I became interested in Marcia Muller’s novels back in the eighties when one on the library’s paperback spin racks caught my eye.  “Pennies on a Dead Woman’s Eyes” intrigued me because of the...

Alex Hill is simply stressed out. She has a big product launch coming up at her London marketing company and her demanding mother, an iconic actress from the 1960's, has to move in to her small apartment while recovering from a fall. Alex doesn't have time to worry about her cooking for her mother, letting in the plumber and picking up the dry cleaning.

Trying to help, Alex's friend Saffron, a disgruntled stay-at-home wife and mother, jokingly suggests that Alex needs more than just a maid, she needs a wife! Saffron helps Alex advertise for help in the local paper and interview applicants, but when the best qualified applicant is an out of work actor, a man named Frankie, Alex won't hire him. 

Jane Mansfield wakes up in an unfamiliar bed. Her voice sounds odd, and she sees a stranger's face and body in the mirror. The only dress of appropriate length is a long white gown, much too formal for morning calls. And she's shocked to discover that she is unsupervised in these close quarters with a man who is concerned with her well-being and keeps offering her refreshments - perhaps he is a servant?

How would Los Angeles in the 21st century appear to an observer from Regency England? Read Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Riglerto find out!