Review: Trouble Makes a Comeback

Stephanie Tromly’s debut novel, Trouble is a Friend of Mine, was one of my favorite books last year. This series is Sherlock meets Veronica Mars meets Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and I was thrilled when I got a chance to read the sequel.

If you haven’t read Trouble is a Friend of Mine, you can find our review here.

In Trouble Makes a Comeback, Digby is back in town with new information on his sister’s disappearance. Zoe’s life has been relatively quiet since Digby left: she’s got a new friend group, she’s dating the alternate QB on the football team, and she’s enjoying being normal. Of course, Digby shows up and she’s immediately sucked back into his orbit.

Without giving too much away, Zoe and Digby immediately get into trouble. They find themselves busting into drug houses for clues about Sally, caught up in a car chase (in a police officer’s car!), and breaking into the compound of a mysterious billionaire. And those are just some of the shenanigans that Digby pulls on his search for Sally. While the major thing driving the plot in Trouble Makes a Comeback is Digby’s determination to find Sally, they end up getting involved in stopping a drug-scheme that their high school’s football team is participating in.

Trouble Makes a Comeback is a great sequel to Trouble is a Friend of Mine. Stephanie Tromly’s cast of characters are back and better than ever. Digby is just as much of a troublemaker in this book – but you still can’t help but love him. Zoe pretends that she doesn’t want to get involved with Digby again, but deep down, it’s clear that she loves Digby’s antics and his determination. The “mean girl” Sloane plays a large role too, and we learn that she’s more than she appears. She also holds Zoe accountable when she needs it most. Bombs are dropped about Sally’s disappearance and it becomes clear that Digby has been kept in the dark about his family’s true past.

I thoroughly enjoyed Trouble Makes a Comeback. It’s a fun, witty character-driven mystery that will keep you invested and make you laugh out loud. The worst thing about reading Trouble Makes a Comeback? There’s more to Digby and Sally’s story – Tromly leaves us with some serious discoveries made right at the end – and we have to wait for book three to learn more.

Rating: 9/10

About the book:

After a fall semester of fiascos: getting arrested, then kidnapped, then blown up in an explosion (all thanks to the weird but brilliant Philip Digby), Zoe Webster is looking forward to a quiet spring. Now that Digby has left town, she’s finally built a regular high school life for herself. She’s dating Miles, the alternate QB; she knows girls she considers friends; she’s learning to enjoy being normal and semi-popular. Which of course is when Digby comes back: He’s got a new lead on his missing sister and he needs Zoe’s help.

Suddenly Zoe is tussling with a billionaire arch-villain, locking horns with armed goons, and digging into what makes the Digby family tick, even as she tries to navigate the confusing and emotionally fraught world of high school politics and locker-room drama. After all, it’s hard to explain Digby to a boy like Miles, especially when Zoe isn’t sure how she feels about Digby herself—or how he feels about her.

Now that Digby’s back, get ready for another hilarious whodunit filled with razor-sharp dialogue, ridiculously funny action, and the most charismatic, dynamic duo you’ve ever met. And just try to stay out of trouble.

We dare you.

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