This Pen For Hire

Name: This Pen For Hire
Brand: Tantor Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Laura Levine
ISBN: 9781666170146

Author: Laura Levine

Series: Jaine Austen Mystery #1

Narrator: Brittany Pressley

Unabridged: 5 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/21/2021

Categories: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Women Sleuths, Amateur Sleuth

Synopsis

Smarmy personals ads. Daring declarations of love. Freelance writer Jaine Austen has penned them all. But no one needs her help more than geeky, gawky Howard Murdoch. His request is simple enough: a letter proclaiming his undying love for Stacy Lawrence, a gorgeous aerobics instructor. The fact that he's never actually met the woman gives Jaine pause—yet she soon overcomes her misgivings, and the unlikely Romeo lands a date! But his triumph is short-lived. On Valentine's Day, Howard finds Stacy bludgeoned to death with a Thigh Master—and is quickly named the prime suspect.

Jaine is shocked. Sure, Howard's awkward and eccentric. But a murderer? That's hard to believe. Especially after a little sleuthing reveals a plethora of people who harbored less-than-loving feelings towards the svelte Stacy. Now Jaine had better wrangle her clues quickly, before a crafty killer catches on—and puts a whole new spin on her ghost writing career . . .

About Laura Levine

Laura Levine is a comedy writer whose television credits include The Bob Newhart Show, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, The Jeffersons, Three's Company, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. Her work has been published in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. She lives in Los Angeles, and is currently working on the next Jaine Austen mystery.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Heidi on January 11, 2024

3.5 rounded up because this author knows her way around self-deprecating humor!! A cozy mystery (first in the series) that I enjoyed despite a slightly obvious ending. I knew the murderer’s identity but it was still fun getting there with Jaine Austen and friends!! Will definitely be checking out the......more

Goodreads review by Luffy Sempai on March 08, 2016

From the very start to the last sentence, This Pen For Hire kept me on my toes. It was flawless overall. I cannot praise this book highly enough. I'm usually very careful with my rating system and all the books that get a perfect score need to go that extra mile to get 5 stars. The pacing was wonde......more

Goodreads review by Philip on January 03, 2011

Reading on the train is not usually a problem, except when you are chuckling out loud and people are wondering what's wrong with you. Laura Levine's book is a most amusing mystery filled with lots of funny one-liners. The mystery is good and the book just lets you delve into Jaine's world. It is wor......more

Goodreads review by Star on May 18, 2023

Laugh out loud funny. Read with a friend as part of a buddy read. I'm so glad she had this on the list. The occupation of the main character is unique and little references are made throughout the book. Shortly after starting, I looked to see when the second book in the series was coming out, 2003 lo......more

Goodreads review by Marguerite on January 23, 2014

I really enjoyed this. It was fun, fast and witty. I had never heard of Jaine Austen, the PI/writer in it, until I saw a review of a later book on SuperWendy's blog, and I'm really pleased to have discovered a whole new series. I read this in two gulps. It doesn't matter that I guessed whodunit, tha......more