Murder Has Nine Lives
Laura Levine     


Genre: Cozy Mystery
Series: Jaine Austen
Book: 14

"I'm crazy about Laura Levine's mystery series. Her books are so outrageously funny." --Joanne Fluke

The future is looking bright for freelance writer Jaine Austen. She's signed up for a new job, she's looking forward to a tropical vacation, and her cat Prozac is slated to star in a major commercial. But when the claws come out behind the scenes, Jaine worries that murder might be the only thing to meow about. . .

A writer's life is far from glamorous. Still, Jaine's new gig to write an ad campaign for Toiletmasters' new line of self-flushing toilets comes with a few perks--including a date with the president's dreamy nephew. And with a much-needed trip to Maui on the horizon, it seems life couldn't get any better--until her cat Prozac is tapped to star in a Skinny Kitty commercial. But Jaine never would have guessed the world of cat food could be quite so catty. . .

Jaine is nervous that Prozac won't be able to take direction, but the finicky furball ditches her diva behavior for the camera, eating and napping on cue like a seasoned pro. But just as Jaine begins dreaming of fame and fortune, Skinny Kitty's inventor drops dead on the set. Everyone is a suspect--including Jaine. And she'll have to get her paws on the truth before the killer takes a swipe at another victim. . .

In struggling freelance writer Jaine Austen's latest adventure, Jayne has dreams of her temperamental cat Prozac making it big in cat food commercials until a murder on the set changes everything. Unlike in some mysteries, Prozac doesn't help Jaine with her investigations, but he does provide plenty of entertainment for the reader. Only Laura Levine can make a trip to the vet sound so hilarious, from the vet having to wear a Kevlar vest to examine Prozac to huge dogs cowering in terror from the ferocious feline. This is just the beginning of a humor-filled book and entertaining mystery.

The book is a little light in content, but Levine makes up for it by giving readers a fast-paced, quick read that is full of laughs. Jaine makes a capable amateur sleuth, even though her career and her love life isn't all she'd like it to be. Although Jaine doesn’t always have the best luck, when she puts her mind to solving a crime, there’s no stopping her. When opening a new Laura Levine novel, you can be sure you will be entertained from beginning to end by a fun plot and humorous dialog and predicaments in which Jaine and also her parents (told to Jaine through a series of emails) find themselves. Murder has Nine Lives is no exception and fans of the author as well as fans of Elaine Viets will enjoy the latest Jaine Austen mystery.

~ Christine