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A Jaine Austen Mystery #6.5
The Dangers of Candy Canes
A wealthy subcontractor takes a lethal tumble off his roof while installing a giant candy cane. Now it’s up to Jaine Austen to sift through a long list of scheming neighbors with dirty secrets in their stockings to expose a murder..
ebook
First published October 1, 2007
49 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Laura Levine
57 books1,234 followersGrew up in Brooklyn, New York, back when mastodons (and Edsels) still roamed the earth.
Education: Barnard College
First job: Reporter/photographer at a newspaper so small, we had our photos developed in the local camera shop.
Advertising claim to fame: I created Count Chocula and Frankenberry cereals for General Mills.
TV gets invented, and I get a job as a sitcom writer, turning out scripts for shows like The Bob Newhart Show, Three’s Company, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, The Jeffersons, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
Current (and favorite) incarnation: Author of Jaine Austen mysteries.
Marital status: Wedded blissfully to business journalist Mark Lacter (aka Mr. Hubby), whose insightful coverage of the Los Angeles business scene can be checked daily at http://www.laobserved.com/biz/
Favorite authors: COMEDY: Joe Keenan. MYSTERY: Agatha Christie. SERIOUS STUFF: Anne Tyler.
Hobbies: Reading, swimming, gardening, and lots of walks (mainly to the refrigerator).
Education: Barnard College
First job: Reporter/photographer at a newspaper so small, we had our photos developed in the local camera shop.
Advertising claim to fame: I created Count Chocula and Frankenberry cereals for General Mills.
TV gets invented, and I get a job as a sitcom writer, turning out scripts for shows like The Bob Newhart Show, Three’s Company, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, The Jeffersons, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
Current (and favorite) incarnation: Author of Jaine Austen mysteries.
Marital status: Wedded blissfully to business journalist Mark Lacter (aka Mr. Hubby), whose insightful coverage of the Los Angeles business scene can be checked daily at http://www.laobserved.com/biz/
Favorite authors: COMEDY: Joe Keenan. MYSTERY: Agatha Christie. SERIOUS STUFF: Anne Tyler.
Hobbies: Reading, swimming, gardening, and lots of walks (mainly to the refrigerator).
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 7, 2023
Loved it! A huge fan of this series, good fun, intriguing mystery, an amusing sleuth and a cat with attitude :-)
November 8, 2023
A cute, humorous, cozy Christmas mystery.
December 22, 2019
I don't think this author is for me.
December 16, 2019
(2007) S0-so story. Nothing exciting or especially interesting.
June 3, 2019
Never read anything by this author before. Just loved the cat. PROZAC.
Good story.
Good story.
February 16, 2020
Stars: 2.5 / 5
Recommendation: Way too much cozy and mundane, way less thrill of a mystery or romance for me in this book. Not my cup of tea, but could be for some of you who like this kind.
The Dangers of Candy Canes is the second novella in the anthology Candy Cane Murder by Laura Levine published in October of 2007, as part of her Jaine Austen Mystery series. She co-authored this anthology with Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier.
One of Jaine Austen's client Seymour Fiedler is being sued for a wrongful death by Seymour's client. Now Jaine is tasked to investigate the death of his client to clear his name. A freelance writer by profession, Jaine puts her amateur detective skills to use to help her client.
Jaine Austen seemed to be one of those ordinary gumshoes who always gets into trouble, have mis-steps and make wrong turns, yet in the end solve the crime. I could have accepted if that was all Jaine was. But Laura had to go and tie her to a cat from hell, a cat that was more a tyrant than a pet. As if that was not enough, she made Jaine malleable to puppy eyes and pleading tones, making her wide-open for manipulation by even teenagers.
The whole plot is written in first person narration, and at times it got a bit dragging when the narrator was going on and on about a few things, here and there. Laura did put in gentle humor all around but I really felt them fall flat in some places. Jaine's musings or the world she goes off into in her mind were sometimes saving grace to the flat humor.
Laura gives us great tips on gardening like using old CDs to scare away squirrels from fruit trees though. And at least she has given Jaine good taste in movies or the books she listens to.
Author Laura refers to Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen books in her plot. And she also has one of the suspect's last name as Bascomb, same as Mayor Bascomb from Hannah Swensen books. Kind of ties the two novellas, giving it another thread other than a Christmas and candy canes theme.
Despite the humor and a light mystery to solve, I was not taken neither by the heroine nor the way the plot went. Laura did give a good ending which I liked. However, I am not sure if I will pick any of her books again. Way too much cozy, too much mundane, and way less thrill of a mystery or romance in there.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. Fiedler on the Roof Roofers is owned by Seymour Fiedler. His wife is Maxine.
b. Jaine's cat has a thing for Gregory Peck, so they watch the 1953 classic Roman Holiday time and again. I think I watched this, but not sure, have to watch it again to remember. She muses about watching Stakeout I and II, though I found Stakeout and Another Stakeout that released in the 90s. Perhaps those were the movies she was referring to.
c. Jaine listens to, at least tries to, Anna Karenina, a novel I have been thinking of reading for a long time.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. Jaine Austen Gierard has a cat named Prozac. Her parents live in Florida. Her best friends are Kandi Tobolowski and Jose Cuervo.
b. The Law enforcement that Jaine reaches out to - Lt. Frank DiMartelli
3. Grammatical / Character / Location / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. Towards end of Pg. 185, author Laura mentions about Hari Krishna at an airport. Although there are no Hare Krishnas at the airports now, there used to be some 50 years ago, not recently. Also she mis-spelled Hare Krishna.
Recommendation: Way too much cozy and mundane, way less thrill of a mystery or romance for me in this book. Not my cup of tea, but could be for some of you who like this kind.
The Dangers of Candy Canes is the second novella in the anthology Candy Cane Murder by Laura Levine published in October of 2007, as part of her Jaine Austen Mystery series. She co-authored this anthology with Joanne Fluke and Leslie Meier.
One of Jaine Austen's client Seymour Fiedler is being sued for a wrongful death by Seymour's client. Now Jaine is tasked to investigate the death of his client to clear his name. A freelance writer by profession, Jaine puts her amateur detective skills to use to help her client.
Jaine Austen seemed to be one of those ordinary gumshoes who always gets into trouble, have mis-steps and make wrong turns, yet in the end solve the crime. I could have accepted if that was all Jaine was. But Laura had to go and tie her to a cat from hell, a cat that was more a tyrant than a pet. As if that was not enough, she made Jaine malleable to puppy eyes and pleading tones, making her wide-open for manipulation by even teenagers.
The whole plot is written in first person narration, and at times it got a bit dragging when the narrator was going on and on about a few things, here and there. Laura did put in gentle humor all around but I really felt them fall flat in some places. Jaine's musings or the world she goes off into in her mind were sometimes saving grace to the flat humor.
Laura gives us great tips on gardening like using old CDs to scare away squirrels from fruit trees though. And at least she has given Jaine good taste in movies or the books she listens to.
Author Laura refers to Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen books in her plot. And she also has one of the suspect's last name as Bascomb, same as Mayor Bascomb from Hannah Swensen books. Kind of ties the two novellas, giving it another thread other than a Christmas and candy canes theme.
Despite the humor and a light mystery to solve, I was not taken neither by the heroine nor the way the plot went. Laura did give a good ending which I liked. However, I am not sure if I will pick any of her books again. Way too much cozy, too much mundane, and way less thrill of a mystery or romance in there.
Spoiler Alerts:
1. Plot Reveals:
a. Fiedler on the Roof Roofers is owned by Seymour Fiedler. His wife is Maxine.
b. Jaine's cat has a thing for Gregory Peck, so they watch the 1953 classic Roman Holiday time and again. I think I watched this, but not sure, have to watch it again to remember. She muses about watching Stakeout I and II, though I found Stakeout and Another Stakeout that released in the 90s. Perhaps those were the movies she was referring to.
c. Jaine listens to, at least tries to, Anna Karenina, a novel I have been thinking of reading for a long time.
2. Sub-Plots:
a. Jaine Austen Gierard has a cat named Prozac. Her parents live in Florida. Her best friends are Kandi Tobolowski and Jose Cuervo.
b. The Law enforcement that Jaine reaches out to - Lt. Frank DiMartelli
3. Grammatical / Character / Location / Geographical / Historical / Mythological Errors:
a. Towards end of Pg. 185, author Laura mentions about Hari Krishna at an airport. Although there are no Hare Krishnas at the airports now, there used to be some 50 years ago, not recently. Also she mis-spelled Hare Krishna.
December 9, 2023
When one of Jaine Austen's clients, Seymour Fiedler of Fiedler on the Roof Roofers, is sued for wrongful death, he hires Jaine to put down her pen and solve the crime. Seems that Garth Jankin fell off his recently reroofed house while decorating for his neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest. Since Garth had numerous enemies, Jaine quickly decides that the tiles must have been loosened. But who would do something like that?
As with the books, this story is very funny. Jaine can't resist temptation, and spends time talking about her need to lose weight while eating Christmas candy. A sub-plot about Jaine volunteering with a group that mentors underprivileged girls almost slows the story down at times. In fact, it makes the ultimate climax seem a little abrupt. But Jaine is a charming character and I love spending time with her. The other characters are interesting as well. And several red herrings keep this story interesting and fun until the end.
NOTE: This story was originally released as part of the anthology Candy Cane Murder. If you’ve already read that book, you don’t need to get this story a second time.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
As with the books, this story is very funny. Jaine can't resist temptation, and spends time talking about her need to lose weight while eating Christmas candy. A sub-plot about Jaine volunteering with a group that mentors underprivileged girls almost slows the story down at times. In fact, it makes the ultimate climax seem a little abrupt. But Jaine is a charming character and I love spending time with her. The other characters are interesting as well. And several red herrings keep this story interesting and fun until the end.
NOTE: This story was originally released as part of the anthology Candy Cane Murder. If you’ve already read that book, you don’t need to get this story a second time.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
December 5, 2022
I think I did a disservice by not reading any book in the series, causing me not to be completely connected to the story and Jane. Honestly I didn’t care for Jane, and at times unlikable. She kept dwelling on her food and weight that it became too much. I would have rather the focus have been on the mystery, which was the most interesting part of the story. The stuff with Angel wasn’t cute either, which was the point, but I was just not a fan of that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 21, 2024
This book is not a full length novel. I believe it was included in another book that had several authors doing candy cane themed Christmas novellas. I did miss the email interactions in this shorter book that the main character has with her parents. Otherwise, it was very fun and lots of funny scenes that I laughed at. A great holiday read! Be sure to read with hot cocoa and a candy cane dipped in it!
March 9, 2025
The story was good, but the main character was rather irritating. Constantly whining about her weight then stuffing her face whenever she had the chance. Why do writers, especially women writers, think this is a desirable trait for a female character to have? I'm not saying every female character has to be at the perfect weight, but the incessant whining about needing to lose 10 pounds and about how "fat" they are, then eating a bucket of chicken wings in one sitting. It's really annoying.
May 5, 2024
Crazy Christmas cozy!
I've been reading this series for years and love the author's sense of humor. Part tongue-in-cheek, part slapstick - with liberal sides of snark - the plot moves along at a good pace. Prozac the cat and the names of his food always have me snorting with laughter. 4 1/2 stars
I've been reading this series for years and love the author's sense of humor. Part tongue-in-cheek, part slapstick - with liberal sides of snark - the plot moves along at a good pace. Prozac the cat and the names of his food always have me snorting with laughter. 4 1/2 stars
September 6, 2024
Was included in the audio book for another series, so I thought, why not.
The main character would give eating disorders to readers with the abundant thoughts of not eating something and then eating in abundance. This does not include the numerous times she refers to her weight being too high. By the end, learn she is under 130lbs.
The rest of story was just ok
The main character would give eating disorders to readers with the abundant thoughts of not eating something and then eating in abundance. This does not include the numerous times she refers to her weight being too high. By the end, learn she is under 130lbs.
The rest of story was just ok
November 18, 2025
So I thought this book was cute. it was a cute little holiday mystery with a spunky cat named Prozac 🤣
I, however, REALLY could have done without the constant references to her weight and food. It just made it sad and frustrating to read at times. I know it's a thing people struggle with, but it just wasn't for me.
I, however, REALLY could have done without the constant references to her weight and food. It just made it sad and frustrating to read at times. I know it's a thing people struggle with, but it just wasn't for me.
November 30, 2025
Disappointing
Sadly, I realized that without the crazy emails from her parents over her dads behavior that Jaine is not funny. She was disgustingly constantly shoving food in her face complaining about her fat thighs and big tush. This wasn't remotely a Christmas story and is disappointing.
Sadly, I realized that without the crazy emails from her parents over her dads behavior that Jaine is not funny. She was disgustingly constantly shoving food in her face complaining about her fat thighs and big tush. This wasn't remotely a Christmas story and is disappointing.
February 24, 2024
What a delightful novelette; love this character Jaine Austen; hope I get to read some more with her as the character. Reminded me of the old Peyton Place with all the characters and potential murderers. A delightful read.
July 19, 2024
If you’re looking for an easy to read who-dunnit, this might be your thing. I felt like the characters were pretty flat and a lot of the story elements kind of off. I loved the main character though, relatable.
December 18, 2024
There's a lot of unhealthy body image in this book. Its so bad. Its like every single page is something degrading to the main character. I don't recommend this book for anyone and if the rest of the series is like this then i don't recommend this author at all...
December 23, 2025
Oh, the trouble Jaine gets into when solving murders. I was laughing before the first paragraph was finished. Her quirkiness and thoughts are still here, along with her cat Prozac. I did miss her neighbor, Lance, and the humorous e-mails from her parents.
January 2, 2026
OK. Here’s the thing. Jaine Austen is just annoying. Now some of the situations are hilarious. But others are just too far over the top. The story was good. But I just can’t read anymore books with this character.
January 9, 2020
Didn't finish it
January 9, 2020
I had never heard of this author before, I found this book very interesting. She is a pretty good author. Can’t wait to see what else she writes.
October 7, 2020
I really liked this story.
January 17, 2021
Not my cup of tea. Lots of time spent on weight. And eating always as a reflection of self control or lack of self control. It was distracting.
February 13, 2021
I read this in the Candy Cane Murder book. I didn't enjoy this book because the characters were too annoying for me.
March 15, 2021
Funny! This writer has a very entertaining writing style. Loved it. I'll be reading more of these. There quick reads. Great for a lazy after church Sunday afternoon.
December 29, 2021
Another easy short Christmas mystery
May 15, 2022
**2.5 Stars**
September 18, 2022
Now I know that I don't want to read more books by Laura Levine. She tries way to hard to be funny, and it doesn't hit me right.
December 18, 2022
Hysterical!!
December 29, 2022
I enjoyed it, Jaine is interesting and relatable. I love that she named her cat Prozac, that is too hilarious. It kind of reminds me a little of Stephanie Plum and I love her!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews