Candy Cane Murder ~ Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine, Leslie Meier

Courtesy of B&N

'Tis the season for trimming the tree, caroling, baking cookies, and curling up by the Yuletide waiting for Santa to drop down the chimney. But in this festive collection of holiday whodunits, murder is also paying a visit . . .



Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Pub. Date: October 2007
ISBN-13: 9780758221988
288pp

Series:
Hannah Swensen Series
Lucy Stone Mystery Series
Jaine Austen Series



"Candy Cane Murder" by Joanne Fluke

Bakery owner Hannah Swensen feels a little stuffed in her elf costume-but it's too late to count calories. Lake Eden's annual Christmas gala is upon her and eager children are waiting. Wayne Bergstrom, owner of Bergstrom's Department Store, happily ho-ho-hos his way through the festivities in his Santa suit. But when a trail of candy canes leads to his corpse in a snow bank, Hannah must find Kris Kringle's killer.



"The Dangers of Candy Canes" by Laura Levine

When a wealthy suburbanite takes a lethal tumble off his roof while installing a giant candy cane, the roofing contractor being held responsible for murder asks freelance writer Jaine Austen to investigate. But solving this untimely holiday death means delving into the cutthroat Christmas decorating wars among scheming neighbors with dirty secrets in their stocking. It takes a fruitcake hiding a weapon and a stunning confrontation to expose the mastermind of this holiday murder.



"Candy Canes of Christmas Past" by Leslie Meier

Twenty-some years ago, Lucy Stone arrived in Tinker Cove, Maine, and discovered her knack for solving mysteries when she met Miss Tilly, the town librarian, whose mother took a fatal fall down the basement stairs one Christmas Eve. The "accident" left a cloud of suspicion on Miss Tilly's father and a slew of other suspects. The only clue was a glass candy cane found smashed to bits by the victim's body. Now Lucy must learn the mystery of the glass candy cane as she unlocks the doors of Christmas past, exposing secrets, scandal, and a killer who got away with murder.




Whether a gift for yourself or that special someone on your list, there's no better way to spend the holidays than with these tantalizing mysteries of murder . . .



15+ scrumptious holiday recipes are included =p!!! Yum~O !!!


Three of my absolute favorite cozy writers came together to create the ultimate reading gift.

Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine & Leslie Meier contribute candy cane-themed novellas to this extremely entertaining cozy yuletide anthology.


One of the best things... each has a mystery that isn't too easy to solve. Yay!!!



Kudos to Joanne Fluke, Laura Levine & Leslie Meier for pulling it off in this incredibly comedic novella.

Check out Jo's website @ http://www.murdershebaked.com/



Warning! Readers of the Lucy Stone series don't forget the tissues.

Last Writes: A Jaine Austen Mystery ~ Laura Levine

Courtesy of Kensington...

Wisecracking pen-for-hire Jaine Austen is back—and she’s about to discover that working on the set of a Hollywood sitcom is no laughing matter…
Jaine still hasn’t found a good man—or a way to keep all those sugary snacks from going straight to her hips. But—with a little help from her best friend Kandi—she’s finally landed a gig as a sitcom writer! True, Muffy ‘n Me isn’t going to win any Emmys, but for Jaine, being on staff sure beats writing boring brochures and bad resumes. Until the plot thickens—with murder…
Jaine figures the trouble all started when Muffy ‘n Me’s hottest star, gorgeous Quinn Kirkland, seduced the head writer—whose husband also works on the show. But when Quinn’s caught in bed with the barely-legal actress who plays his niece, things really heat up—and his many jealous girlfriends start to figure things out…
So when the no-good heartthrob drops dead after nibbling a poisoned doughnut, Jaine isn’t terribly surprised. But who could have done it? A competitive co-star and a couple of scorned lovers top Jaine’s list of suspects, but the police have zeroed in on her man-crazy pal Kandi. Now Jaine has to figure out who finally stopped Quinn’s cheatin’ heart—before her best friend ends up behind bars…

Tissues. Got 'em. Eye drops. Yup. Chocolate... make that chocolates!!!

Laura Levine's sophomore effort proves her debut, This Pen for Hire, was not a fluke.

Wisecracking, lovable, zany Jaine Austen is back in this comical mystery.

Told from Jaine's perspective this whimsical book is a must for readers who like their mysteries fast paced, entertaining... OK, sidesplitting w/ an abundance of humor.

Laura Levine delivers the one-liners effortlessly. This talented scribe definitely knows how to write comedy.

For readers who love their television, Laura Levine gives us a glimpse inside the fickle world of the actors & the erratic writing process.

Laura Levine saturates Last Writes w/ a freshness that is not always easy to pull off in the ever growing world of the mystery series.

Laura Levine's writing is crisp, down~to~earth, & plain 'ole fun!!!

Jaine is back w/ her campy, kooky, delightful friends ~ be prepared for plenty of laughs.

Kandi, Lance & Prozac are priceless!!!

All of the characters peppered in Last Writes are fascinating.

I adore the uproarious e-mail exchanges between Jaine & her parents.

Despite the fact that the dead body doesn't show up until almost half way into this campy read, the mystery is first~class.

Laura Levine does an excellent job setting up the foundation. She doesn't drop the ball.

While Last Writes is book # 2 in the Jaine Austen Mystery it stands alone just fine.

Warning! There are some scenes that are immensely rip-roaring that will make you laugh until you cry.

This Pen for Hire: A Jaine Austen Mystery ~ Laura Levine

Courtesy of Kensington Publishing Corp.

Smarmy personals ads. Daring declarations of love. Writer-for-hire Jaine Austen has penned them all—and, in the process, glimpsed the truly desperate side of L.A.'s swinging singles scene. But when one of the love connections she made is broken up by murder, Jane finds herself freelancing free-of-charge—and uncovering more than she bargained for…
No one seems to need her help more than geeky, gawky Howard Murdoch. His request, though strangely stalker-ish, 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—but she soon overcomes her misgivings, warms up her computer, and starts pitching woo on Howard's behalf.
To Jaine's surprise, the letter is a success—the unlikely Romeo lands a date! But his triumph is, sadly, short-lived. On Valentine's Day, Howard finds Stacy bludgeoned to death with a Thigh Master—and is quickly named the prime suspect.
Upon hearing the news, Jaine is shocked. Sure, Howard's awkward, eccentric, and a tiny bit odd. But a murderer? That's hard to believe. Especially after a little sleuthing turns up a whole bunch of people who harbored less-than-loving feelings towards the svelte Stacy. Like the woman who coveted her spacious apartment. The jealous wife who saw her husband's eye wander in Stacy's direction. The ex-best friend, who's still angry at Stacy for stealing her man….
Things only get crazier when Jaine meets Stacy's neighbor, Cameron. He's handsome and cultured, sophisticated and sexy—in other words, too good to be true. Still, Jaine's too distracted by a nagging sense of obligation to her client to focus fully on much else. After all, if she hadn't been so good at her job, the only cops on Howard's case would be the fashion police. Before Jaine knows it, she's become a nosier—and bolder—version of her usual self, flashing her Bloomies charge card in lieu of a press pass and lying her pants off in her quest for the truth. But Jaine had better wrangle her clues quickly, before a crafty killer catches on—and puts a whole new spin on her ghost writing career…

Memo to self...

Do not drink anything while reading this saucy book.

Do not read this book while in public due to outrageous fits of laughter that will bubble up & the next vacation you take will be @ the LoOnY Tunes Ranch : 0.

Be prepared for the looks, stares, gazes & head shaking you will receive as your family, friends & strangers finally realize you have officially gone off the deep end.

Be prepared to have tears flow endlessly from laughing hysterically.

Warning...

Reading this book will spoil you & you will crave more.

Oh, yeah, don't forget the chocolate ; 9.

Laura Levine knocked it right out of the box w/ her quick witted, smartly paced debut. This Pen for Hire is brimming with humor.

Meet Jaine Austen ~ her mom's not too big on spelling . Jaine is one of the most down-to-earth & utterly charming amateur detectives to come along in a long time.

Laura Levine created not only an appealing, crafty, brassy, character ~ she hit the nail & penned a fun, fast~paced mystery that is laugh~out~loud funny!!!

Laura has an invigorating knack for writing in a style that gives the impression that Jaine is personally talking to you. Love that!!!

Laura's clever narration is unquestionably refreshing!!! I love how Jaine often shares what she wishes she could say.

Her communication w/ her parents is definitely a side-splitting adventure. And her imagined conversations with Prozac are uproarious.

Jaine is such a magnetic heroine, it won't be long before you become absorbed in her endless high jinks.

Jaine's best friend Kandi is a blast. Jaine's neighbor Lance is riotous. Her cat Prozac is priceless.

Jaine Austen is definitely a character you'll love. Laura Levine is a keeper.

I adore this series so much it is a must to have the moment it hits the shelves. I pre~0rder all of her books.

The only thing I don't like about this darling series is I have to wait a year for the next Jaine & Prozac adventure. : /. Grrr...

Oh, How I long to have a character named after moi ; p ...

Don't miss out on this:

Amazon US PB
Amazon Canada PB