Death by Pantyhose: A Jaine Austen Mystery

by: Laura Levine

Published by: Kensington Books

Reviewed by Kathy Perschmann

The sixth in the Jaine Austen series, Death by Pantyhose starts with a bang—and a crime. Copywriter Jaine Austen goes for an interview at a huge ad agency and winds up getting her ten-year-old Corolla stolen, and gets stuck with a huge lunch bill, at the same time as she misses her interview.

Yep, she thinks the man who invites her to lunch and insists on them taking her car to an upscale restaurant is interviewing her over lunch. However, when he goes out to her car to get his briefcase, he drives off in it.

She ends up desperate for income and is hired as a writer by a very unfunny woman comedian named Dorcas. Jaine endures Dorcas’ painfully bad act, and watches popular comedian Vic humiliate her at the Laff Palace. Vic introduces his new beautiful blonde agent, then drops the bombshell that they are also engaged and he is leaving because he has a network contract. His girlfriend Allison, his writer, Hank, and his old agent Manny are stunned. Then Dorcas loses it and attempts to strangle Vic.

When Vic is found strangled in his home, with Dorcas standing over him holding the pantyhose (one of the pantyhose she uses in her act), she is arrested. Jaine can’t stand it —she is sure she can figure out who among all the many people with motives might have actually done it. There are clues galore, but no real proof. Who is Vic’s ex-wife? Who took Dorcas’ cloisonne lipstick case? Who has something to hide—like a past career in porn or a tape-recorded infidelity?

And there is a sweet sub-plot. Will Jaine ever get to really know the adorable Andrew, a banker who seems to want to see her, even if he is back in town for a short while? Unfortunately he works at the bank with bitchy ex-girlfriend Samantha, who is determined to keep them apart.

This enjoyable romp around Los Angeles in beat-up, barely working rental cars has whiffs of Sarah Strohmeyer, Janet Evanovich and Jennifer Crusie—but Laura Levine is a truly uniquely funny writer.

Armchair Interview says: Laughs abound, and who doesn’t need that?