Trouble is a Friend of Mine

Starred review from May 18, 2015
In what reads like a combination of Veronica Mars and The Breakfast Club, debut author Tromly creates a screwball mystery with powerful crossover appeal. Sixteen-year-old Zoe Webster, a newly minted child of divorce from Brooklyn, is biding her time with her mother in the suburbs of upstate New York until she can move back to the city and attend boarding school. When she meets Digby, a loner who “treats you like a book he’s already read,” she agrees to help him discover what happened to a missing classmate, Marina Miller, as well as Digby’s sister, who was abducted eight years ago. Joined by high school quarterback Henry, preppy cheerleader Sloane, and science genius Felix, Zoe and Digby uncover a gynecological drug ring, stop a shady pseudo-religious cult, and even make time for homecoming photos. Tromly enlivens scenes with breakneck pop-culture-dosed dialogue (“Don’t be a Squidward”) and slapstick comedy. After risking her life, Zoe finally figures out what she wants from her parents and from Digby, but Tromly leaves enough loose ends to suggest a possible sequel—a very welcome prospect. Ages 12–up. Agent: David Dunton, Harvey Klinger.

May 1, 2015
A jaded teen's life takes an exciting turn after a new friend ropes her into his investigation of a local kidnapping. Zoe Webster, 16, is still dealing with the "lifestyle demotion" of moving from Brooklyn to upstate New York due to her parents' divorce when Philip Digby shows up at her front door. Fast-talking, suit-wearing Digby is an exasperating teenage Sherlock-sharply observant, impatient with social niceties, and unafraid of authority figures-and he believes Zoe can help him discover what really happened to Marina Miller, a rich teenager who disappeared from a slumber party over the summer. Lonely and bored, Zoe puts up only a token resistance, and it's not long before she and Digby are brawling with cultists, breaking into locked buildings, and interviewing drug dealers as they pursue the truth. Debut novelist Tromly wears her influences on her sleeves, and fans of Veronica Mars and Elementary will find much to like here. Zoe's sarcastic first-person narration is fresh and funny, and the zippy dialogue makes it easy to forgive a few moments when the action-packed plot strains readers' credulity. The highly stereotypical depiction of Felix, an Asian-American supporting character, is a notable exception to the generally solid characterization. Despite some flaws, an offbeat and entertaining caper. (Mystery. 13-18)

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June 1, 2015

Gr 9 Up-A fast-paced story about two misfit teens working on a cold case. The same town that makes Zoe Webster wonder if she'll ever find a friend is the one that raised Philip Digby-and watched as his kid sister, Sally, disappeared years ago. Digby, as he's called, recruits newbie Princeton, his nickname for Zoe, as his accomplice, because he trusts no one else. Together they circumvent or simply break laws in the interest of finding out what happened. Breaking and entering, carrying concealed weapons, pretending to buy drugs-it's all part of uncovering the truth. There are some unfortunate stereotypes, such as "Girls in the Bronx smuggle razor blades into school in their cheeks." There are also redeeming characterizations, such as a single mother who evolves from a stereotype into a a multifaceted person; and a romance that's complicated by a handsome guy named Henry, Digby's once upon a time best friend. Readers will find a sharply drawn character in the irrepressible Zoe, who's as dubious about Digby's methods as she is curious about whether or not she can live up to his daredevilry. Many-too many-irresponsible adults try to derail Princeton and Digby from their mission: a perverted gynecologist, a cheating dad, a cult posing as next-door neighbors, to name only a few. VERDICT With elements of mystery, romance, and problem novels, Tromly's debut aims to please a wide variety of readers, but its success is due largely to the authentic portrayal of its two teenage protagonists.-Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2015
Grades 9-12 When Zoe's parents get divorced, she moves with her mom to a new place and plans to double down in public school so she can transfer to a private prep, but her plans go awry when Digby enters her life. Before Zoe knows it, she is committing vandalism and break-ins and combing the town with Digby in an attempt to find a girl from their school who has gone missing. Digby seems like a criminal mastermind, but his motivation is personalhe believes his sister's long-ago kidnapping is connected to their missing classmate. With acerbic banter and a healthy dose of high-school high jinks, screenwriter Tromly weaves together traditional elements of teen stories to create a Breakfast Club for a new century. Writing with a light hand, she uses humor to keep the story afloat even as darkness descends. Although Digby is done being the Boy Whose Sister Was Taken, Zoe has much to learn about herself and her own family. The town's secrets and lies are a real draw, but readers will be most interested in the friendships and romance that develop.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

November 30, 2015
After her parents’ divorce, Zoe is trying to adjust from city life in Brooklyn to living in a town in upstate New York when a strange, eccentric boy named Digby shows up on her doorstep. Known around town as a troublemaker, Digby is an ingenious, observant Sherlock Holmes–type who thinks outside the box and is determined to solve the mystery of his little sister, who disappeared several years earlier, as well as another, more recent disappearance case. He ropes Zoe into a series of offbeat adventures and undercover detective work, which begins hilariously but progressively becomes more sinister and dangerous as they get closer to the truth. Narrator McInerney is excellent at differentiating the characters’ voices and moving the story along. However, the plot is convoluted, with multiple clues, surprises, and fast-paced twists and turns, which makes it somewhat hard to follow as audio. That being the case, this exciting story may be better understood in print form, where the tiny but significant details won’t be missed. Ages 12–up.
A Penguin/Dawson hardcover.