Every time I read a mystery that’s supposed to be humorous, I remind myself that everyone has a different idea of humor. Mine is not broad, slapstick style. I like quiet and witty, or, even, sometimes obnoxious and witty. But, I tend to prefer wordplay over absurdity. While Laura Levine’s humor in   Death of a Gigolo is not my preferred style, I can respect her set-up of the mystery itself. She plays fair with the reader, and the solution is well-thought out and satisfying.

Everything’s going right for freelance writer Jaine Austen at the moment. She’s hired to co-author a romance book, writing it with Daisy Kincaid, a wealthy woman in her sixties. She also has her own romance. Despite the disapproval of her neighbor, and the vocal disapproval of her cat, Prozac, she’s dating her ex-husband, Dickie. Jaine’s convinced he’s turned over a new leaf, working a steady job. He does have some strange new beliefs and dietary restrictions, but she can live with that.

However, no one can live with the trouble that arrives at Daisy’s front door. After Daisy’s picture is in a newspaper, Tommy LaSalle shows up, claiming to be the nephew of Daisy’s deceased travel companion. Within a short time, he’s wormed his way into the house, where he’s going to stay. Then, he works his way into Daisy’s heart, and there’s an announcement of their engagement. But, he’s so sleazy and dislikeable that he also becomes a murder victim. And, there are certainly a lot of suspects.

While I’m not a big fan of some of the humor in Death of a Gigolo, Jaine was a refreshing amateur sleuth, gutsy, outspoken (at least to herself), honest about her cat’s reaction to Dickie. It’s ironic that she couldn’t see the similarities between her relationship to Dickie and Daisy’s relationship to Tommy. Both are a little sickening.

But, amidst the writing of Fifty Shades of Turquoise and the romance with Dickie, there is an amateur sleuth who sifts through the numerous suspects and accidentally finds the killer. Jaine might be hopeless when it comes to her love life, but she succeeds as an amateur sleuth.

Laura Levine’s website is www.lauralevinemysteries.com

Death of a Gigolo by Laura Levine. Kensington Books, 2019. ISBN 9781496708526 (hardcover), 240p.

*****
FTC Full Disclosure – I received the book to review for a journal.