Mysteriously Anticipating

One of these days the Romance Fangirl Police are going to show up on my doorstep to rip up my membership card. Never mind that my TBR can be seen from space and the vast majority of it is chock-full of romance novels - I tend to fall short in the anticipation department. Most romance readers will count down the days, hours, minutes when they'll get their hands on a favorite author's latest release. Me? Yeah, I just don't do this with the romance genre.

Now if Maggie Osborne were to come out of retirement? Or if Pamela Morsi decided to return to her historical Americana roots? Then all bets are off. But as of right now - I tend to only highly anticipate a select few mystery/suspense releases. I suspect because I've been reading that genre a helluva lot longer (20+ years) and I'm a Nostalgia Ho.

Anyway, I though to check on Laura Levine today. For the last several years, a new book in her Jaine Austen (no relation) cozy mystery series hits the shelves around April, and sure enough - Death Of A Trophy Wife, book nine, is due out on April 27, 2010.

Fangirl Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Description (from Kensington web site):

Freelance writer Jaine Austen is moving on up! A cushy new advertising gig promises champagne wishes and caviar dreams, but Jaine soon discovers she’s not the only one in town who’s making a killing…

Without a job or a date in sight, Jaine is equally out of luck in finance and romance. So when her friend Lance offers to treat her to brunch at the Four Seasons, Jaine leaps at the chance like a fashionista at a pair of half-price Louboutins. They’ve barely made it through the menu when Lance spots his friend Bunny. Dressed like a million bucks—and probably worth twice that—Bunny is the new trophy wife of mattress maven Marvin Cooper.

When Bunny generously offers Jaine a gig writing Marv’s new advertising campaign, Jaine accepts the job, and an invitation to her upcoming soirée. But at the party Bunny cruelly rules the Cooper mansion with a fist full of martinis, abusing terrified staff and her browbeaten husband alike. It seems like this society girl could use a good kick in the assets. Indeed, before the evening is over, someone poisons the D-cup diva. Dead must be the new black.

The police arrest Lance, but Jaine knows his murderous urges end at her closet door. She sets out to clear his name and discovers a list of suspects longer than Bunny’s credit card bill. Did Mattress Marv get tired of his little bunny hopping into another man’s bed, or did a jealous boy-toy fix her a fatal cocktail? Marv’s ex-wife Ellen has plenty of motives for murder, as does Bunny’s harassed maid Lupe. Or was it Bunny’s seething stepdaughter who sent her to that Great Shopping Mall in the Sky?

Jaine is running out of time. Jobless, Lance is losing his mind and taking it out on Jaine’s apartment, wardrobe, and indignant cat Prozac. And before Jaine can say 9021Oh-no someone else is murdered. Between a house guest that won’t leave, a suitor-turned-stalker, and killer on the loose, Jaine’s jackpot may turn out to be fool’s gold.

It kills me that Levine doesn't have a web site. I mean, it just keeeeeels me! Also, no kitty Prozac (yes, Jaine's pet cat is named Prozac) on the rather blah cover art. What's up with that? But....Levine is doing my library's literary event in April. Squeeeeee!

And because I know someone will ask the order of the books in this series:

This Pen For Hire
Last Writes
Killer Blonde
Shoes to Die For
The PMS Murder
Death By Pantyhose
Killing Bridezilla
Killer Cruise

Now I sit on my hands and wait for April 27 :::tap, tap, tap, glancing at calender, sigh::::