As a freelance writer and part-time/semi-professional private detective, Jaine Austen has found herself in some awkward, weird and life-threatening situations. However, none of those has prepared her for what she encounters when she agrees to write lyrics for an entrant in a teen beauty pageant.

Heather Van Sant is the quintessential beauty pageant mom, who will do anything to help her daughter Taylor win the crown of Miss Teen Queen America. Heather hires Jaine to write song lyrics for Taylor to perform in the talent competition. Though this type of writing is something new for Jaine, how hard can it be, especially when it comes with big bucks and free room and board at the pageant hotel? Oh, Jaine, you have no idea!

The hotel is a cheap dump, Jaine's room is the size of a closet, the moms are vicious backstabbers, and the uptight pageant director, Candace, is a strict dictator. When her faithful assistant Amy is found murdered in their office, Candace is convinced she was the intended victim, since Amy was wearing Candace's jacket. Heather becomes the main suspect, so Taylor begs Jaine to prove her mom's innocence. Of course, Jaine feels an obligation to investigate and discover the real killer, and it's not as if she hasn't done this kind of thing before.

In DEATH BY TIARA, Laura Levine again provides fans of this splendidly witty mystery series another comical romp. Not only is the whodunit deftly developed, but Jaine's hilariously self-deprecating, first-person narrative and her snooty cat Prozac's antics will keep readers thoroughly entertained. I know I certainly was, as I have been with every book in this series. I can't wait for the next amusing installment in Jaine Austen's topsy- turvy life!