I love Jaine Austen's mysteries and this one did not disappoint. I was just in the mood for a fun easygoing mystery. Jaine is thrilled to get to work as a joke writer on a rather lame sitcom "Muffy 'n me" but hey, this is Hollywood and this could be her big break. Of course things don't go as planned and the fun begins. Of note, Mormons are "popular" lately and they appear in this book in the studio audience as a "sea of American Gothic lookalikes--fair-haired, gimlet eyed people who sat ramrod straight, eerily silent who are here on a break from a Bible Study Camp." It's quite obvious the author knows nothing about Mormons and/or has them confused with fundamentalist mormons. But never fear, Jaine did not disappoint. "What's more, the Mormons were wonderful! Yes those delightful people laughed at all my jokes...I guess after being holed up in Bible camp, they were ready to laugh at anything or maybe they were simply connoisseurs of comedy....they were a fabulous audience and the next time they show up at my doorstep wanting to discuss the Bible, I'm going to ask them in for coffee and danish" LOL! They are now dubbed as "my darling Mormons". Whew! we came out alright in the end. Maybe the author does need a referral so she can meet some real Mormons :D. All in all, this is a very fun break from daily life!
A wonderfully funny story that (thankfully!) ignored most of the tropes of the genre - adorkable protagonist who owns her own quirky store in a small quirky town, constantly getting herself into stupid scrapes much to the chagrin of her long suffering always-a-cop boyfriend. Without giving anything away, the resolution was sad but with a sense of justice and you can really see the author's background in series television writing shine through, it reads episodically and by the end of the book, the status quo is maintained.The emails between Jaine and her parents were laugh out loud funny, and I hope her parents continue to play a large role in upcoming books, I'm really looking forward to the other books in the series!
What do You think about Last Writes (2004)?
Book #106 Read in 2013Last Writes by Laura LevineThis is the second book in a cozy mystery series featuring writer Jaine Austen (no relation to the author) and her cat Prozac. In this book, Jaine is writing for a television show and then begins an investigation when one of the show's stars is killed. But then she becomes somewhat of a target herself so will she be able to solve the crime in time?These books are cute, quick reads. There is a lot of humor in the series. Jaine's parents are entertaining characters with their quirks. I love Prozac; Levine writes the cat well. I will continue this series.http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
—Melissapalmer404
Continuing on with my Laura Lavine mystery series reading, this one was equally good as the others. There hasn't been any of them that have stood out at me, they are just a fun, easy, mystery read. Something I can take to work and read in between annoying phone calls. In this book, Jaine gets the chance to write for a sitcom. And of course someone ends up being murdered and Jaine's best friend Kandi is the main suspect, so Jaine tries to clear her name. The ending is kind of disturbing, as the killer commits suicide. That was a little to dark for me, because I kinda liked that character. Oh well, it's just a book.
—Lindsay
Cozy set in in L.A of freelance writerttttttt#2 in the Jaine Austen seriesJaine’s best friend Kandi gets her a gig writing for the sitcom “Muffy n Me.” But her writing career must take the back burner again when she feels the need to investigate the murder of sleazy lead actor Quinn Kirkland, who is known for sleeping with several of the women involved in the show, including Kandi.Highly enjoyable and amusing. Better than the first, I absolutely LOVE this series.
—Shiela
