Copy writer Jaine Austen's friend Lance decides to repay her for saving his life by treating her to a week at a Californian health spa known as The Haven. Jaine packs up her cat Prozac (after being assured that her Pro will receive only the best The Haven has to offer), and looks forward to a week of being pampered, massaged, and fed heavenly meals. Heck, she may even have time to work on that novel she's been intending to crank out!

However, when she gets there, she's surprised to see that The Haven isn't exactly what she thought it was going to be. First, Olga, the owner serves as the receptionist and the bellhop. Jaine had rather expected that a spa with a reputation like The Haven's would have a bustling staff, not a multi-tasking owner! But she takes it in stride as she gets settled in. She's then shocked as Olga begins making comments about Prozac's weight and starts bringing in toys encouraging exercise for Prozac.

Jaine is in for quite the surprise as she figures out that The Haven is actually a weight loss boot camp. Each of the three meals are limited to 300 calories and each guest is forced to undergo weigh-ins (complete with body fat measurements), aerobic classes, and housework/gardening disguised as "workouts." But at least she's not suffering alone - her fellow inmates include Mallory, a B-list actor (who thinks she's list an A-lister) and her entourage (Kendra, her sister/personal assistant, and her friend Harvy, who owns a hair salon); Clint, a former co-star of said actor; and Cathy, a star-struck grocery store worker who's been saving money to come to The Haven for AGES!

But things go awry when Mallory ends up dead. There are many suspects as Mallory was as good at making enemies as Jaine had become at sneaking snacks while doing her time at The Haven. Mallory had started an affair with the male half of the married couple who staffed the spa. She was also blackmailing Clint. Everyone there heard her threaten to ruin Olga's business. And that's not even the entire list!

This book was full of humor, but it was also a bit frustrating. Although it was clearly a murder mystery, it was fully halfway into the book before a murder occurred. It also became frustrating that, Jaine is clearly a resourceful woman (she went to great lengths to sneak food while at the spa) but it took her several days before deciding to just leave; why? One of the great things was that the mystery itself played out really well.

I also loved the subplot of Jaine's father running for president of his neighborhood association. This story was told through emails that Jaine received from her mother and father while she was at the spa. These emails were both funny and touching, and added to the overall character of Jaine.