In the 17th installment of the Jaine Austen series by bestselling author Laura Levine, Death of a Gigolo finds Jaine dating her ex and thinking she might have made a mistake breaking up with him. During that time, she also lands a job as a ghostwriter for Daisy Kincaid, a wealthy heiress who fancies herself as a writer. Unfortunately Daisy, to everyone’s horror, falls in love with a gold digger, named Tommy and sets a wedding date. Tommy is stabbed to death, and Jaine deems it her duty to find the murderer.

Anyone who has read novels in this series is ready to laugh; those who haven’t read novels by this fun author have really been missing out. Not only does she tell a good story, but she keeps her readers laughing while the suspense builds (yes, even though it’s funny, it is a good mystery). Levine does an excellent job of developing the characters: Jaine is the protagonist, and her cat, Prozac also plays a starring role. The supporting characters are believable and move the story along.

Since this is a cozy, there is no blatant violence, sex, or profanity, so the novel is perfect for all ages. All told, this is another fun one and is perfect to take on vacation. It’s fast moving and will keep readers on the edge while laughing at the same time.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I totally love this series! The characters are such characters and make me laugh so hard. Jaine and her cat, Prozac, are comical. The email exchanges and the crazy antics her dad gets into have you laughing out loud. For me, the fact that I can laugh so much while reading a mystery, makes me coming back for more. Quick, easy read. Can't wait for the next book!

I have loved this series from the get go. Janie is hilarious! Prozacs antics are funny as usual. I love hearing from Janies parents. And do not get me started on Lance. I guess who the killer was midway through, but still loved the book. The Jaine Austen Mystery Series is always good for a funny, fast, and fantastic read. I cannot recommend this enough,

Jaine Austen can have very interesting freelance writing jobs and she usually ends up right in the middle of the mystery. This is a quick reading book with an interesting 'story' as well as mystery. Just enough twists and turns to keep on turning pages.

Probably 3.5 stars. There's some (mostly) gentle poking fun at romance novels and the mystery is pretty good. A con man who gets his claws in an aging heiress is found murdered in his tanning bed. I was pretty confident I had figured out the murderer (I did!) but the motive came as a surprise and it was clever. Levine spins out Jaine's reunion with her ex (The Blob) that was dropped at the end of the last book and she actually stands up to Lance at one point - which was long overdue (Lance used to be a lot of fun - but the last several books he's gone mean). There are, of course, more antics from Jaine's parents and a mountain of junk food references. At this point there are no surprises in this series, but I keep reading because Levine can write a cracking good mystery that keeps you guessing. This one only partially kept me guessing but I inhaled this like comfort food so....winning!

I don’t know how I’ve managed to miss this series until now. I thought I had a good nose for hunting down brilliant cozies.
And this one is brilliant. It’s a romp from start to finish. Jaine Austen is ghost-writing a bodice ripper for the very rich Daisy, but the appearance and demise of the Gigolo of the title has her also sleuthing as well as writing. Events at home with her cat with attitude and ex-husband are witty, exciting and humorous, and input from Jaine’s parents via emails are a pure delight.
The cast of characters is totally fascinating, from mutton-dressed-as-lamb, to a French chef forced to cook burgers, to a jealous elderly lover, to our slightly madcap heroine.
There’s never a dull moment. Well, apart from the title maybe. That’s my only issue with the book – the title doesn’t give the merest hint of the sparkle that shines throughout this wonderful, crazily entertaining novel. Those rather dead four words are the reasons why this absolute gem of a book languished on my Kindle for so long before I reviewed it. I’m now a devoted fan of Laura Levine and Jaine, and have a lot of catching up to do with all the adventures I’ve missed.

Hooray-hooray, wacky and wonderful Jaine Austen is BACK for book 17 in America's funniest cozy mystery series! Laura Levine entertains with light hearted laughs all the way through to the last page.

In Death of a Gigolo, freelance writer Jaine Austen gets a gig ghost writing a bodice-ripping romance for $10,000. New boss, the humble heiress, 60-ish Daisy Kincaid, already has the title; Fifty Shades of Turquoise, and a plot; heroine and love interest make passionate love in every one of the 50 differently shaded turquiose rooms in a mansion.

Trouble arrives in the form of a young man who loves Daisy's money like it's his own, sexy stud muffin Tommy, and soon after he arrives on the scene, Tommy is spending Daisy's money like it's his own. Sweet Daisy can't see past Tommy's charms to his cash register heart and is soon wooed away from her age-appropriate boyfriend.

A lot is going on in D of a G; Jaine's exhusband is back in the picture heating up Jaine's love life,
Jaine's cat, Prozac, wanting nothing to do with the ex, threatens to come between the lovebirds, updates on Jaine's parents come in via emails, and pesky murder forces Jaine to dig out her amateur P.I. skills once again.

Lovers of TV sitcoms will gobble up this tasty treat.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was Jaine Austen at her finest. She gets a job writing Fifty Shades of Turquoise. A raunchy romance book. It was fun to read. She starts falling for her ex husband again, but did he really change? Her boss's lover gets stabbed in the neck and her co-worker gets the blame. Jaine puts on her PI hat and sleuths around. I did figure out who the killer was in the beginning. But, it did not lessen the book for me, I love Jaine's sense of humor and wit. I read this book in 2 days. It was an easy read.
Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advance readers copy. The opinions expressed are of my own.

I just love this series! Jaine is back with her ex and "in-love" and Prozac is having none of it! Meanwhile, local heiress Daisy asks Jaine to write a romance novel with her - all dining inclusive and a group of misfits to hang out with all day. One day, Daisy has a blast from the past arrive on her doorstep and just as quickly he drops out of their lives and a hunt for the killer begins. Filled with quick and witty dialogue, you may find yourself relating to Jaine when her love tries to place her on a diet and she just can't hack it. The random email storyline is always a fun addition to the story as you never know what Jaine's parents are getting themselves into and it's always a fun interlude to the murder mystery. Yet again, a fun addition to one of my favorite series!

I LOVE this series!!!
Prozac is a naughty b#### kitty and always gives Jaine her owner, a run for her money. Especially since Jaine wants to get back with her ex.
Jaine takes a job helping ghost write a book for a diva. Basically Jaine is going to end up writing it all. How marketable is turquoise? Read and find out. Oh and there is a murder she will have to solve.

This cozy is laugh out loud hilarious!

Freelance writer Janie Austen has been hired by Daisy Kincaid to ghostwrite a steamy romance novel. The heiress has already titled the book Fifty Shades of Turquoise. The setting will be a fifty room mansion, each room painted in a different shade of her favorite color and there will be a sex scene in every single room. Janie happily settles into her cushy new job and things are perfect (if she ignores the fact that her tempermental cat, Prozac, isn't at all happy she's back together with her ex.)

Then Daisy falls for Tommy and he moves into her mansion and takes over. Every member of Daisy's staff and every one of her circle of friends are horrified. They all want him gone, each for their own reasons. When Daisy announced her engagement and the creep is found dead with a knife in his neck, they're all suspects.

Death of a Gigolo is fast paced and funny with the most unlikable murder victim I think I've ever come across. Don't let that whole Fifty Shades of Turquoise thing concern you -- we don't have to read any of Daisy's bodice ripper. Instead we get entertaining emails from Janie's parents telling the story of a disastrous haircut.

I absolutely recommend this one and I can't wait to go back and read some of the earlier books in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

I do love cozy, and it's been a while so I decided to dip my toes into the genre again. I did enjoy this one, but I felt like the mystery was really a back story to the romance. This was mainly because the murder doesn't occur until the 40% mark, and for a cozy mystery that is pretty late in the game. It doesn't leave any time for sleuthing, so while I appreciated the jokes and the email snippets, I needed a murder in my cozy mystery. I didn't pick the suspect though, probably because very little of the sleuthing occured.

This is the first time I've read a book in this series, so maybe at book 17 the author is trying new things. I did enjoy the humour and the side characters, and the story line was refreshing for cozy. The characters were probably the best part, especially Jaine herself and her father. I could see where his story was going, but it was still a wild ride!

I'd read this series again, and I'd recommend it if you like your cozies with a dash of modern humour. Having the story of Clarissa added a little flair as well. Four stars.

Oh, Jaine........so unlucky to keep stumbling upon murder after murder and worthless guy after worthless guy.....

Love the shout out of Mar Vista - its my childhood 'hood and its always a treat to see it in a book.

Please bring back Candi as a character though...its been too long since we've seen her female bestie and sometimes Lance can be a little....well....Lance.

Her writing style cracks me up. I always know when I pick up one of her books that they are going to be filled with funnies and her parents are a hoot..This one did not disappoint.

This is the seventeenth book in the Jaine Austen series. Jaine feels like everything is finally going her way. She is back with her newly reformed ex husband and has a new writing gig for a romance book. Jaine is tasked with writing 50 shades of Turquoise for Daisy Kincaid. Of course wherever Jaine goes, murder seems to follow. Daisy has become involved with a much younger man named Tommy who is nothing but rude and just plain men to everyone he meets. So it is a complete shock when Daisy says they are getting married. Shortly after Tommy is killed and there is no shortage of suspects since Tommy made enemies wherever he went. Jaine stats to investigate.
This was an ok book. It follows the same pattern as all the others. Jaine taking a writing job and stumbling into trouble. This is a nice quick and easy cozy mystery to read. It is light hearted and fun and just what you need every once in a while.

Another cozy by a strong writer. Sometimes a bit far fetched but that’s what a cozy is for.. always a great escape.

I absolutely love this series. This is another great addition. This is still the only cozy series I’ve ever read where I actually laugh out loud.

"Death of a Gigolo" presents readers with a mystery that is liberally sprinkled with humor. Jaine Austen returns with more adventures as a writer. This time she is involved in ghost-writing a romance novel instead of her usual ads, and becomes involved in the investigation of the murder of a guy who is definitely an opportunist!

Readers who have read other novels in the series will be familiar with many of the characters and with the humorous quirks of Jaine. The author includes many silly scenes, lots of red herrings, and the usual "punny" character names. Mix in frequent emails from Jaine's parents (Daddy-O and ShopTilYouDrop) and the result is a hilarious reading opportunity. No profanity or sexual descriptions to detract from the plot. Prepare to keep guessing the killer and motives until the surprise ending. All is wrapped up in the usual humorous manner.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Princess Fuzzypants here: I do look forward to each Jaine Austen book. I love the combination of quirkiness and self awareness and the gently acerbic humour. Jaine, who is always struggling to make ends meet, may have landed the perfect job. She is going to ghost write an over the top romance with an eccentric rich lady for a lot of money. Okay. She is going to write it and the lady will claim to be the author. She is writing at the woman’s palatial mansion and eating delicious food. Even her despicable ex has shown up again and seems to be a totally reformed man. Life could not be much better.
That is until a handsome con man shows up and seemingly bamboozles the lady. He also creates havoc and mayhem in the house. So when he is found with his Swiss Army knife in his neck, there are plenty of possible suspects. The person who is top of the list asks Jaine to discover who is the killer. Everyone and anyone could be guilty, including the top suspect. There is a lovely little twist at the end that will keep you guessing.
On top of all this fun, there is Prozac. Jaine’s cat has razor sharp wit and a wicked sense of humour. She is wonderful and never better than when trying to warn Jaine off her supposedly reformed ex. As usual, there are bits that had me laughing out loud. If you have yet to meet Jaine and Prozac, I suggest you get introduced.
Five purrs and two paws up.

I giggled my way through the book. Jaine's parents, her cat Prozac (what a name!), her ex Dickie also known as The Blob, her parents who just can't stay out of trouble...Add to that a dead gigolo and an elderly heiress who decided to become a romance novelist with Jaine's help...This book doesn't disappoint.