Trouble Takes a Holiday

by James Taylor, Marco Sparks

Jenny Valentine has gone on vacation. While Trouble's away, the Stranger will play.

Sunscreen? Check! Phone charger? Packed! Flip-flops? Already wearing them! Trouble? ...Trouble!? TROUBLE!?!? Where oh where has our itsy-bitsy spy girl gone? Wasn't it her idea to visit this spooky castle in the Bavarian Alps on the senior class trip in the first place?

With Jenny vanished to parts unknown, her classmates find themselves marooned at fearsome Schloss Schwarzwald. The remote fortress-turned-hotel features luxury rooms with gorgeous, scenic views of the mountain range. Don't miss out on the five-star amenities, including: a hedge maze, hiking trails, indoor pool, free WiFi, casino, Michelin Star cooking, ancient curses, hidden treasure, vengeful ghosts, and murder!

The Blackbird Springs teens can handle one simple mystery without their Girl Detective, can't they? Or will they find more Danger in Old Bavaria than they bargained for?

504 pages, Paperback

Published September 29, 2022

About the author

James Taylor is a writer, podcaster, and jack-of-all-trades media producer. Over the years, he’s been a barista, a professional gambler, and a tech support phone jockey. When he’s not tucked into a corner at a random Starbucks working on Trouble, you can find him road-tripping around the west coast, drinking a pint of Dunkel by a fire pit, or playing video games in his office when he should be doing something productive. He lives in the Golden State.

Reviews

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more of a 3.5 star book for me but rounding up as they braved 10 episodes of a Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa show to promote this. I respect and appreciate the podcast commitment.

Things I enjoyed:
- The fun setting, love a locked room murder mystery and the retro haunting, it worked well for both the Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew vibes all at the same time
- All the new RJ Valentine info, learning more about what a tool Jenny's dad was is always entertaining
- More development of the half-sibling relationship with Jack. I feel like it will add to the complexity of future story lines.
- The pacing in the whole first half of the book, the mystery was set up well and it was a really fun read
- The chapter that kicked of part 2, it was nice to see the character have a bite sized adventure
- The MC's continued examination of her identity

Things I didn't like:
- Teen girls often felt written more like teen boys with some references to clothing and makeup thrown in.
- The second half of the book didn't quite work for me, the idea was fun but in practice it slowed things down and revisited a lot of things I felt like had already been inferred.
- The drawn out ending, the resolution to the mystery worked great to a point, but the "and then...and then...and then" was another thing that slowed down the previously great pacing.
- Nails, that character could have been removed from the story entirely for me and not looking forward to encountering him in the next book.
- Two lengthy descriptions of poker games

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There’s a darkness in her… maybe even violence.” Another stellar entry into the Trouble series! Full of easter eggs to my favorite mystery shows and movies, the third book of the trouble series was a super fun read. The mysteries were intriguing, the characters engaging and the twist in the middle already has me rereading for clues I missed. In fact, I was so engrossed in the story that I had to keep pausing to remind myself that this book was written by the same podcast bros who gave us Shower Harvey. My only criticism is that I have to wait to find out the conclusion of those major cliffhangers! Pigtunia demands answers!

[Alexa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The game is still afoot! What a fun ride from start to finish! I loved both “sides” to the book. Looking back, I almost wish I took notes and made my own “big murder board” because there are so many characters to keep up with and I have no clue who the stranger is! Could it be RJ himself? Anything seems possible now. Great read overall! And now I can’t wait for the next.

[Raine Fielder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend

[Gillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unpredictable and engrossing. Both books were fun to read.