# Calamity Jayne

By Kathleen Bacus · Calamity Jayne Mysteries, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/calamity-jayne-f56eca44/

Tressa Jayne Turner opens the trunk of a car she has mistaken for her own and finds a corpse. The body is gone before she can prove her story. Convincing her Iowa hometown that something happened means investigating while living down a reputation for accidents.

## What makes it funny?

Rick Townsend keeps needling Tressa with blonde jokes, giving her one more person to prove wrong. His grandfather supplies a different kind of embarrassment, with clothes as eccentric as his behavior.

### The comedy at work

Tressa’s first-person account makes room for asides to the reader. Each coincidence makes her look less credible just when she most wants to demonstrate that she can handle herself.

### Try this if…

Small-town farce and a heroine who keeps getting things wrong are the main attractions. Expect light suspense and romantic possibilities alongside her attempts to recover her credibility.

### Good to know

Blonde jokes are a recurring feature. The romantic relationship takes a secondary role, so readers looking chiefly for a developed romance may want a different balance.

## What to expect

- Genre: Mystery
- On the shelf: Amateur sleuth · Cozy mystery
- Kind of humor: Banter · Farce
- Format: Novel
- Audiobook: 10 hr 30 min
- Published: 2006

## A few distinguishing details

- A corpse goes missing before an accident-prone witness can prove her story

## Sources & further reading

- Book information: [Calamity Jayne: Calamity Jayne Mystery Series, Book 1 (Unabridged) on Apple Books](https://books.apple.com/ca/audiobook/calamity-jayne-calamity-jayne-mystery-series-book-1/id1444964917)
- Review: [Paperback Reader review](https://paperbackreader.wordpress.com/2006/02/04/calamity-jayne-by-kathleen-bacus)
- Publisher: [Publisher](https://www.gemmahallidaypublishing.com/kathleen-bacus)
- Book information: [Fantastic Fiction bibliography](https://www.fantasticfiction.com/b/kathleen-bacus/calamity-jayne.htm)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780505526656)