Stabbing Stephanie

Jane Stuart and Winky #3

by Evan Marshall

STABBING STEPHANIE

Literary agent Jane Stuart has finally decided to crawl out from under her pile of manuscripts to take a muchneeded vacation when she gets a surprise call from her late husband's cousin, Stephanie, asking if she can stay for a few days. Jane reluctantly agrees--after all, it is Thanksgiving, and Stephanie is taking an editor's job at a hot new publishing house.

But no sooner has Stephanie unpacked her file folders than it becomes clear that something rotten is going on in the pedigreed halls of Carson & Hart, Inc. And when Stephanie is found in a Dumpster with a knife in her back, Jane goes undercover at the company to find the killer. Yet playing the part of an editor isn't easy for Jane, especially when the list of murder suspects is growing faster than the stack of submissions on her overburdened desk. . .

"Another delightful cozy with a congenial cast of diverse characters, a realistic heroine with a vivid sense of humor and a loveable cat."-- Publishers Weekly

"A great book. . .Marshall has all the right tricks up his sleeve to keep his readers interested."

-- I Love a Mystery

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, American, Cozy Mystery, Novels, Ghosts, Crime

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 30, 2000

About the author

Evan Marshall is president of The Evan Marshall Agency and author of The Marshall Plan For Novel Writing (Writer’s Digest, 1998), an international bestseller on novel writing now in its 20th anniversary edition. He is the author of 10 commercially published mysteries, Manhattan Mysteries Series and Jane & Winky Series which was named “Miss Marple Lite” by Kirkus Reviews. His books appeal to fans of Janet Evanovich, Lilian Jackson Braun, Agatha Christie and Alexander McCall Smith. You can reach him at evan@evanmarshallagency.com.

Reviews

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's almost Thanksgiving and Literary Agent Jane Stuart is finally going to take a vacation--IF she can decide where she wants to go! But a phone call from Stephanie, her deceased husband's cousin, asking if she can do her a favor throws a wrench in the works. You see Stephanie has taken a job as a book editor for a publishing firm in Shady Hills and needs a place to stay for a while. Since she's family, Jane gives in and lets her stay. But Stephanie has barely started her new job when things feel hinky. She asks Jane to go undercover at the publishing house to suss out what's going on there. With her funky sidekick Winky the tortoiseshell cat, Jane throws herself into her new role and the mystery. After discovering not one, not two, but THREE bodies she finally pieces the clues together for a satisfying if not entirely surprising ending and finally takes the vacation!

The Jane Stuart and Winky mysteries are nice little jaunts, can be read quickly, have decent mysteries and usually very pleasing endings. Not my favorite but a rewarding read nonetheless.

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay, but that was it; too bad, because the premise sounded good. The POV is Jane Stuart who, with a bit of help from her cat, Winky, manages to solve murders. Stephanie is an unwanted guest who is in most of the book, still alive. If I were going to read mysteries where cats help solve them, I prefer The Cat Who... books, but by and large the only series I really enjoyed with an animal helper is the Chet and Bernie series.

Jane is a book editor, so this can also be counted as a book about books since we read about various authors/books she represents, etc. The author has worked in the publishing industry, so that's a plus.

[Rosalba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hola versione italiana del Giallo Mondadori : La stella d' oriente

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 - Good

[Clyde Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

good....but ending was kind of "too pat".....I'll probably try and read more in series.