BY LAURA LEVINE – RELEASE DATE: SEPT. 1, 2012
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Amateur sleuth, Jaine Austen (Pampered to Death, 2011, etc.), is back at it again in a
Halloween-themed murder mystery which involves one dead parakeet named Van
Helsing, a rented ape suit, and the neighborhood witch.
When her cat, Prozac, snatches her newly-bought
miniature painted pumpkin, Jaine Austen, freelance advertiser, is forced to
abandon her bags of Halloween candy and chase Prozac up the street into the
yard of the infamous Cryptessa Muldoon (a.k.a. the neighborhood witch), an old,
miserable, washed up, third-rate sitcom star from decades past. Upon seeing
Prozac, Cryptessa’s beloved pet parakeet, Van Helsing, drops dead on the spot,
and Cryptessa intends to make Jaine pay for what her cat has done. After
digging a grave for the bird and planting some petunias, Jaine thinks that her
and Cryptessa are even until Jaine is served with a law suit filed by Cryptessa
for the wrongful death of her parakeet. Meanwhile, Jaine is hired by Marvelous
Marv of Mattress King Mattresses to revamp his marketing campaign. More
specifically, Marv would like Jaine to create a character who is like "a hip
and edgy Goldilocks with a bad back.” Jaine aims to prioritize her work but becomes
even more distracted by competing with her friend Lance for the affections of the
handsome and charming new neighbor, Peter Connor. Lance makes matter worse by sabotaging
Jaine’s Halloween costume plans by switching her cute flapper dress for an ape
suit to make her appear less appealing to Peter. When Cryptessa is suddenly
murdered during Peter’s Halloween party by someone in an ape suit, Jaine is at the top of the suspect list. She is determined to clear her name by solving
the murder on her own, but it’s proving to be difficult because, as it turns
out, almost everyone in the neighborhood had reason to despise Cryptessa. Don’t let
the elastic-waist pants fool you; be it the hunky neighbor down the block or a
deranged witch killer on the loose, you can “bet your bottom Pop-Tart” that
Jaine won’t stop until she bags her man.
Humorous and witty with lovable, quirky characters,
this title hits the mark in the cozy mystery genre with a bit of PG sass.
I love your end line about the book being a cozy mystery with a bit of PG sass. You also had me from the beginning by saying it "involves one dead parakeet named Van Helsing, a rented ape suit, and the neighborhood witch." It sounds like a fun and quirky book and got me interested in reading it.
ReplyDeleteHi Christina,
DeleteThanks for your feedback! This book is definitely a fun read.
I agree with Christina! Your review added this series to my list of books to read! I love books that hit the mark! :)
DeleteHi Nicole!
ReplyDeleteYou make everything about this book sound like so much fun! Your descriptions of the characters are endearing, and the silly events that ensue throughout the book makes me want to read it! I don’t usually read “cozy mysteries” or anything that I would consider “cozy,” for that matter, but you definitely made this book seem very appealing to me. I especially liked your inclusion of exact descriptions from the book, because it gives readers a glimpse of the kind of language the author uses, which can be a deal breaker for those interested in a different type of writing style. I chose to keep my review more vague, maybe because my book is more character-driven, so it is refreshing to read a review that is different from mine!
Hi Alisha,
DeleteThanks for your feedback! In response to your mention of the inclusion of exact descriptions, I had to include that "bet your bottom Pop-Tart" line; it's in every book in the series, and I think it's hilarious! Years ago, I emailed the author to tell her how much I enjoyed reading one of her books, and I included the Pop-Tart line specifically in my email. She actually responded! She thanked me for my message and said that she was happy I enjoyed her writing. I was over the moon that she responded and became a fan for life. If you're looking for a fun, lighthearted read, this book definitely delivers.
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI applaud how you matched the tone of the book in this review. You also adhered perfectly to the format of a Kirkus review - well done!
As others of my classmates have said, cozy mysteries aren't really my literary jam, but your review makes me want to read this! Perhaps I'll slate it as a Halloween read for next October.
(Also, is it bad if I'm low-key rooting for Lance to end up with the "hunky neighbor"? I'm always a fan of queer rep in clean reads *shrug*)
-Daniel Thurston
Excellent job on this Kirkus style review! The writing style sounds exactly how the book is written and I LOVED your concluding line. Full points!
ReplyDelete