Levine, Laura 1943- (Laura Sue Levine)

PERSONAL:

Born July 23, 1943, in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of Jacob and Ann Levine. Education: Barnard College, L.B., 1965. Hobbies and other interests: Swimming, calligraphy.

CAREER:

Television film script and novel writer. Creator of the characters Count Chocula and Frankenberry for General Mills Cereal Co.

MEMBER:

Writers Guild of America West, Society for Calligraphers.

WRITINGS:

"JAINE AUSTEN" MYSTERY NOVELS

This Pen for Hire, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Last Writes, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Killer Blonde, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Shoes to Die For, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2005.

The PMS Murders: A Jaine Austen Mystery, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Death by Pantyhose, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Killing Bridezilla, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2008.

OTHER

(With Dick Chodkowski) Mr. Wrong: A Guide to the Least-eligible Bachelors in America, Pinnacle (New York, NY), 1984.

(With Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier) Candy Cane Murder (anthology), Kensington Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Author of television scripts for various series, including The Bob Newhart Show, Mary Hartman, Three's Company, Laverne and Shirley, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and others.

SIDELIGHTS:

Laura Levine knows what makes people laugh. For years she made audiences laugh with her television comedies, which include episodes and pilots for sitcoms such as Three's Company, The Bob Newhart Show, and The Jeffersons. But because she worked behind the scenes, her name was not well known. Even with the publication of Mr. Wrong: A Guide to the Least-eligible Bachelors in America, Levine did not achieve the recognition for which she had the potential. That all changed with the appearance of her debut novel, This Pen for Hire.

Levine's foray into the mystery genre—with a comedic twist—has created a solid fan base for the author. The fictional premise lends itself to humor: freelancer Jaine Austen (her mother loved English, but was not so good at spelling) makes her living writing personal ads and commercial brochures as well as love letters. When she gets a request to write a letter from client Howard Murdoch, she accepts, never imagining it will lead to involvement in murder. Geeky Howard longs for a date with the woman of his dreams—a gorgeous fitness instructor named Stacy Lawrence. Much to everyone's surprise, Stacy agrees to a Valentine's Day date. But when Harold arrives for the date, he finds Stacy bludgeoned to death with a ThighMaster.

Jaine feels some responsibility for Harold, who is the primary suspect, so she begins to do some digging. She discovers that, beauty aside, Stacy was not well liked. She appeared to be bisexual. She had affairs with married men. Levine imbues her heroine with a sense of humor that keeps her forging ahead, even when her life is in danger. A Publishers Weekly critic praised the novel, noting that "Levine delivers the goods, and readers who appreciate a heroine with wry, self-deprecating humor will hope Jaine soon gets caught up in another murder."

In the second book in Levine's "Jaine Austen" mystery series, Last Writes, Jaine has finally landed her dream job thanks to her friend Khandi. Her new job is a writing gig for the television sitcom Muffy 'n Me. When actor Quinn Kirkland, the set's lothario, drops dead after eating a rat poison-laced donut, there are plenty of suspects for the cops to choose from. However, when the police zero in on Khandi as a prime suspect, Jaine sets out to unearth who the real killer is and to clear her best friend's name. "The crisp, funny writing is easily the highlight of this story. Told in the first person, from Jaine's perspective, the one-liners and pop-culture references keep the story zinging along," mused Wendy Crutcher in her review of the book for Mystery Reader.

Killer Blonde, the third book in the series, finds Jaine desperately in need of work. The desperate freelancer agrees to ghostwrite a book for Beverly Hills socialite SueEllen Kingsley, even though she knows that the material will never be published. After SueEllen turns up dead in her bathtub, electrocuted by her own blow-dryer, the police peg her teenage stepdaughter, Heidi, as the prime suspect. Jaine knows Heidi didn't do it, and Jaine begins her own investigation. The fourth novel in the series, Shoes to Die For, finds Jaine in a much better work position, writing ad copy. The case begins when she comes across a prospective ad client with a high heel stuck in her neck. It seems everyone hated the victim, and as the amateur sleuth begins to gather clues, more suspects appear.

In the next mystery in the series, The PMS Murders: A Jaine Austen Mystery, Jaine is invited to join the PMS Club, a women's support group that meets once a week over guacamole and margaritas to vent about love and life. Shortly after joining the group, one of the club's members drops dead while eating guacamole after confessing she is having an affair with another member's husband. It seems that someone knew about her nut allergy and added peanut oil to the dip. Jaine sets out, once again, to uncover the murderer. "Levine's writing style is breezy and fast-paced, easy to follow and delightfully entertaining, but beneath the story's light exterior are some darker elements that add depth to the plot as well as the characters," observed J.B. Thompson in a review of the book for Reviewingtheevidence.com. "The dialogue is zippy, the action fast paced, and she keeps her stories lean. This latest book only clocks in at 245 pages, but the author doesn't skimp on the mystery and even with several sub plots the book never feels overstuffed," exclaimed Mystery Reader critic Wendy Crutcher.

Death by Pantyhose, Levine's sixth novel in the series, finds Jaine again struggling to make a living at her freelance writing job. As such, she has just agreed to write jokes for Dorcas MacKenzie, a stand-up comic who throws her pantyhose into the audience as a punch line. Not only is Dorcas's act horrible, she is also heckled by Vic, an attractive fellow comic. He finally pushes her too far and she assaults him at a club's open-mike night. So, when Vic is murdered with Dorcas's pantyhose and she is found standing over his dead body, the police naturally arrest her. Jaine, who figures no killer could be that dumb, jumps to her client's aid and sets out to find the real culprit. This book stands as "another of Levine's successes at crafting a well-designed murder mystery ensconced in the folds of a humor-filled story. One of the things I like most about this series is that its playful wit and cozy atmosphere serve as both catalyst and cushion for its darker underlying themes," wrote Thompson. Mystery Reader critic Jennifer Monahan Winberry felt that Death by Pantyhose "is a quick read, one that shouldn't be taken too seriously, but one that will keep readers laughing while Jaine works to free her new friend."

The seventh novel in the series, Killing Bridezilla, has Jaine agreeing to write wedding vows for an old schoolmate. Jaine never liked the rich Patti Devane in high school, and it seems like her old acquaintance is still mean and spoiled. No one can stand the bride-to-be, so it isn't exactly shocking when she plunges to her death from a balcony during the wedding rehearsal. Further investigation uncovers that someone loosened the bolts on the balcony. Even though there are numerous suspects, Jaine is determined to find Patti's killer. "I don't know if I've ever laughed all the way through a book before like I did this one. In my opinion, this is the best Jaine Austen book yet," exclaimed Megan Politte in her review of the book for Arm Chair Interviews. "Slick wit and sure pacing makes this another hit in this entertaining series," praised a Publishers Weekly critic.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2002, review of This Pen for Hire, p. 293; April 1, 2005, review of Shoes to Die For, p. 390; April 1, 2008, review of Killing Bridezilla.

Library Journal, April 1, 2002, Rex E. Klett, review of This Pen for Hire, p. 146; June 1, 2005, Rex E. Klett, review of Shoes to Die For, p. 107.

Publishers Weekly, March 25, 2002, review of This Pen for Hire, p. 44; April 17, 2006, review of The PMS Murders: A Jaine Austen Mystery, p. 169; April 9, 2007, review of Death by Pantyhose, p. 35; August 27, 2007, review of Candy Cane Murder, p. 64; April 7, 2008, review of Killing Bridezilla, p. 46.

ONLINE

Arm Chair Interviews,http://armchairinterviews.com/ (August 6, 2008), Megan Politte, review of Killing Bridezilla.

Mystery Reader,http://www.themysteryreader.com/ (August 6, 2008), Wendy Crutcher, review of The PMS Murders and Last Writes, and Jennifer Monahan Winberry, review of Death by Pantyhose.

Once upon a Romance,http://www.onceuponaromance.net/ (August 6, 2008), Connie Payne, review of Candy Cane Murder.

Reviewingtheevidence.com,http://www.reviewingtheevidence.com/ (August 1, 2006), J.B. Thompson, review of The PMS Murders; (August 1, 2007), J.B. Thompson, review of Death by Pantyhose.

Romantic Times Online,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (August 6, 2008), Tara Gelsomino, review of Death by Pantyhose; Robyn Glazer, review of KillerBlonde; Sheri Melnick, review of Last Writes; Cindy Harrison, review of Shoes to Die For; Stephanie Schneider, review of The PMS Murders.