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LAST WRITES
by Laura Levine
Kensington, May 2004
240 pages
$5.99
ISBN: 0758201613


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

LAST WRITES is the second in the Jaine Austen series, following on from the well-received THIS PEN FOR HIRE. Los Angeles-based Jaine is a writer and through her fellow writer friend Kandi she has been invited to write an episode for the new sitcom, Muffy 'n Me, filming at Miracle Studios in a shady part of Hollywood.

We are soon introduced to the main stars of the show; Vanessa Dennis, VD to all her non-friends, the gorgeous and very young actress playing Muffy and handsome womaniser Quinn Kirkland who plays her Uncle Biff. The power behind the scenes is held by the mismatched husband and wife writing team of Stan and Audrey.

One day when Jaine, Kandi, Stan and Audrey are on the kitchen set, testing the scene where one of the male characters ends up sitting in the sink, (and incidentally Jaine's bottom is deemed man-sized!), they hear noises from the adjacent bedroom set. They are shocked to discover VD and Quinn straining the bed springs. Kandi later admits to Jaine that Quinn was her secret boyfriend, her supposed Mr Right.

Next day, during the run-through of Jaine's script for Cinderella Muffy, Quinn drops dead from poisoning. Not only does it look like Jaine's sitcom writing days are numbered but worse still, her friend Kandi is also arrested for the murder.

Obviously Jaine has to clear her friend's name and find the real murderer. In fact it turns out that a lot of people, mostly women, didn't like Quinn and that someone will use lethal force to prevent Jaine's investigation.

Jaine also has to cope with her parents' emails to her in which each parent accuses the other of either madness or infidelity. Plus, Jaine's mum is trying to fix her up on a blind date.

I was quite lukewarm about THIS PEN FOR HIRE but LAST WRITES really had me smiling. I loved the setting of a decrepit Hollywood studio and a closed set where nearly everyone has a motive. I found Jaine much more likeable in this book and it has a strong and traditional whodunnit plot that doesn't drag.

Reviewed by Karen Meek, May 2004

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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