Missing Marlene (Jane Stuart and Winky) [Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Evan Marshall (Author), M. J. Wilde (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2004 | Series: Jane Stuart and Winky

The first book in Evan Marshall's Jane Stuart and Winky series of cat-cozy mysteries featuring Jane Stuart, a widowed young mother and literary agent who has a knack for solving mysteries, and Winky, her tortoiseshell cat who has a nose for trouble.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A 19-year-old nanny's disappearance forces her employer, widowed literary agent Jane Stuart, to face up to their mutual dislike. Jane feels compelled to look for the girl and soon discovers her disreputable hangout, dangerous ex-boyfriend, and deceitful actions. Meanwhile, Jane's two-faced author-boyfriend, nine-year-old son, and "faithful" business partner contribute their own complications. Jane's na?vet? and guilt fuel plenty of haphazard and sometimes clumsily handled dashing around; a lightweight, marginal purchase.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

A deep chasm seems to run through little Shady Hills, New Jersey. On one side live widowed literary agent Jane Stuart, her friends, her cat Winky, her son Nick, and Nick's nanny, Marlene Benson. The other side, which extends from the Roadside Tavern to the fleshpots of nearby Parsippany and far-off Manhattan, is peopled by strange denizens with names like Gil Dapero, who works in a sporting-goods warehouse, and Vernon List, who works in a hardware warehouse. One day, Marlene, instead of picking Nick up at school, crosses over to the other side of the chasm and disappears. Jane is worried and baffled; Marlene's mother back in Detroit is frantic; but Marlene's friends, from Helen Wichowski in Shady Hills to Zena Harmon in New York, seem strangely untroubled. Neglecting her unhappy clients and her up-and-coming assistant to make inquiries, Jane discovers that Marlene had been spending quite a bit of time on the other side of the chasmsome of it with such dangerous charmers as Gil and Vernonand that Jane's own side, the side of Jane's big client Roger Haines and her upscale neighbors Dr. Elliott and Audrey Fairchild, may not be so different after all. Everything is resolved in a finale equally surprising for its welcome ingenuity and its incongruous firepower. Marshall's refreshing debut has all the trappings of a cozy, right down to the detecting cat, but gets a PG-13 for sexual situations, language, pornography, and bimbos. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Americana Pub Inc; Unabridged edition (May 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588074331
• ISBN-13: 978-1588074331
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,760,989 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Evan Marshall is an internationally recognized expert on fiction writing and author of the "Hidden Manhattan" and "Jane Stuart and Winky" mystery series. A former book editor, for 27 years he has been a leading literary agent specializing in fiction. His Marshall Plan® Novel Writing Software, written with Martha Jewett, is an adaptation of his bestselling Marshall Plan® series.

Marshall Plan® blogs:
http://www.WriteANovelFast.com
http://www.WriteYourMemoir.com

Psychology Today - The Literary Life:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-literary-life

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/TheMarshallPlanet

Twitter:
http://twitter.com/MarshallPlanet

Evan Marshall's mysteries:
http://www.evan-marshall.com

Evan's LinkedIn Profile:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/themarshallplanet

E-mail: [e-mail]

6 Tristam Place
Pine Brook, NJ 07058

T 973.882.1122

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great debut mystery, April 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Missing Marlene (Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

In Shady Hills, New Jersey, the school secretary calls literary agent Jane Stuart to pick up her son Nick when his nanny Marlene Benson failed to do so. After they get home, Jane calls her best friend Ivy, who happens to be Marlene's mother, to complain about her daughter.

Jane wonders how her beloved, deceased spouse would handle rejecting a work by one of her top writer's, Roger Haines. She tries to persuade Roger to rewrite the novel, but the egotistical author refuses. Instead he demands she sells his work. Before she can draw a conclusion on what to do next, Jane, with the help of Nick's cat Winky, looks into the disappearance of the MISSING MARLENE. She soon uncovers a secret life that places her and her son's cat in danger.

The debut of the Jane-Winky amateur sleuth series is an entertaining amateur sleuth tale. At first look, the story line seems simple, but actually have several interesting twists. Fans will enjoy Jane's exploits and Winky's assistance, while the support cast makes suburban New Jersey appear real. However, though Evan Marshall provides the sub-genre with a fine mystery, his talent shines when he uses current scenarios for Jane seeking a solution to flashbacks into her past. This provides readers with much character insight and motivation while propelling the plot forward. Fans will want more novels starring this new amateur duo.

Harriet Klausner

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast Paced, and FUN!!!, August 3, 2000

By 

Marsha Kyrmse (Mifflinburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missing Marlene (Jane Stuart and Winky Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't read a lot of mystery books, but this one was a keeper! This book is fast paced, fun, and full of exciting twists. I recommend it to anyone who likes the suspense of mystery, but doesn't enjoy the darkness of most mysteries.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, February 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Missing Marlene (Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

I loved this book! The story is engaging from the beginning and doesn't take you in a hundred different directions just to throw you off. Very well written, and I look forward to many more great books from this author!