Synopsis: This is book 17 in the Janie Austen Mystery series. I have read every book up to this point. If you are thinking of picking up this series, the books can be read out of order without much difficulty.

In this book Janie, a freelance writer, is hired to pen" the next 50 Shades of Grey." When her employers fiancé is found dead, Janie must figure out who killed him.

In the midst of all this professional drama, Janie's ex husband is trying to come back into her life. He seems a changed man and Janie wants to believe they can finally have the happily ever after they missed out on before.

My Rating:

4/5

The Janie Austen Mystery series is much like candy. It is a yummy fun treat but there isn't a lot of substance beyond that. This book was no exception. One of the upsides of that is that the books can be read in any order. One of the downsides is that there is no real overreaching character arc for Janie. She is what she is a food loving, elastic waist pants wearing, cat mom.

If you are going into this book wanting anything other than a fun humorous read with a mediocre mystery then this isn't the book for you.

Book 16 in the series was a bit too over the top for my taste. This book returns to typical levels of over the top.

I gave it 4 stars because I just had such a fun time hanging with Janie again. If you have read the series and enjoyed it this is a pretty typical Janie Austen. If you are looking for a humorous mystery series to get into this is a good one.

The mystery in this is fine but nothing special. If you have read several of the books in the series the big reveal is a trope that has been used before in the series and probably won't be much of a shock to any long time reader.

If you are looking for a fun, humorous, and light read you may enjoy this book and this series. Since this is a pretty decent Janie Austen I feel like this book would be a safe starting point for a new reader. ( )

"Death of a Gigolo" presents readers with a mystery that is liberally sprinkled with humor. Jaine Austen returns with more adventures as a writer. This time she is involved in ghost-writing a romance novel instead of her usual ads, and becomes involved in the investigation of the murder of a guy who is definitely an opportunist!

Readers who have read other novels in the series will be familiar with many of the characters and with the humorous quirks of Jaine. The author includes many silly scenes, lots of red herrings, and the usual "punny" character names. Mix in frequent emails from Jaine's parents (Daddy-O and ShopTilYouDrop) and the result is a hilarious reading opportunity. No profanity or sexual descriptions to detract from the plot. Prepare to keep guessing the killer and motives until the surprise ending. All is wrapped up in the usual humorous manner.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own. ( )