Freelance writer Jaine Austen thinks her neighbor and friend Lance is treating her to a relaxing week at a luxurious health spa. But The Haven is nothing close to that description. Jaine and her tubby cat Prozac are put on strict diets the minute they arrive and expected to participate in an exercise regimen that soon has them both climbing the walls, seeking an escape.
Adding to the stressfulness of the situation are the other people on the premises: Olga, owner of The Haven (aka Diet Nazi); Mallory, an aging (but still gorgeous) B-list movie star; Kendra, Mallory's put-upon personal assistant (and sister); Harvey, Mallory's personal hair stylist; Clint, one of Mallory's sexy former costars; Cathy, an overly chatty woman (who fawns over the movie stars); The Haven's young masseuses, husband and wife Shawna and Sven; the maid Delphine and Kevin the cook. So you see, there are lots of suspects to choose from when the irritating Mallory ends up dead on the massage table. It seems quite a few of them have very good reasons for offing the movie star, but who actually did the dirty deed? As for Jaine, who's done some amateur sleuthing in the past with positive results, she jumps right in to solve yet another murder case. And as usual, she ends up in the clutches of the killer. Will Jaine be able to escape and once again delight in her favorite treat -- "Chunky Monkey" ice cream?
Laura Levine has given readers another hilarious adventure in the lives of Jaine Austen and her cat Prozac. With witty dialog and zany antics, this story is a quick and thoroughly enjoyable read. I can only wonder where Jaine will find the next dead body -- and I can't wait to find out.
Jaine Austen is looking forward to an indulgent spa getawayβ
until she learns itβs more about deprivation than
relaxation. Between miniscule meals and a deadly brush with
fame, surviving this vacation will be no piece of cake...
When Jaineβs friend Lance surprises her with a trip to The
Haven, an ΓΌber-luxe health spa on the California coast, she
and her feline pal Prozac are eager to hit the road and
bask in a week of pampering and pedicures. But upon their
arrival, she discovers that this oasis in the hills is
merely a fat farm in disguise, complete with celery-juice
cocktails, humiliating weigh-ins, and a zero-tolerance
position on carbs. And as she gets to know her fellow
inmates, she realizes 300-calorie dinners arenβt the
craziest thing sheβll be dealing with.
Among her bulge-battling companions is Mallory Francis, a B-
list movie star with a knack for making frenemies with
everyone she meets. When sheβs found strangled during a
seaweed wrap gone awry, Jaine is hard-pressed to think of
anyone who couldnβt have done it. Perhaps it was Kendra,
Malloryβs bitter sister-slash-personal assistant. Or maybe
Clint, a macho former co-star whose dirtiest secret is in
danger of being undressed in the drama queenβs upcoming
memoir. Or was it The Havensβ pretty young masseuse, driven
to commit a crime of passion when Mallory seduced her
aerobics instructor husband Sven?
With the suspects mounting faster than her hunger pangs,
Jaine doesnβt know who to believe. And when her search for
truth, justice and contraband calories leads her straight
to the cold-blooded killer, it seems murder may be on the
menu once again...
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