“I’m crazy about Laura Levine’s mystery series. Her books are so outrageously funny.” —Joanne Fluke Freelance writer Jaine Austen is feeling festive about spending Christmas house-sitting at a posh Bel Air mansion, accompanied by her friend Lance and her cat, Prozac. But when a grumpy neighbor gets himself iced, she’ll have to find the culprit or she may spend the New Year in jail . . . Scotty … may spend the New Year in jail . . .
Scotty Parker is a former child star who once played Tiny Tim, but now he’s grown up into the role of neighborhood Scrooge. He cuts the wires on his neighbors’ Christmas lights and tells local kids that Santa had a stroke. And his miserly, bah-humbug attitude lasts year-round—a fact known all too well by his current wife, his ex-wife, his maid, and many more.
Scotty thinks he can stage a comeback with the screenplay he’s working on (The Return of Tiny Tim: Vengeance Is Mine!), and Jaine’s been reluctantly helping him edit it. So when Scotty is bludgeoned with a frozen chocolate yule log and the police start making a list of suspects and checking it twice, Jaine’s name is unfortunately included. True, she’s been under some stress, with Lance trying to set her up on dates and her fickle feline taking a sudden liking to someone else—but she’s not guilty of murder. Now she just has to prove it, by using her gift for detection and figuring out who committed this holiday homicide.
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Thanks to her neighbor Lance, freelance writer Jaine Austen is spending Christmas at a Bel Air mansion. It’s not all luxury, however, when Jaine gets roped into helping her temporary neighbor polish his script. Scotty Parker is a former child actor best known for playing Tiny Tim in a movie version of A Christmas Carol, but now he’d be a shoe in to play Scrooge, complete with penny pinching ways and fights with neighbors. Someone has had enough, and Jaine finds Scotty’s body on Christmas morning. With the police focusing on her, Jaine begins her own investigation. But which of the many suspects actually killed Scotty?
Those familiar with the series know exactly what to expect here, and they won’t be disappointed. The murder may take place a little later in the book than in some series I read, but we are busy meeting suspects and getting motives, so when Scotty does die, we can jump right in. Jaine once again brings the case to a satisfactory conclusion. We also have a couple of fun sub-plots involving Jaine’s on-line dating misadventures and a cruise her parents are taking with their neighbors. There are plenty of laughs, chuckles, and grins. The characters lean toward caricature, but it works for this series. The pages fly by all too quickly as always.
Scotty Parker is a former child star who once played Tiny Tim, but now he’s grown up into the role of neighborhood Scrooge. He cuts the wires on his neighbors’ Christmas display and tells the kids that Santa had a stroke. His miserly, bah-humbug attitude lasts year-round, a fact known all too well by everyone who knows him.
Scotty thinks he can stage a comeback with the screenplay he’s working on (The Return of Tiny Tim: Vengeance Is Mine!). Jaine is reluctantly recruited to help him edit the horrible screenplay. When Scotty is bludgeoned to death with a frozen chocolate yule log, the police start making a list of suspects. Jaine’s name is unfortunately at the top of the list
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Series: A Jaine Austen Mystery – Book 16
Author: Laura Levine
Genre: Cozy/Holiday Mystery
Publisher: Kensington Books
Publishing Date; September 25, 2018
Laura Levine is a talented writer. Her characters are modern, quirky, and written with an eye towards the current world we live in. Death of a Neighborhood Scrooge is the sixteenth book in this series, and like most of the other books, it is filled with lots of clues, suspects and dating issues for Lance and Jaine. Jaine isn’t having much luck herself, and that is what makes the two characters work well together.
Jaine Austen is a writer, mainly ads. She doesn’t mind the work but hopes for better. Working with the victim is a bit overwhelming for her especially as she, like most everyone else, doesn’t like him. Lance is not really any help and is too self-centered to really care. Other characters in this book are far too sporadic to worry the reader; most are not memorable.
The Jaine Austen Mystery series is popular and well liked. But I have an issue with this particular book. Anyone who would hand over their beloved pet to a complete stranger is incredibly callous, not to mention irresponsible. Especially when Jaine lives within easy driving range of Scotty. This is a big sticking point for me as a reader and as a pet owner. Then top it off with the fact that the strangers treat Prozac as if he belongs to them without asking Jaine’s permission for how the cat is taken care of, and Jaine allows this to continue throughout the story, makes it unbelievable. Add in that the victim is so unlikable that the reader will wonder why someone didn’t kill him sooner; this makes it hard for the reader to care about any of the characters. Unfortunately, mix all of this with the ending, and I’m afraid that I can’t give this book a high rating.
Overall, Death of a Neighborhood Scrooge is a fast-paced, easy-to-read story that has moments of entertainment. If readers love this series, they will most likely enjoy this new addition, if they didn’t enjoy it previously, that won’t change.
I’ve read all of Laura Levine’s books, and I really enjoy them. They’re mysteries, laugh out loud mysteries, but not silly or childish.
A hilarious cozy mystery that had me laughing out loud while trying to solve the murder. Absolutely LOVED it!
Laugh out loud fun Christmas story! Jaine and her friend, Lance, are house sitting in Bel Air, California for a wealthy woman. Jaine gets roped into helping an aging former child movie actor edit his screenplay. The man is a definite Scrooge and someone finally kills the man. Now, Jaine sets out to clear her name and find the true killer. Lots of fun, hysterical moments as she searches for the killer and goes on blind dates after being set up on a dating site by Lance. Of course, we can’t forget the crazy antics of her parents, who are on a cruise. I absolutely love reading this series as the books are so full of humor and interesting story lines. Look forward to seeing what is next for Jaine, her cat Prozac, and the rest of her family and friends.
With every new book in this series, I get so excited to start and am so sad to reach the ending – it’s hard to wait for the next book in such an awesome series! I just love everything about this story – we have classic Jaine, unable to stay out of shenanigans no matter where she might be staying, her constant side-kick Lance, always there to bail her out when needed, and her lovely feline Prozac, who unfortunately shows a bit of betrayal in this storyline. Oh Prozac, we know who your true mommy is!
I am always entertained by the interwoven tales of Jaine’s parents told in between the paragraphs. The holiday setting is perfect for fall reading! Pull up your favorite blanket, a cup of cocoa, and enjoy Jaine and Lance’s version of a wonderful holiday while house sitting for a customer in Bel Air! All of the neighbors are suspect in the latest murder mystery Jaine involves herself in – including Jaine herself. Will the true murderer please stand up? Don’t miss this laugh out loud, page turner! Thank you #netgalley for allowing me early access to review!