Caturday Reads: Prozac the Cat Becomes a Star
Murder Has Nine Lives
by Laura Levine
Kensington Books
Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 28 Jun 2016
Review
While I'm not a doctor, I can prescribe Laura Levine's Prozac to anyone in need of copious quantities of laughter and wide eyed amazement. I'm not talking about the drug. I'm talking about Jaine Austen's unpredictable, more than a bit manic feline with an incomparable ability to scarf food and shred angora. Always a scene stealer, Prozac steps into the spotlight in Murder Has Nine Lives - and as you expect she is utterly fantastic.
Prozac is many things - lazy, crazy, and pampered beyond belief, but a TV star? Jaine has her doubts, but low and behold, Prozac gets cast as the new face of Skinny Kitty. As her main source of income is advertising copy for Toiletmasters, Jaine is thrilled by the prospect. Naturally, everything goes wrong, including Skinny Kitty's creator dying after tasting a poisoned batch of cat food. It even looks like the only orange in Jaine's future might be a prison uniform rather than the hideous orange tankini her mom bought for her upcoming trip to Hawaii.
Murder Has Nine Lives is so much fun to read. As I progressed, I alternated between laughing and staring slack-jawed in amazement. Laura Levine is immensely talented. Not only does she craft a good mystery, she knows just how the keep the laughter going. Naturally everything is a bit over-the-top, but if you are looking for a comic mystery you won't find one better. I don't want to give too much away, but here are a few of the things I enjoyed about Murder Has Nine Lives:
1.) Prozac and Jaine. Jaine's narration, including her edited versions of people's comments is hilarious. I'm never certain whether to applaud for or be embarrassed by her wild antics.
2.) Jaine's absolutely bonkers parents - the whole scrabble tournament subplot kept me in stitches throughout
3.) Jim - the handsome nephew of Jaine's employer who has an unfortunate teddy bear fixation - definitely up there on the list of craziest dates of all times
Cats, comedy and murder, what more could a woman want?
5/5
I received a copy of Murder Has Nine Lives from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
--Crittermom
Description
"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. . .
Outstanding Praise For Laura Levine's Jaine Austen Mysteries
Killing Cupid
"Levine offers a well-crafted plot." --Publishers Weekly
