Death by Smoothie

In Levine’s feather-light 19th outing for L.A. freelance writer Jaine Austen (after 2021’s Murder Gets a Makeover), Jaine provides editorial expertise and acts as a sounding board during rehearsals for a new play based on the cult TV sitcom I Married a Zombie, a Bewitched knockoff. Relationships among the cast members are strained, and Jaine isn’t surprised when the untalented leading lady, Misty, playing Cryptessa, fatally collapses halfway through drinking her mid-afternoon smoothie, which is later discovered to have been laced with rat poison. The cast is full of suspects; indeed, most of the people involved in the production had good reason to want Misty dead. While indulging her cravings for cinnamon raisin bagels, Jaine manages to talk to suspects, interview for a PR position with a prestigious local organization, and teach her pet cat, Prozac, to walk on a leash. The story may be formulaic, but Jaine’s wry sense of humor enlivens the action, while the reports from her retired parents in Florida are often hilarious. Fans of girl-on-the-go cozies will have fun. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Dec.)