harbor, and only one year into a war that isn't looking like it's going to end soon.
The tone of this book is much darker. There are threats against...more
I like my mystery detectives to be like Sherlock or Poirot. Those all-knowing eyes seeing the littlest clues in the most unlikely places. Or, for them to be like Jacques Clouseau, an utter clutz that still manages to solve the mystery by pure luck. The problem I had with The Girl Is Trouble is that the heroine was neither.
Iris Anderson and her dad, a veteran, are living in the Lower East Side. Her mother committed suicide almost a year ago, and dad doesn't want to talk about it. When Iris discov...more
Iris Anderson and her dad, a veteran, are living in the Lower East Side. Her mother committed suicide almost a year ago, and dad doesn't want to talk about it. When Iris discov...more
While not one of the best mystery stories I have read, and definitely not being able to match up to Sherlock Holmes, this novel was enjoyable, if I didn't try to analyze every single fact and event too deeply.
The novel is overall intriguing, keeping my attention through the suspense. There were many twists and turns, mysterious characters and surprising events that kept me flipping the pages!
Kathryn was able to depict a very believable setting during the World War 2, where there are extreme pre...more
The novel is overall intriguing, keeping my attention through the suspense. There were many twists and turns, mysterious characters and surprising events that kept me flipping the pages!
Kathryn was able to depict a very believable setting during the World War 2, where there are extreme pre...more
It's 1942 and Iris is a high-school girl smack dab in the middle of New York City - and a German Jew. At school, threatening notes are being left in Jewish students' lockers, and at home she is adjusting to life without her mother (an apparent suicide) and with a father that has lost a leg during Pearl Harbor. Iris is trying to help her father with some light detective work but gets caught up in a heavy case that hits dangerously close to home.
Well written and refreshingly light (even with some...more
Well written and refreshingly light (even with some...more
High school is so strange-- you don't want to be thought of as weird, but you do want to be set apart, noticed, valued for being different. Just not weird-different. Maybe that's why I love the character of Pearl so much in this book; she knows who she is, and she knows that other people in high school can't handle that, and she still marches to the beat of her own drum. While Iris is the main protagonist (with her own tale of woe that makes you want to root for her) it is Pearl's story that rea...more
This was an okay world war II book, but the story was predictable. This took a long time to get interesting. Iris was a mopey girl who felt sorry for herself that her mom had committed suicide. I found it really predictable who was leaving the notes in the lockers. I also think the term, "boy howdy," was used way too often. Most of the other details supporting the time period fit, but a few of the commonly associated terms of the time, "see you later, alligator," and "swell," felt contrived inst...more
Some people say it's not as good as the first well I say it's much better than the first it's fast pace, there's more suspense, more adventures and you find out in a well detailed way what really happened to iris mother. The new characters too are interesting though what I'm disappointed is the lack of relationship iris has between her father I mean.. They're aren't much moments and that's what sorta irritates me I really wish I saw some more father daughter moments especially in the first one t...more
I liked the first book in this series, but I really liked this one! Now that I know Iris and her friends, I was really able to just focus on the mysteries at hand in this story. The novel divides Iris' focus between two mysteries: Who is putting anti-Semetic notes in the lockers of Jewish students at her school and did her mother really commit suicide?
The story opens very soon after the conclusion of the first book with Iris working for and training with her father. The period details are good...more
The story opens very soon after the conclusion of the first book with Iris working for and training with her father. The period details are good...more
Back in March, I introduced you to Iris Anderson, 15 year old girl sleuth living on the Lower East Side in NYC. In that first novel, we learned that her mother had inexplicably committed suicide. Her death brought changes in live of Iris and her dad, a vet who lost his leg in Pearl Harbor.
The Girl is Trouble opens just a few weeks after The Girl is Murder ended. The first anniversary of Pearl Harbor is approaching, Iris is still attending PS 110, and hanging around with and confiding in her bes...more
The Girl is Trouble opens just a few weeks after The Girl is Murder ended. The first anniversary of Pearl Harbor is approaching, Iris is still attending PS 110, and hanging around with and confiding in her bes...more
In this sequel to The Girl is Murder, Iris is back. World War II is still a constant presence in her life, since her detective father lost his leg at Pearl Harbor, and her Jewish mother committed suicide after finding out he was badly hurt. Or did she? Iris comes across photos in her father's files that indicate that her mother died a bloody death in a hotel room instead of ingesting pills, but even the newspaper sticks with the suicide story. At the same time, Iris' friend Pearl and other stude...more
The Girl is Trouble by Kathryn Miller Haines
Title: The Girl is Trouble
Author: Kathryn Miller Haines
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Publisher: Macmillan
Age Group: 12-17 years
Hardcover: 336 pages
Source: Publisher
Buy This Book: B&N
Book Synopsis: Iris Anderson and her father have finally come to an understanding. Iris is allowed to help out at her Pop's detective agency as long as she follows his rules and learns from his technique. But when Iris uncovers details about her mother's supposed suicide,...more
Title: The Girl is Trouble
Author: Kathryn Miller Haines
Release Date: July 3, 2012
Publisher: Macmillan
Age Group: 12-17 years
Hardcover: 336 pages
Source: Publisher
Buy This Book: B&N
Book Synopsis: Iris Anderson and her father have finally come to an understanding. Iris is allowed to help out at her Pop's detective agency as long as she follows his rules and learns from his technique. But when Iris uncovers details about her mother's supposed suicide,...more
Although not enthused with the behavior of main character Iris in The Girl Is Murder, I loved the setting and was eager to return. Thus I was very pleased that my request was accepted on Netgalley and I happily dove into this part two.
More good news-Iris has somewhat learned her lesson about lying and sneaking around although she still does quite a bit in this book. But unlike last time, it didn't really bother me. In fact, I was very much Team Iris, supporting her through her trials and travail...more
More good news-Iris has somewhat learned her lesson about lying and sneaking around although she still does quite a bit in this book. But unlike last time, it didn't really bother me. In fact, I was very much Team Iris, supporting her through her trials and travail...more
(Review originally posted on Alexa Loves Books)
The Girl is Trouble reminded me of Nancy Drew, with a heroine who likes a good mystery and the shenanigans that follow.
What I like is the combination of mystery-solving with a historical setting (specifically, post-World War II). I thought the main mystery was handled well, though it was very simply solved (even though there are a bunch of dangerous and slightly unrealistic situations tossed in there!).
What I didn’t like was the fact that I never re...more
The Girl is Trouble reminded me of Nancy Drew, with a heroine who likes a good mystery and the shenanigans that follow.
What I like is the combination of mystery-solving with a historical setting (specifically, post-World War II). I thought the main mystery was handled well, though it was very simply solved (even though there are a bunch of dangerous and slightly unrealistic situations tossed in there!).
What I didn’t like was the fact that I never re...more
Another great outing the in Iris Anderson saga. So much more fun than Nancy Drew. In this installment Iris finds out what really happened to her mother. Plus she's on the case to find a student who is putting Anti-Semitic notes in Jewish kid's lockers. Haines does a really good job of capturing the atmosphere and tension of the 40s during wartime. And Iris really is an engaging and likable character. Not a goody two shoes but not a straight out bad girl either. There's a nice balance there.
Iris Anderson is back, & I for one am extremely grateful. Haines' excellent protagonist continues to learn hard life lessons while keeping her poise in a wonderfully captured wartime Lower East Side neighborhood. Her detective skills continue to develop as well, in this case as she learns some very mysterious & painful secrets about the past of her own family. A lot of interesting questions are raised about various moral & ethical situations on personal, local, & national levels....more
I enjoyed this sequel. The mystery plot is well developed and the characters, from the get go, just seamlessly led me back into the early 1940's and Iris' life. While we see a rebellious side to Iris, it makes the reading interesting and appropriate for her age. I don't think I'd have had the guts to be as 'nosy' as she is to find out truths, but I liked living vicariously through her while she did.
We get to see the old 'crew' from Pearl to Benny. The romance is nice added element but the myster...more
We get to see the old 'crew' from Pearl to Benny. The romance is nice added element but the myster...more
Hadn't read the first in this sequence, or any of the author's adult mysteries, but quite enjoyed this YA mystery featuring a teen sleuth in NYC during the 1940's. In this one, Iris uncovers info about her mother's death that makes her realize it was a mystery not suicide. Meanwhile, she's also tackling a mini-mystery at her school involving wartime anti-Semitism. Lots of great detail, and some nice depth to all the characters.
This book was a part 2 to another book about the same character. I liked it, but I feel like maybe the ending could have been a bit better. Also I didn't like how the character kind of bumbled about stumbling into clues instead of really finding them. Liked the history aspect, and her "fall from grace" that caused her to see things differently.
The Girl Is Trouble, was a great second book. With some series the second book is worse than the first but with other series the second book is a lot better than the first. I thought The Girl Is Trouble was a lot better than the first one. In this sequel their is a lot more mystery and kept me guessing, where as in the first book, The Girl Is Murder, there wasn't as much mystery. I was reclutant to read this one because I didn't like the first book as much, but this was defiantly a great mystery...more
I wrote about this series at AAR. Although Young Adult fiction, adults should enjoy the series as well.
http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8400
http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=8400
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Kathryn Miller Haines is an actor, mystery writer, and award-winning playwright. She grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and received her BA in English and Theatre from Trinity University in San Antonio and her MFA in English from the University of Pittsburgh. She's a member of the Mary Roberts Rinehart Chapter of Sisters in Crime and has been a board member of the New York chapter of Mystery Writers o...more
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