For the last year, I’ve been reading a lot of cozy mysteries.  I discovered that I really enjoy this type of mystery, and I keep finding new ones to try.  I’ve read a few short stories by Laura Levine featuring her character Jaine Austen and loved them.  I finally got around to reading This Pen for Hire.

Jaine Austen - her mother can’t spell - is a freelance writer living in Beverly Hills with her cat Prozac.  Jaine mostly writes personal ads, brochures, and complaint letters for clients.  Her new client, Howard Murdoch, wants a love letter written to Stacy, the beautiful blonde wanna be actress fitness instructor he has never even spoken to but wants to ask out.  Jaine takes the job against her first instinct and is surprised when Howard says Stacy accepts the date.  She is even more surprised when she learns that Howard has been arrested for Stacy’s murder.  Convinced that he is innocent, and feeling guilty that she got him in the situation with her letter, Jaine starts doing some investigating herself.

This Pen for Hire is the first book in Levine’s Jaine Austen Mystery series.  The book works very well as the first in a series, establishing Jaine as a fun, likable, believable main character.  Short stories featuring Jaine have been included in a few books along with short stories from Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier.  I had heard about this book before and thought it sounded interesting, but those stories were my first exposure to the series.  

This Pen for Hire is one of the shorter cozy mysteries that I’ve read, but that doesn’t make it less entertaining or enjoyable.  A lot happens over the course of the book without things feeling rushed.  Jaine is introduced, along with Howard and it isn’t long before she decides to start investigating the murder of Stacy.  Other characters, like Jaine’s best friend Kandi and nosy neighbor Lance are introduced and I’m sure they will be back in future books.  Some of her writing jobs are mentioned without a lot of focus going to that.

For the most part, the cozy mysteries that I’ve read have been a bit more light hearted than other mysteries that I’ve read.  This Pen for Hire is probably the lightest of all of them and I loved it.  Jaine adds a lot of humor with her unique thoughts about things.  She comes up with what she thinks Prozac is thinking at different times - mostly along the lines of where is my food - that are really funny.  She takes the murder of Stacy seriously and even the danger she ends up in, but she still looks at things with humor.  I think it works wonderfully for the book and one of the reasons why it is so entertaining.  The book made me laugh out loud more than once.  A few things that happen are probably a bit of a stretch, but that doesn’t bother me.  

Once Jaine starts asking questions, she discovers that Stacy was liked - even adored - by the men she came into contact with and despised by the women.  Jaine ends up with several suspects who all have decent motives for having killed Stacy.  I came up with a few suspicions, but I didn’t completely figure things out.  The mystery is interesting and, considering the shorter length of the book, fairly strong.  There is a little suspense in a few scenes while one or two other developments are slightly predictable.  She does come into contact with Detective Rea, the detective in charge of Stacy’s murder.  That interaction seems believable with how he dismisses her theories and tells her to stay out of it.  

This Pen for Hire is written in first person from Jaine’s point of view.  That allows all her thoughts - and some of them are kind of wild - to be shared.  She likes her work, though she has concerns about bills and keeping Prozac and kitty food.  Jaine is a more normal woman and isn’t made out to be little miss perfect like has happened in some books.  She has a failed marriage, and while not in a relationship, she still has an interest in sex.  While there are no actual sex scenes in the book, there are some sexual comments that could be a tad too frank for some readers.  Jaine isn’t a walking toothpick and is a more normal size.  She does put herself down at times for being too heavy, but she doesn’t seem obsessed with her weight.  She is smart, though she makes a few questionable decisions.  

Prozac is a bit demanding when it comes to her feeding times, something that I find very believable because of my own cats.  She isn’t a bad cat, though she isn’t the most affectionate either.  I love all the thoughts that Jaine comes up with for her.  Kandi has been writing for an animated show about a roach for a while.  She keeps coming up with new ways to meet men and drags Jaine into some of them.  Kandi is nice and I’m sure she’ll be around in future books.  Lance is Jaine’s incredibly nosy neighbor.  Jaine describes him as having Superman hearing because he is always complaining and telling her to be quiet.  He even complains at one point that the motor on her refrigerator is too loud and would she please do something about that.  Detective Rea is just in a few scenes, but I’m thinking he may return in future books as well.  He doesn’t want Jaine butting into the case.  The other characters who turn up are mostly tied to the investigation in some way.  They aren’t as developed for the most part, though some of them are interesting.

This Pen for Hire is a wonderful first book in a series.  People that like cozy mysteries should give this one a chance, though some people may not like how humorous the book is.

This review is part of elvisdo’s 2012 Funny Pages Write-off because of Jaine comparing Lance to Superman.

The Dangers of Candy Canes (Short Story)~ The Dangers of Gingerbread Cookies (Short Story) ~

Recommended: Yes