By: Laura Levine
Genres: Mystery Cozy | Mystery Amateur Sleuth
Posted: July 13, 2011
Adding to the stressfulness of the situation are the other people on the premises: Olga, owner of The Haven (aka Diet Nazi); Mallory, an aging (but still gorgeous) B-list movie star; Kendra, Mallory's put-upon personal assistant (and sister); Harvey, Mallory's personal hair stylist; Clint, one of Mallory's sexy former costars; Cathy, an overly chatty woman (who fawns over the movie stars); The Haven's young masseuses, husband and wife Shawna and Sven; the maid Delphine and Kevin the cook. So you see, there are lots of suspects to choose from when the irritating Mallory ends up dead on the massage table. It seems quite a few of them have very good reasons for offing the movie star, but who actually did the dirty deed? As for Jaine, who's done some amateur sleuthing in the past with positive results, she jumps right in to solve yet another murder case. And as usual, she ends up in the clutches of the killer. Will Jaine be able to escape and once again delight in her favorite treat -- "Chunky Monkey" ice cream?
Laura Levine has given readers another hilarious adventure in the lives of Jaine Austen and her cat Prozac. With witty dialog and zany antics, this story is a quick and thoroughly enjoyable read. I can only wonder where Jaine will find the next dead body -- and I can't wait to find out.
Book Summary
Jaine Austen is looking forward to an indulgent spa getaway— until she learns it’s more about deprivation than relaxation. Between miniscule meals and a deadly brush with fame, surviving this vacation will be no piece of cake...
When Jaine’s friend Lance surprises her with a trip to The Haven, an über-luxe health spa on the California coast, she and her feline pal Prozac are eager to hit the road and bask in a week of pampering and pedicures. But upon their arrival, she discovers that this oasis in the hills is merely a fat farm in disguise, complete with celery-juice cocktails, humiliating weigh-ins, and a zero-tolerance position on carbs. And as she gets to know her fellow inmates, she realizes 300-calorie dinners aren’t the craziest thing she’ll be dealing with.
Among her bulge-battling companions is Mallory Francis, a B- list movie star with a knack for making frenemies with everyone she meets. When she’s found strangled during a seaweed wrap gone awry, Jaine is hard-pressed to think of anyone who couldn’t have done it. Perhaps it was Kendra, Mallory’s bitter sister-slash-personal assistant. Or maybe Clint, a macho former co-star whose dirtiest secret is in danger of being undressed in the drama queen’s upcoming memoir. Or was it The Havens’ pretty young masseuse, driven to commit a crime of passion when Mallory seduced her aerobics instructor husband Sven?
With the suspects mounting faster than her hunger pangs, Jaine doesn’t know who to believe. And when her search for truth, justice and contraband calories leads her straight to the cold-blooded killer, it seems murder may be on the menu once again...
by: Laura Levine
Kensington
August 1, 2011
On Sale: July 26, 2011
Featuring: Jaine Austen
304 pages
ISBN: 0758238479
EAN: 9780758238474
Kindle: B008J4N93E
Hardcover / e-Book