I love Laura Levine’s Jaine Austen series! Jaine is sort of like Stephanie Plum only more food and less danger. Jaine and her cat, Prozac, find themselves in another crazy situation with another character everyone loves to hate. Enter chaos and some Christmas treats and you have a cozy book you can curl up with and enjoy this holiday season! This book, like all Levine’s books, leave you laughing.

Jaine Austen is a goofy freelance copywriter who lives with her disdainful cat, Prozac, and is generally fairly content with her lot. But a chance to find out how the other half lives by house sitting a seriously ritzy place for Christmas gives her a chance to spend the holiday in luxury with her dearest friend... or so she thinks.

Then she meets the neighborhood Scrooge, a bitter former child actor with a grudge against everyone. Especially at Christmas time. The cat's mischief gets Jaine involved with this distinctly unneighborly neighbor, and things start to go downhill.

Add her friend's determination to set Jaine up with as many blind dates as possible and her mounting jealousy over Prozac the cat, and the holiday season is going seriously awry... even before the murder.

Quirky characters and lots of fun holiday detail make this comical cozy a fun read.

In 'Death of a Neighborhood Scrooge' I was led on a merry chase in my mind as to whom might be guilty in the death on one time child star Scotty Baker. I knew the homicide was coming, I was set up all along the way, but the outcome had me guessing with expert twists until the surprising end. This book was laugh out loud delightful. This is my first Jaine Austen exposure and I am an instant and undying fan!

Death of a Neighborhood Scrooge by Laura Levine is a fantastically fun and entertaining read.

Even though murder doesn't happen till almost the middle of the book, I loved reading about Jaine and her best friend Lance's adventures. I couldn't wait to see what disaster they will get themselves into next and getting familiar with the characters.
Emails from her parents were hilarious especially her father's take on the cruise and everything else going on.

Mystery is interesting, dialogue is absorbing and it is a delight to read.
Jaine's relationship with her cat had me chuckling as did many situations main character found herself in.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this lighthearted and charming book and can't wait for a new one and I am definitely reading all other books.

A very enjoyable cozy! Quite the cast of characters, plenty of humor, and of course, a whodunit. Enough twists and turns to keep me guessing right up until the end.

I laughed, giggled and chortled my way through Laura Levine’s latest adventure of Jaine Austen and her cat, Prozac. Or maybe it was the latest adventure of Prozac and her person, Jaine Austen. Either way, this book is hilarious; Jaine’s best friend Lance is here, and the usual hysterical emails from Jaine’s parents are included.

Jaine and Lance are housesitting in a huge Bel Air mansion for Christmas. Naturally, there is a murder and Jaine ends up sleuthing. I don’t like spoilers, so I am not going to spoil this for you. You will want to read it and get all of the laughs for yourself. The only thing I will say is that I didn’t figure out whodunnit, but maybe I was too busy laughing to pay enough attention.

I don’t know how Laura Levine does it. If anything, she is getting funnier as the series goes along. The emails from Jaine’s parents are perfect, and I really like Lance, even if he is a little over the top sometimes. I enjoyed this book from beginning to end, and you will too. Five stars, and I wish it could be more.

While I still cannot get over reading a Christmas book at the beginning of September, I will always jump at the chance to read a Jaine Austen mystery book because its always like coming home.. I sometimes miss Mar Vista, Westwood, West LA where I grew up and I know by reading one of her books I'll always be transported to my hometown.

What I loved: The ending - who saw that coming!!!???!!! I cannot wait to see where this goes as its a brand new direction for Jaine.

What I didn't love: This is like book # 2 or #3 in a row without a scene/mention/anything of Jaine's female best friend. Its been so long I can't even remember her name! As fun as Lance is (I mentally picture him as Frederick from Million Dollar Listing New York) I'd just like to see the other bestie once in a while.

Overall Grade: B+

Death of a Neighborhood Scrooge is the sixth book in Laura Levine’s Jaine Austen Mystery series. This is the first book I’ve read in this series, but because the author provides great background information on the characters, I didn’t feel lost jumping in so late in the series. This quick and easy read is a well thought out, humorous whodunit, with well-developed characters, and some adult language. There are multiple potential suspects and lots of things going on to keep the reader engaged. The reveal came as a surprise to me.

Jaine Austen, a freelance writer, and her neighbor and gay friend, Lance Venable, a shoe salesman at Neiman, are looking forward to spending two weeks at Christmastime in a Bel Air mansion. Connie Van Hooten, one of Lance’s customers, hired them to housesit. Not only do they get to spend two weeks in her mansion and are being paid a thousand dollars each, but since she has a strict no-pets policy, offered to board Lance’s dog, Mamie, and Jaine’s cat, Prozac, at the Fur Seasons Pet Hotel. Unfortunately, Prozac attacks the pet hotel’s concierge on the first day and they drop her off at Ms. Van Hooten’s home. While Jaine and Lance try to decide what to do, Prozac sneaks into a neighbor’s house, and Missy Parker, the owner, offers to take care of Prozac, but her cheapskate husband, Scotty, wants to charge Jaine for boarding her cat. Scotty agrees to waive the charge if Jaine will help edit his screenplay. Jaine hates working with Scotty and sadly, Prozac has taken a liking to Missy, leaving Jaine with a huge case of jealousy. On Christmas morning, Jaine finds Scotty dead in his office, beaten by a frozen chocolate yule log, and Jaine becomes a suspect because she left a fingerprint in the icing when she tried to taste it after she found it sitting on the kitchen counter. As Jaine begins to question people, she discovers no one seems to miss Scotty and her suspect list gets longer and longer. The emails Jaine receives from her quirky parents are hilarious and Jaine ventures into online dating, thanks to Lance signing her up and creating her profile on Smatch.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

Jaine Austen is a very funny lady. She is also smart, intelligent and a lover of chocolate and ice cream. She is not above having those two things in the same bite.

She and her best friend, Lance, have had the good fortune to be invited to house sit in a Bel Air mansion for Christmas vacation.

The only down side, Jaine's cat, Prozac would not be able to stay with her. The house was filled with important pieces of art and no pet was allowed. Fortunately, a next door neighbor would love to have Prozac stay with her. Prozac not only gets a name change, but evidently the name has created an entirely new cat in Prozac's body.

When Jaine gets anxious, she needs to eat. Actually, she enjoys eating whether she is anxious or not. Starch and sugar are her two favorite food groups.

When Jaine is coerced into helping a next door neighbor work on his screen play, she meets a true Christmas grinch. The man is hateful to everyone he meets. He treats his present wife, his ex-wife and every neighbor as though they were out to steal from him. He was an equal opportunity meanie.

It is no surprise when he is murdered. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

Laura Levine has written another funny, funny book.

Although this is part of a series, it is easy to follow if you are not familiar with earlier books.
But,I would suggest that just for the laughs, you read every book in the series.

Because Jaine may be a suspect in the murder, she determines that she is the best one to investigate the murder. She interviews suspects on a regular basis. In between those interviews she is dating men she meets through a web site.

This book will not make anyone want to date people they meet on a web site. But, there will be laughs at how truly bad internet dating can be for a woman's ego.

This is a fun book with a good mystery. Jaine is a terrific heroine who is very human, very quick to see reality and most of all very funny.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review Death of a Neighborhood Scrooge. First of all, I love Janie Austin, she is a girl after my own heart Ben and Jerry's and chocolate. Laura Levine's writing flows effortlessly and is so easy to read and makes the reader feel like they personally know Janie.
This latest Janie Austin takes place during Christmas when she encounters a modern-day Scrooge who she finds dead. Everyone who has met him has a reason to kill him, but only Janie can solve the crime.

Her books crack me up and this didn’t disappoint. I can’t wait for the best one! Another winner!

First of all - I LOVED this book and this series!!

Not only was it a cozy mystery, but it will also tickle your funny-bone!

Jaine, Prozac, and Lance get to housesit in a lush mansion, but the owner has a no-pets policy. Luckily?? the lady next door offers to take care of Prozac, but in return the man of the house insists that Jaine help edit his screenplay which is a total disaster.

The fun begins when "The Scrooge" turns up dead, beaten by a frozen yule log cake. The problem is Jaine had just taken a finger swipe taste test and has left her fingerprint.

But, oh so many people were pleased he was disposed of, no one seemed to miss this miserly grump. Could it be the ex-wife who lives above a kabob restaurant, or his current wife who lives on a scrimpy budget and like the company of the handsome renter. Hmmm, don't forget the slip of a woman (and her son) who cleans the house and she can't quit because he knows her secret? The list never ends as the neighbors literally despise this man, who tries to ruin Christmas for the children.

But Jaine is out to clear her good name and does her own haphazard investigation. and a few little white lies.

Plenty of fun and laugh out loud texts from her parents on a cruise.

Hop aboard for this holdiay fun cozy that will keep you trying to solve the puzzle - and a tangled web it is.

Read as soon as you can get your hands on this book and it would make a nice gift for people on your gift list this holiday season.

Sit back enjoy and feel the hot Santa Ana winds on your face!

(Insert drumroll) I LOVED IT!!

- - will also post on Goodreads - -

Laura Levine's books are a light and funny read! This novel puts Jaine Austen and her friend Lance house-sitting in a Hollywood home. They immediately become acquainted with the next door neighbors, a former child star (and the "Scrooge") and his second wife. Jaine's cat immediately deserts her for the woman next door. This part I found hard to believe--that Jaine would allow a complete stranger to take her cat while she stays in the fancy house. Any cat lover would not do that--they'd give up the housesitting (especially since Lance could still do the job without her) if her cat couldn't stay there. So, that part was a bit disappointing, but guess it added some interest. Lots of humor added fun to this mystery, but the characters seem a bit overdone. And, I wasn't so thrilled with the ending (no spoiler, here, though).

Another hilarious installment in the Jaine Austen series! In this one, Jaine and her friend and neighbor Lance get the chance to house sit for one of Lance's ultra rich customers, spending the Christmas holiday seeing how the other half live. Jaine soon finds out that things aren't so glamorous on the other side when their neighbor turns out to be the neighborhood scrooge and her cat, Prozac, abandons her for someone younger, prettier and richer. Things escalate when the scrooge-like neighbor is murdered, with a Yule Log of all things, and Jaine becomes the prime suspect. Join Jaine as she tries to clear her name and salvage the holidays, all while hilariously trying to join the world of online dating. Another winner from Lara Levine!

Thank you Netgalley for an arc of this title.

Another laugh out loud cozy mystery from Laura Levine. This time Jaine Austen is a suspect and must clear her name by discovering who "bonked" the "neighborhood scrounge" over the head with a frozen chocolate Yule log. Filled with disastrous dates courtesy of smatch.com and punctuated with emails from her hijink prone parents on a Christmas cruise for seniors, Jaine must figure out whodunit before it's too late.

Fun, light read with humor and interesting ending. Characters a bit too simple but worth your time for a chick kit read

I love this series! When looking for humor and a believable female heroine, Laura Levine delivers. I have heard her Jaine Austen series compared to Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum. I much prefer Jaine, as she is far more relatable to the average woman. This series, and in particular, this installment, will appeal to fans of cozies, cat lovers, and those who like their mysteries delivered with laughs.

Another fun cozy with characters and a cat you’ll love. Her parent’s emails make for a great chuckle.

This is such a fun series! The books are quick reads and the mystery keeps you guessing until the end. I love reading about Jaine's life, especially her relationship with her cat. I also love her e-mails from her parents. This latest installment makes me wish the next one was ready to be released as well! It was a quick read and my guesses for who did it were completely wrong. Can't wait for the next one!

I love Laura Levine's books. This one is funny enough to make me wish she could write faster. My only complaint is that I didn't feel there were enough hints as to the real killer. It could be that I just missed them. And I have to admit that the ending definitely has me waiting for the next book to see what is going to happen. She managed to write a cliffhanger ending without making me feel that it took away from the story. I don't feel forced to read the next book to find out how this one ends.