A quick, fun read. Jaine Austen is about as down-to-earth as they come, her "fame" as a writer coming from writing a catchy spot jingle for plumbing. Her cat Prozac continues to baffle and defy her at every turn, all while being the sweetest kitty on earth to neighbor Lance and others, and even the best sounding job opportunities seem to wind up leading not just to disaster but a murder. A murder Jaine solves, I might mention. She also deals with her parents' flow of wacky emails, usually detailing some wild situation her father has gotten himself into, such as tap dancing with an iguana on his head. Nope, not making that one up. It's in the book with all the hilarious details.

As for the murder, who offed Misty, the lead actress in a revival of the zombie show. True, she sounds like an atrocious actress but, hey, even bad actors don't deserve to die. Who killed her? Well, I think we can eliminate Prozac....maybe. How about Lance's new boyfriend, Aiden. He seems nice enough but, well, looks can also be deceiving. Misty's director/co-star who was obviously lusting, er, enchanted by her youthful appeal and flirting? How about the director's long suffering girlfriend?

Is Jaine's trip to a bachelor auction somehow related to all this? How did she wind up bidding and winning, anyway? Has neighbor Lance found true love, at least for this week? What is a good reason to kill someone? Will Jaine succeed in teaching Prozac to walk calmly on a leash? Why is she trying to teach Prozac to walk on a leash anyway? And, back to the Iguana....tap dancing with an iguana on your top hat? Oh, the image not only this little detail but so many images that this book conjures up.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a fun, quick read with lots of laughs, this is it. I've read this series since discovering the cozy mystery genre and as predictable as much of the action is, it still hasn't gone stale for me. Jaine is likable, well, by everyone but Prozac, and the zany characters and situations she finds herself in are a hoot. Thanks #NetGalley and #KensingtonBooks for inviting me to check out the zombie play Jaine is trying to whip into shape. Can't wait to see what she's up to next visit.

Laura Levine intertwines both comedy and mystery together in this series. Truly a reader can pick up anywhere and still enjoy the series. Lighthearted for a mystery series, makes for a nice change of pace.

Fans of this series will be delighted with this latest offering.
I strongly suggest you read the previous books in the series.
A good solid cozy.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

Things are looking up for Jaine Austen...sort of. She has been hired to do revisions on a really awful play, I Married A Zombie, based on an equally awful and thankfully quickly cancelled TV show by the same name (Jaine had solved the murder of the star of the show in a past book). As bad as the play is, the woman hired as lead actor somehow manages to make it worse. She has no discernible acting skills beyond the ability to twist the director/producer around her little finger and she uses this to make constant demands, one of which is that she is allowed time every rehearsal for her favourite smoothie. No surprise to anyone when she is murdered by said smoothie. The only problem is who dunnit and a whole cast of suspects who seem to have been more than willing to play the role of murderer.

Death by Smoothie is the nineteenth in A Jaine Austen Mystery series and it is a fast, fun, and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny cozy mystery and I'd like to thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read it in exchange for an honest review. There's plenty of twists and turns and it kept me guessing. But I'll admit the best part of the novel for me were the antics of her cat Prozac and the emails of her parents. Loved it!

I thought this book was hilarious. I don't know where the author gets her ideas from but this one was insanely funny. It's fast paced and full of suspense and humor. Those parents of hers are a hoot. The clues were few and the suspects were many. I was surprised who the killer turned out to be. This one is definitely one of the best cozies I have read so far this year.

Laura Levine does it again !!!
Jaine Austen is hired to help write the play for I Married a Zombie ( Jaine solved the murder of the TV star in a previous novel ), when someone decided to make the lead actress Misty , a spoiled and mean girl into a real Zombie by poisoning her smoothie .
Which of the cast members did it and why is what Jaine intends to prove .

Laura Levine ‘s novel are a fast and fun read . Ms.Levine blending of comedy and mystery is perfect.
The additional antics of Prozac and Janine’s parents’ emails had me dying with laughter .

Thank you Kensington Cozies and NetGalley for the privilege of an advance copy of this book .
I just reviewed Death by Smoothie by Laura Levine. #DeathbySmoothie #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series. In this one, Jaine takes a job as a script doctor for a local play and it doesn't take long for her to stumble into a murder. As always, Jaine tries to find out who the killer is and hijinks ensue. This is a delightful read filled with humor and wacky characters. I highly recommend it!

Jaine Austin is working on a play that may give a murderous meaning to "break a leg"! After solving the murder of Cryptessa Muldoon, she never thought she'd be back in the "I Married a Zombie" world. When a fan brings the tv show back as a play, Jaine is hired to re-work the trouble spots. However, when the unlikable leading lady is murdered with a "not so tasty smoothie", she has to find the killer before she's the next target - and she doesn't even like smoothies!

This series keeps me guessing and laughing! Daddi-o and Prozac are out of control and driving Jaine and her Mom nuts, Lance is his lovable, narcissistic self and a lot of ice cream is consumed. I was surprised to discover "whodunit" but it made sense and all the puzzle pieces fell into place.

It's fun to read a series where the main character is not perfect and never gives up. That keeps me coming back, book after book and I'm already looking forward to the next mystery!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

One of my all time favorite cozy series.
Freelance writer Jaine Austen is all too familiar with the short-lived sitcom I Married a Zombie—she once solved the murder of its star, Cryptessa Muldoon. But in true zombie fashion, Cryptessa is back from the grave—sort of—courtesy of a new theatrical production, and murder is on the bill once more…
It was so fun going on another adventure with Jaine. Laugh out loud humor.

#DeathbySmoothie #NetGalley

I love these books by Laura Levine. They're so funny, and the plots are interesting enough to keep you guessing, but not so complicated or so unbelievable that you are having to slog just to get to the end. The characters are not your standard sidekick types, but they aren't unrealistic that you don't know a few people like them. Definitely an author I will always read.

Death By Smoothie by Laura Levine is the latest in the Jaine Austen series. Jaine and Prozac are back. Jaine gets a job through Lance's new love interest working on the script for the stage version of cult classic I Married a Zombie, while also trying to get a job with the Pasadena Historical Society. Jaine finds herself mixed up in another murder investigation after the nightmare of the star of the play is murdered with a poisoned smoothie. Lance doesn't believe his love could have been the killer, although Jaine isn't too sure. Jaine's bestfriend convinces her to bid on a bachelor in the name of charity and she soon realizes she needs to get her money back.

As usual, Daddie-O finds himself at odds with Lydia Pinkus when he joins the talents show. He and Jaine's mother keep her updated on his exploits as he searches for his iguana, who he just knows Lydia stole.

I always look forward to catching up with Jaine and Prozac and seeing what Daddie-O gets up to down in Florida.

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Jaine's career is booming! She's getting a huge paycheck for working on a stinky revival play based on the equally-stinky cult classic TV show I Married a Zombie, and she's got the opportunity to add a new client to her roster, the classy Pasadena Historical Society, that will look amazing on her resume next to Toiletmasters. But of course Prozac is always there to keep Jaine grounded. And as usual there's a pesky little murder to contend with as well.

I freaking love Jaine Austen. If someone were to ask me for my favorite cozy mystery series I wouldn't be able to narrow it down to just one but Jaine would most definitely be on the short list. The way Levine injects humor into the story is so impressive. Even when stumbling upon a dead body, Jaine can make you laugh out loud. The antics of her demon cat Prozac and the adventures Jaine finds herself caught up in while trying to question suspects are hysterical. And I won't even mention what happens when she tries to go on a date. Jaine wants to pretend those things were part of a terrible dream.

To avoid giving anything away I will simply say: Read this book. Read all the books in this series. Now. Go. Download them to your ereader, check them out at the library, grab them at the bookstore, whatever. Just do it. I'll wait.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Thanks @netgalley for read number 73 of 2022. I’m a big fan of Laura Levine’s other cozy and humorous mysteries, and this one is another enjoyable read. If you like her other books, you’ll like this one. The reason for the crime was a bit extreme in my opinion, but the book was fast-paced and funny. A ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ read for this type of book.

Jaine is hired to help with the script for a new play based on a former show with a cult following. Jaine is happy for the work, but when the lead actress is murdered, Jaine and prozac are on the case…just like they were on the case of the original star of the show when she was murdered.

With a slew of suspects that are actors, how can they tell who’s just playing a part and who’s telling the truth? What a fiasco! Can Jaine and prozac figure out this case and make it back home or will this end up being Jaine’s last gig?

A fun series that will give you a great dose of Prozac along with Jaine’s sleuthing efforts. I continue to enjoy this series and find Jaine and Prozac to be amusing and fun…grab this one for a holiday read when you want to kick back, relax and immerse yourself in something beyond decorating, shopping and the festivities. You won’t regret it!

Another terrific release in this humorous cozy series! I love the main character,Jaine Austen and her irrepressible neighbor Lance. Jaine has an interesting career as a freelance author who writes catchy ad copy and Lance works in retail. Jaine's parents also feature in the series, they've retired to Florida but keep us in the loop with their entertaining e-mails. This is a series that I hope continues forever!

Laura Levine writes cozy mysteries that have drama with a nice dose of humor. Not to mention a cat named Prozac. How can you lose with this combination.

Jaine Austin is a freelance writer who is hired to work on a script for a new play based on I Married A Zombie, a former show that was loosely based on Bewitched. Unfortunately the script for the play is in need of a lot of help. The woman hired to play the main character is a terrible actress and demanding Diva.
There is no love lost between this woman and those working around her.

The Diva turns up dead and it is up to Jaine to solve the mystery.
Thanks to Kensington publisher and Netgalley for the arc

Love Love Love the Jaine Austin series - Prozac is the best mystery book cat ever. This is a superb story with fun characters. The only negative I will say about the story is that the motive of the murder was a bit flimsy. Overall a very fun read!

I really like this series and I'm always excited for a new book that's coming out.
As much as I enjoy Jaine and her cat, Prozac, I think this series is getting stale.
It seems nothing ever changes for Jaine, which was funny in the beginning of the series, but now it's just become repetitive silly stuff.
I hope the author creates something different for Jaine in the future, because Jaine deserves to have something amazing happen to her.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.
#DeathbySmoothie #NetGalley

Death by Smoothie was cute! I really enjoyed the story and characters. I had fun trying to figure out who done it! Five stars!

Jaine Austen is awesome! She’s down to earth, not skinny, not rich, and wonderfully sarcastic! Add in Prozac the cat and Laura Levine always has a winner! I laughed out loud so many times as I read through the latest Jaine Austen mystery. Jaine takes a job polishing up a play, the annoying actress is killed by her health smoothy, so of course Jaine investigates. While the mystery is central to the book, the descriptions of her dates and emails from her parents kept me in stitches! Can’t wait for the next one!