Murder Among Friends: A Kate Austen Mystery [Hardcover]

Jonnie Jacobs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

Becoming fast friends with Mona Sterling after their divorces, Kate Austen is shocked when Mona is found dead and refuses to accept suicide theories when she analyzes the clues at the scene. Reprint.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The everyday life of a prosperous California suburb takes on livelier aspects when Kate Austen visits a neighbor, wealthy divorcee Mona Sterling, and finds the woman dead, apparently a suicide. The almost-divorced Kate, last seen in Murder Among Neighbors, and her friend Sharon Covington, convinced that Mona-flush with financial victory after a messy divorce-would not have taken her own life, start their own investigation, to the express disapproval of Kate's love interest, Lt. Michael Stone of the Walnut Hills' police. Not only does Kate have to cope with her fledgling art consultancy, her five-year-old daughter, Anna, and her feckless soon-to-be ex-husband, Andy, but she also has temporary custody of Mona's sullen and rebellious teenage daughter, Libby, who fiercely resents her father and his new trophy fiancee. The mysterious death of Libby's unsuitable boyfriend and an attack on Kate's car keep Kate on her detecting track. Jacobs's domestic tale takes a few well-aimed jabs at suburban life but carries little impact in its character or plot development.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 321 pages
• Publisher: Zebra; First Edition edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821750305
• ISBN-13: 978-0821750308
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,992,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jonnie Jacobs is a series to follow..., July 20, 2000

By 

M.V. (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Murder Among Friends: A Kate Austen Mystery (Paperback)

I just finished this book and must say I really enjoyed it. The characters seem so real and the plot was very good. This is a good book to read if you want something not to dark and heavy with a little humor. Love Kate Austen and can't wait to read the next books in this series. I would like to know what will happen with her relationship with Michael. If your looking for a quick read pick up Jonnie Jacobs books as soon as you can. They will not dissapoint you.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Couldn't Put the Book Down!, July 14, 2000

By 

Donna Rizos - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder Among Friends: A Kate Austen Mystery (Paperback)

I just completed the second in the Kate Austen series in lessthan a week. I can't wait for the next two books in the series toarrive from Amazon. Again, this was a wonderful mystery. The mystery is witty, suspenseful, and fun to read. Miss Jacobs neatly ties all of the characters and events together. She also has a wonderful sense of humor when it comes to raising children. Kate's relationship with her daughter is very amusing. There is a lot of intrigue between Kate and her new boyfiend/homicide detective Michael Stone. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Series Just Keeps Getting Better...., April 12, 2004

By 

K. A. Stevenson "WIAPilot" (Tucson) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Murder Among Friends (Kate Austen Mystery) (Paperback)

"Murder Among Friends" is the 2nd book in the Kate Austen series by Jonnie Jacobs. I was impressed with the first Kate Austen book, "Murder Among Neighbors," but the plot of this second book is even BETTER.

The book opens with Kate Austen's pending divorce with "finding himself" husband, Andy. Thankfully, the book doesn't dwell on the divorce, but centers on Kate getting on with her life. She is now working as an art consultant and her relationship with Detective Michael Stone is heating up.

Kate arranges to meet business acquaintance/friend - Mona Sterling at Mona's home and finds that Mona has uncharacteristically decided to commit suicide. Kate and friend Sharon begin to gather clues to convince the Walnut Hills Police Dept. that this has been, in fact, a murder. In the meanwhile, she takes in Mona's beligerant teenage daughter, Libby, and must cope with the attitude and language of a young girl who is hurting.

One sidenote is that Jonnie Jacobs could have been describing my mother PERFECTLY, when she writes of the older woman, Mrs. Stevenson, who has been living in the neighborhood for years and still addresses the homes by their former owners. My mother is constantly pruning her garden out front so it was bizarre to read about a character that fit her so well! Talk about your realism!

The plot was great with this book and takes a very unexpected turn. The characterizations are excellent as well. The personality of Kate Austen is VERY laid-back; very non-threatening, and somewhat a little TOO easy-going for my aggressive style of personality. Kate isn't really what you would call a "leader" or a "mover and shaker."(And it really grates on my nerves that her daughter, Anna, seems to have more control in the household than she does - but this is VERY realistic.) This is unusual because most amateur sleuths are these "Type A" leaders when in reality not everyone is like that. It is rather insightful to get a glimpse as to how individuals such as Kate react and how people respond better to her style of interacting with them.

This is a series that is really good and one that you are sure to enjoy.