Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1)

This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1)
This Pen for Hire - Jaine Austen, Bk 1
Author: Laura Levine
Steamy personals ads. Daring declarations of love. Writer-for-hire Jaine Austen has penned them all. But when one of the love connections she made is broken up by murder, Jaine finds herself freelancing free-of-charge -- and uncovering more than she bargained for... — No one seems to need her help more than geeky, gawky Howard Murdoch. His reques...  more »
Info icon
ISBN-13: 9780758201591
ISBN-10: 0758201591
Publication Date: 6/1/2003
Pages: 240
Rating:
  • Currently 3.6/5 Stars.
 171

3.6 stars, based on 171 ratings
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

checkingmypulse avatar reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on
Helpful Score: 10
Oh my gosh. This book was hilarious and fast paced and clever and modern. What a fun cozy series. Jaine is a REAL character and works through her flaws. I plan on starting the 2nd book in this series soon. I actually laughed out loud on the train! Great cozy mystery.
SierraK avatar reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 195 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 7
This delightful cozy introduces us to Jaine Austin, a freelance writer in Los Angeles who specializes in writing things like resumes, personal ads, and brochures for plumbing companies. When Jaine is asked to write a love letter to sexy aerobics instructor Stacy Lawrence on behalf of geeky Howard Murdoch, she has no idea that Howard will end up being arrested for Stacy's murder. Jaine feels that Howard must be innocent, so she ensues on a hilarious tale of trying to find the murderer herself.

This book was laugh out loud funny. I can't wait to read the other stories in this series!
SCOUT-FINCH avatar reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 86 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
I couldn't get too far into this one - there's a certain kind of Cozy Mystery writer that is too "cutesy" for me, and this series fits the bill. I was so surprised to see that the book was written in 2002.it seemed dated and trite.
ccwriter avatar reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 186 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Cute. Frothy. Figured out who did it less than halfway through. Not Evanovich by a long shot, but a very easy beach read.
reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 293 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
I love the Jaine Austen character. This is a fun series; I like the way that Jaine "says" things but doesn't say them. (Read these, you will understand. Fun reading, fast. You won't be bored.

Jaine is a writer. She ends up writing a letter for a "geek" to the woman of his dreams. In the letter she insinuates that he is related to a famous rich man so, of course, the woman agrees to go out with him. He gets there to find the door unlatched and her dead. Lots of possibilities for the murderer as she was not well liked. We know the "geek" didn't do it - but who did?
Read All 53 Book Reviews of "This Pen for Hire Jaine Austen Bk 1"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

GreyhoundGal avatar reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on
Quite enjoyable reading: fast, engaging, funny (but not outrageous), and a good mystery, too. This is the first in the "Jaine Austen" series.
CK avatar reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 40 more book reviews
The first book in the Jaine Austen series. It's a light cozy mystery with a touch of humor.
sari-lynn avatar reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 207 more book reviews
A light, humorous mystery, apparently the first of a series.
reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 20 more book reviews
I'm still reading this book but I am enjoying it a lot. I read a novella by this author so find her a humorous writer. I enjoy humor in a mystery and Jaine Austen is definitely funny.
reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 157 more book reviews
Really cute story. At times stretched the imagination but a very quick read
reviewed This Pen for Hire (Jaine Austen, Bk 1) on + 80 more book reviews
Very quick read, and cute as a mystery story. The character of Jaine Austen is really quite funny, actually made me laugh out loud. Am looking forward to the next one.

Book Wiki

Series
Jaine Austen  1 of 10

Genres: