The Bewitched knockoff I Married a Zombie may have flopped in its day, but it’s got a devoted cult following. Jaine is delighted when one of those rabid fans hires her as script doctor for his new play based on the show—until she reads the awful script and meets Misty, the actress who’ll be playing Cryptessa’s role. Misty has Audrey Hepburn’s doe eyes but not a smidgen of her ability. Yet she can certainly act the diva, demanding a special smoothie every day at 3pm. Meanwhile, Jaine is grappling with another spoiled female—her uncooperative cat, Prozac, who’s refusing to be wrangled into a kitty harness for outside walks.
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When someone spikes Misty’s signature drink with a fatal shot of rat poison, the cast of suspects extends far beyond the theater. What Misty lacked in talent she made up for in enemies. Everyone Jaine talks to maintains their innocence, but one of them is clearly only playing the part. And it’s up to Jaine to figure out who, before a killer schedules an encore performance . . .
Release Date: Nov 29, 2022
Series:Â A Jaine Austen Mystery
Book: 19
Publisher:Â Kensington
Price: $12.99
Freelance writer Jaine Austen is always on the lookout for the perfect assignment, a great boyfriend, a way to keep her cat out of trouble, and a delicious snack. For a while, Jaine thinks she may have hit the jackpot in all of these, starting with an assignment helping a playwright modify his script for a zombie play based on a short-lived sitcom. When the beautiful, demanding, but talentless lead actress dies after someone poisons her smoothie, Jaine decides to investigate to find out which of Misty’s enemies wanted her dead.
This book is the nineteenth in this series, but each book works well as a standalone. The books follow somewhat of a formula, with Jaine getting a new writing job and getting her hopes up for her career and love life, with something usually happening to cause a disaster in either one or both. On hand to create even more trouble for Jaine is her mischievous cat Prozac. However, there are always enough differences in the details of the stories to keep each book fresh for even longtime readers. Jaine isn’t perfect and doesn’t always have the greatest luck, but she is good at investigating crimes. I love the way she remains determined to find out who killed Misty despite the obstacles she encounters. The investigation goes much smoother than the play which is full of problems and conflicts.
This is such a fun series, and each book has several laugh-out-loud moments. The added drama from the chapters during the play rehearsals gives the book some extra fun. I enjoyed this entertaining book, and even though things don’t turn out the way Jaine had hoped in her latest writing assignment, she still proves she is a great investigator even when luck isn’t always on her side in other areas of her life. I was entertained by Jaine and Prozac and enjoyed this fast-paced, humorous mystery.
~ Christine
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