Plot Twist: A Cat Austen/Victor Cardenas Mystery

Rating:
Summary: Rubino has the magic to create a believable amateur sleuth
Review: Cat Austin is the "Entertainment Girl" for a South jersey magazine when she becomes involved in a media blazing homicide investigation. In the aftermath of the case, the TV show Copwatch becomes interested in filming an actualization of what happened. Cat writes a few articles on the "Death of a Shock Jock." Victor Cardenas, Cat's significant other remains fascinated with only getting closer with her and avoids the movie people. Cat quickly turns bored with the whole affair and all the related retinue and wants to just go home.

Starring in the film is movie goddess Tommi Ann Butler. Also snagging a bit part is one of the victims Ron Spivak, a reporter with the reputation of a vicious pit bull. In the midst of filming, Ron disappears, which leaves Cat to want to know what the odious journalist is writing about. He returns for the final shoot, but the prop gun contains a real bullet inside it. For her own peace of mind Cat needs to know was this an accident like that of Lee or was someone trying to silence Ron?

Anytime a new Jane Rubino mystery is published, readers have just cause to celebrate, as her stories are witty and fun to figure out. PLOT TWIST, the author's latest and best novel, is a complex story line filled with saints who act like sinners and sinners who are actually saints. Trying to uncover who,s who leads to an entertaining satire. The supporting cast, especially Cat's family, add to the plot by providing a family drama feel to it. Ms. Rubino continues to provide enjoyable books that will send readers looking for previous Austen-Cardenas stories like DEATH OF A DJ.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Never Has A Title Been So Appropriate...
Review: Cat's back, and her first sleuthing experience in DEATH OF A DJ is being recreated for a cop series called "Cop Watch". Cat is being portrayed by "Her", Tommi Ann Butler, a famous actress that everyone is dying to see, including one reporter who actually does. Victor is also back, but Hollywood can't seem to cast a spell on him like it has everyone else; even Cat's mother gets in on the act with her cooking.

The cast of characters is significant. When Cat asked Victor to test her memory as to who is who on the set, she was more successful than I; I had trouble keeping the many names and characters in my head. The storyline has been done before, but Cat's family and the author's humor puts a different sort of spin on it. There is some great tongue in cheek humor aimed at police dramas, unions, and rappers. I did become impatience for the mystery, there seem to be a lot of set up time and the mystery didn't begin until half way through the book. Jane Rubino has a way of giving the readers something they will never forget; it reminds me of the chef who yell's BAM! It gets your attention, and if you don't remember anything else about the mystery, you'll remember that moment and should you read the story, you will know when you get there.

This is the fourth Cat/Victor mystery, and I felt there was enough mentioned in the storyline to give away the first Cat/Victor mystery, so I recommend you enjoy this reporter/police series at the beginning with DEATH OF A DJ, before you tackle PLOT TWIST.

It's a series worth hunting down and a catching up with.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful
Review: I ejoyed "Death of a DJ". I LOVED "Plot Twist". I don't normally post reviews here - I have my own site for that. But if you get a chance, READ THIS BOOK.

Cat Austen is the "technical advisor" for the movie being made of the events from "Death of a DJ", so one story follows the other very well. Cat keeps getting caught up in what is now vs what was then, and suddenly, things turn deadly once again. This mystery is VERY well written, and I didn't have a CLUE [altho I should have] as to the final ending. I was stunned. I cried. And I loved every fascinating minute.

Ms. Rubino always writes well, but this book occupies a very special place in my heart.

Rating:
Summary: Against The Flow
Review: I found this book to be one of the slowest and most tedious novels that I have read, in a long while. To put that in context, I read 200+ novels per year.

The murder doesn't happen until page 179 and I found that the use of scenes disrupted the flow of the novel so that it felt disjointed, and never managed to achieve any flow... I had to force my way through it.

Contrast this story against any of Ann Perry's, for example, and my perspective is that this author is just not in the same league.

Rating:
Summary: A Stunner of a Plot Twist!
Review: Only Jane Rubino would have the boldness to write a devilishly entertaining parody of her own first novel! PLOT TWIST returns Cat Austen to the scene of the crime when a film crew comes to Atlantic City to re-create the DJ's murder from Cat's first escapade (Death of a DJ). Cat is hired as a consultant and finds herself mired in an eclectic mix of bizarre Hollywood folk- the rapper who is starting an acting career, the washed-out former TV star who is directing, the aspiring actress, the paranoid screenwriter and the elegant and beautiful Oscar award nominee who is playing Cat. Toss into the mix Rubino's own biting and hilarious observations on filmmaking, stardom, talk show hosts and hostesses and a very off-beat black market, add Rubino's signature Jersey dialogue, populate it with Cat's raucous Sicilian family all trying to get involved with the movie and Lieutenant Victor Calderone's unit trying to get themselves hired on as consultants, then spin it out to an out-of-the-blue plot twist that will leave you breathless, and you've got one of the best reads of the year! Intricately plotted with an unforgettable ending, PLOT TWIST will be among the best mystery reads of this year.

Rating:
Summary: Rubino lands on my Auto-Buy List
Review: PLOT TWIST is the first Jane Rubino book I'd read but it was enough to convince me to immediately buy her backlist and put her on my auto-buy list for the future. If you like dialogue-driven stories, as I do, you'll like PLOT TWIST. It moves along at a snappy pace and never drags. The plot and characters remained fresh and kept my interest until the very last word.

The very best part was that the ending totally surprised me. I had no clue as to the resolution of the mystery.

I'm looking forward to catching up on the Cat Austen stories and hope Ms.Rubino has more in store for the readers.

Rating:
Summary: Five Star Book with a Ten Star Twist
Review: The surprise ending of this book hit me hard, but it was getting there that makes this such a winner. The three dimensional characters and dialogue that crackles with wit and wisdom add to a well-paced mystery involving a mysterious film star who takes a role based on heroine Cat Austen's 'real life' adventure, which gives Cat access to the Jersey shore film location. What moved me to write a review was a disappointing nonfiction read that was supposed to be about "the celebrity industrial complex" - Plot Twist wound up saying more about the mystique and craziness surrounding celebrities. A real page-turner that I should have plugged when it first came out.