Last Writes

Rating:
Summary: More Fun with Jaine
Review: Jaine Austen is thrilled when her friend Kandi gets her an assignment writing an episode of the syndicated sit-com Muffy 'n Me. And, if this goes well, it might even be a permanent job. With visions of Malibu beach homes in her head, Jaine starts work. Her dream dims a little when she encounters the cast fighting and poor working conditions. But it becomes a nightmare when one of the stars is poisoned during the filming of the first scene of her script. With Kandi as the prime suspect, Jaine must find out who the real killer is to keep her friend from going to jail.

I enjoyed the first booking this series, but I think I liked this one more. It's light and fun, definitely for the humor mystery crowd. Jaine's narration is loads of fun, contrasting what she wants with what really happens. The characters are lively and well developed. All the secondary characters from the first book are back, from the memory writing octogenarians to Lance, the neighbor with x-ray hearing. They add some wonderful bits of humor. And the plot was great. It twisted so many ways that I still had no clue who had done it until the end. Plus the sub-plot with her parents is a riot.

This is an enjoyable read. I'm already anxious for the next book in the series.

Rating:
Summary: The Return of Jaine Austen
Review: Jaine Austen, freelance writer extraordinaire, still hasn't found a great guy to settle down with, and somehow, everything she eats goes straight to her hips, but thanks to some help from her best friend Kandi, she's finally landed a paying job as a sitcom writer for the teen show MUFFY 'N ME. Sure, the show isn't going to win any Emmy's, but writing a funny teen sitcom sure beats writing brochures and advertisements for plumbers. Everything looks like it will go well, until murder steps into the picture. Jaine immediately puts herself on the case, and realizes that all the trouble started when Quinn Kirkland, one of the hottest male stars began having an affair with the married head writer, as well as one with the barely-legal actress who plays Quinn's niece on TV. Now, with Quinn dead after eating a poisoned donut, and Jaine's best friend, Kandi, accused of the murder, Jaine realizes that it's going to be harder than she thought to catch the killer, seeing as how many enemies the gorgeous Quinn actually had.

Jaine Austen was hilarious in THIS PEN FOR HIRE, and she's just as hilarious, if not more, in LAST WRITES. Laura Levine is truly a gift to the world of mystery fiction. Jaine is the character who we've all been waiting for to appear in a mystery, and it has finally happened. Her quirky commentary is enjoyable, and her constant complaining about the size of her butt and thighs is hilarious. Her best friend, Kandi, is a cynical protagonist at times, but in a funny way, and will have even the most grumpy person laughing before long. Anyone looking for a cute, fast-paced, feel-good mystery should definitely check out LAST WRITES.

Erika Sorocco

Rating:
Summary: I LOVED THIS BOOK!
Review: Laura Levine breathes L.A. into your life the way Raymond Chandler did in the 1940s. Jaine Austen, the heroine, is great company -- and she takes you to all the places you've always wanted to go. A lot of the action is behind the scenes on a TV series, and you feel like you're part of the action. The mystery is full of twists and surprises, but the best thing is the laughs you get. Bridget Jones made me laugh out loud, but not quite as often or as helplessly as "Last Writes" did.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious Look at the Other Side of Hollywood
Review: Laura Levine does it again.
Her wisecracking, L.A.-hip heroine, Jaine Austen, is back on the crime-fighting scene -- quite by happenstance as in the series debut -- and her adventures provide page-after-page of laughs and surprises.
This time, Jaine must find out who really murdered Quinn Kirkland, the oversexed heartthrob on the low-rent sit-com "Muffy 'n Me." Jaine, a freelance writer normally stuck writing ad copy for the likes of Toiletmasters Plumbers, has gotten a writing gig on the show thanks to her good friend Kandi Tobolowski, only to discover that this kind of showbiz is not what she bargained for.
Her travails in tracking down Kirkland's real killer -- and saving Kandi in the process -- are loaded with the kinds of hilarious one-liners that made her first book, "This Pen for Hire," such a success.
"Last Rites" starts off briskly and maintains a steady pace of laughs and clues throughout. Readers will be hard-pressed to put this one down.
Levine knows how to deliver a great summertime read -- heck, it's great for all seasons.

Rating:
Summary: A summer delight!
Review: Okay, so it's a mystery and I'm supposed to be scared...but I found myself laughing out loud all the time. I thought "This Pen for Hire" was hilarious, but "Last Writes" tops it. A perfect beach read...unless you don't mind getting burned...as you won't put this Jaine Austen mystery down until you reach the very last period. Not for a minute did I guess the ending. Can't wait for round three from this new, exciting, witty and very talented writer, Laura Levine.