Skinny Kitty cat food is set to film a new commercial and Jaine Austen's fussy feline Prozac is selected for the starring role. Jaine is shocked, especially when her picky kitty is flawless in the role and follows director's orders perfectly.

Just as Jaine figures things are looking up for her and Prozac, Skinny Kitty's inventor is found dead on the set. Everyone on the shoot disliked the poor guy, so there's an abundance of suspects (Jaine included). The murder could take months to investigate, and since she cannot leave town, Jaine, a self-described part-time semiprofessional PI, sets out to solve the crime herself. If not, she'll have to kiss her long-anticipated Maui vacation goodbye. It does not help that Jaine is also stressed out dealing with a a weird suitor who will not stop pursuing her.

Laura Levine continues her sidesplittingly funny Jaine Austen mystery series with MURDER HAS NINE LIVES, another expertly conceived whodunit that had me laughing aloud as I swiftly turned the pages. I was tickled by Jaine's uproariously amusing quips and explanations in a first-person narrative interspersed with ditsy e-mails from her comical parents in Florida. Jaine's unique take on life and the way she handles problems is not only funny, but also refreshing and, at times, inspiring. With a wildly diverse cast of zany characters, I rank Laura Levine's comical Jaine Austen mystery series one of the best!