Toasting Tina (Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery Series) [Hardcover]

Evan Marshall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003 | Series: Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery Series

When a romance author's convention turns deadly, literary agent Jane Stuart finds herself cast as suspect and sleuth...Tina Vale, the new vice president and publisher of Corsair Books, made more than a few enemies as she slept and schemed her way to the top. Now Tina has a score to settle with Jane Stuart. Nearly twenty years ago, Jane married Tina's former lover. Now that Tina's in charge, she aims to make Jane pay by cancelling her client's million-dollar contract. This leaves Nathaniel Barre's fledgling career in shreds...and puts sizeable dents in Jane's bank account, her reputation, and even her cherished memories of her late husband.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Literary agent Jane Stuart runs afoul of the most hated person in the publishing industry, Tina Vale, in Marshall's sparkling fifth entry (after 2002's Icing Ivy) in this cozy series notable for its wry insights into today's book scene. Jane's professional and personal lives coincide when a local hotel hosts both a Romance Authors Together (RAT) conference, where Tina, the new vice president of Corsair Books, is due to receive an award, and a cat show, in which Jane's cat Winky is competing. When Tina fails to show up for her award, it's discovered that she's come to a shocking end-electrocuted in her bathtub with one of her prize antique toasters. Since Tina had been plotting revenge on Jane for stealing a lover years earlier, suspicion naturally falls on Jane, who must out of self-preservation pursue an assortment of other suspects, including authors and editors, with reason to toast Tina. Cat lovers will be delighted to find that Winky and her litter of kittens, newly born in Icing Ivy, are thriving. FYI: Like his fictional sleuth, Marshall heads his own literary agency.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Charming...A rich, well-developed ensemble of neighbours and colleagues flesh out this fast-paced cozy."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington Books (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758202261
• ISBN-13: 978-0758202260
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,565,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great cozy mystery, December 27, 2004

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Toasting Tina (Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

Jane Stuart, literary agent, meets with her client Nate Barre and Tina Vale, publisher of Corsair Books. Unfortunately Tina wants to make Jane pay. She chooses to do it by canceling Nate's million-dollar contract. Apparently, Jane's husband (now deceased) was Tina's lover before they married. Jane never knew about it. Tina never got over it.

Tina is in town to get an award at the Romance Authors Together (RAT) convention. Tina fails to show up and is found dead in her bath. It appears she committed suicide. She was electrocuted with one of her prized antique toasters. A note was found.

At the same time, there is a cat show at the same Inn. Jane's son Nicholas and nanny Florence are there showing their housecat Winky. Jane makes an appearance to see how they're doing. Things aren't going very well.

Plus the RATs and the cats are not getting along well. Detecive Stanley Greenberg, Jane's boyfriend, has to keep an eye on things and help settle any disputes.

Jane does not believe Tina committed suicide. Stanley finally acknowledges that it appears to have been murder. Bad part is that Jane is one of the suspects.

Fearing this would ruin her business reputation, she decides to try to find the killer before word gets out that she's a suspect. She enlists her assistant, Daniel. They begin interviewing the various parties.

Shelly Adams, Tina's assistant, meets with Jane to provide information about Tina.

As Jane gets deeper into investigating, she finds herself in danger. Can she find out who killed Tina without ending up another victim?

This is the first book I've read in this delightful series. It definitely won't be the last. They have a new fan.

Jane is such a likeable character. She is the type of person you would want to get to know. She is able to stumble onto information in a believable manner. Her literary contacts really helped in this story. Her relationships with the other characters were well written and believable.

I highly recommend this book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Winky is back with Jane and Twinky!!, February 17, 2004

By 

4fabfelines "Lesa" (Shelbyville , TN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Toasting Tina (Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

What a wonderful series to curl up with! Winky and Jane are back. Jane is going to a RAT convention and a old "friend" is there to destroy her day! She finds out more than she needs and Vows she could Kill Her! Tina gets toasted by her antique toaster and Jane is suspect along with several others. A great twist at the end keeps this fast paced.
Winky does not win a cat contest, but she is winner in the end! Evan Marshell even inserts reciepes at the back of the book for the Trinidadian nannies recipies she is always cooking,, yummmmm

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Light and frothy mystery, February 19, 2004

By 

booksforabuck "BooksForABuck" (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Toasting Tina (Jane Stuart and Winky Mystery Series) (Hardcover)

When literary agent Jane Stuart's client has his million dollar book deal cancelled, Jane pulls out the stops. She demands and finally gets a meeting with publisher Tina Vale. But Tina's motives have nothing to do with the book--and everything to do with Jane. Jane stole Tina's great love and now Tina is getting even. Of course, getting even is something Tina is especially good at and she has enemies throughout the book industry. Since they are at a meeting of Romance Authors Together (RAT), plenty of Tina's enemies are lined up.

When Tina turns up dead, an electric toaster in her bathtub with her, suicide is the first suggestion. But a missing key and a long list of enemies makes murder a more likely prospect. And Jane realizes that she'd better find the killer herself--before word gets around that she is one of the suspects. Jane's investigation takes her through a herd of obnoxious writers, ... publishers, and slimey agents before she starts to get a hint at the truth.

Author (and literary agent) Evan Marshall adopts a breezy and fun style, pokes fun at the romance industry (the RAT meeting seems like the worst of Romantic Times and Romance Writers of America, together), and generally has a good time with this light mystery. Serious mystery buffs may be disappointed at how easy the killer is to identify, but will enjoy Marshall's fast pacing and Jane's inventive detection techniques. TOASTING TINA makes for an amusing and very quick read.