Book Review - New Release: STYLED FOR MURDER (Bad Hair Day Mysteries #17) by Nancy J. Cohen

Synopsis (from Amazon)

Hairstylist Marla Vail flushes out a killer when murder disrupts her mother’s home renovation plans in this stylish cozy mystery. 

When hairstylist and savvy sleuth, Marla Vail, gets a frantic call from her mother that there’s a dead body in her shower, Marla realizes this wasn’t part of the home renovation plans. The victim turns out to be the project manager, who had an untrustworthy reputation in town. Disgruntled customers, unpaid suppliers, and the design company’s staff are among the suspects. Which one of them wanted the foreman to pipe down about their shady dealings? 

Meanwhile, the lead investigator sets his sights on Marla’s stepfather, Reed, who’s keeping secrets from his family. Reed has a past connection to the victim and won’t come clean about what he knows. As Marla drills deeper, she’s showered with suspicions, but nobody’s willing to leak any information. She needs to hammer down the prospects, or time will drain away and the murderer will strike again. 

To flush out the culprit, Marla taps into her pipeline of resources. Can she assemble the clues and demolish the alibis to nail a killer? Or has someone designed the perfect murder? 

Recipes Included! 

Review

Marla Vail is back, now a new mother in addition to being step-mother to a teen and a business owner. No time for sleuthing - until her mother calls. The renovation of her bathroom is halted by the dead contractor and her mother's new husband, Reed, is hiding something. As much as Marla wants to believe in him, his withdrawal isn't helping the investigation. 

As always, Cohen provides a glimpse of the main character in her home, her business, and her community as she sleuths her way to the killer. A fan of this series, I was glad to see Marla manage to play it safe while working and sleuthing. Even Dalton seems to be hiding something, though he is the perfect father.

The pace is steady and the characters interesting. There are multiple suspects aside from Reed and no simple explanation fits the crime. It's not easy to guess at the killer and that kept me engaged. If you're a fan of this series, you will be surprised at Marla's ingenuity in fitting in baby, work, and sleuthing. New to this series? You can enjoy this book without having read the earlier books, though I always recommend you start at the beginning of a series. Regardless, if you enjoy cozy mystery, I'm sure you will like this one. Don't forget the recipes!

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way. 

AMAZON 

About the Author

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won a Readers' Favorite gold medal and a RONE Award, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. 

Her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook, have also garnered numerous awards, including the FAPA President's Book Award and the Royal Palm Literary Award. Active in the writing community, Nancy is a past president of Florida Romance Writers and Mystery Writers of America, Florida Chapter. When not busy writing, she enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World. Visit her at NancyJCohen.com. 

Book Review New Release: EASTER HAIR HUNT : A Bad Hair Day Mystery by Nancy J. Cohen

Synopsis
Hare today, dead tomorrow… Can a stylish sleuth pull a rabbit out of her hat to solve an Easter murder in this to-dye-for cozy mystery?

When hairstylist Marla Vail attends an Easter egg hunt at historic Tremayne Manor, she’s only there to fix hair for a client, Bonnie “Blinky” Morris. But when she’s asked to comb the grounds for leftover goodies, Marla discovers more than just a few dyed eggs. The dead body in the bunny costume is definitely not having a good hare day. And Blinky seems to have disappeared down a rabbit hole.

When trying to solve a murder, everyone needs a friend who’s all ears. For Marla, that’s her husband, homicide detective Dalton Vail. They make an eggcellent team. Dalton isn’t the kind to leap to conclusions, but with his wife seven months pregnant, and knowing Marla finds crime-solving to be irresistible, he worries about her running off on another hare-raising adventure.

Marla’s peeps are hoping for a happy ending, but she may have found a basketful of trouble this time. Can she crack the case before Blinky becomes the next victim?

Recipes Included!

Review

Marla's task of collecting any missed Easter eggs or goodies goes south quickly when she finds a man in part of a bunny costume, dead. The costume he's wearing is the one her friend Blinky was wearing only a few minutes before. And the egg she finds nearby is none other than a Fabergé. She discovers that Tremayne Manor and Lacey Tremayne have a rare collection and security. Only no one knows where Blinky went or how the Fabergé egg ended up in the grass or what happened to the security tape.

Worried about her friend, not to mention her own curiosity, Marla gets very busy following clues and jumping to conclusions. Dalton and Tally and other friends keep her grounded and mindful of her pregnancy. Marla continuously points out that she won't be crime-stopping once the baby arrives. There are expected and unexpected twists and turns as the story unfolds. 

This is the 16th in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries and Cohen has done it again with steady pace and characters who have depth and personality. She does not disappoint. I'm wondering if Marla will really bow out of sleuthing after the baby is born.

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

Book Review & Excerpt: TRIMMED TO DEATH (#15 in the Bad Hair Day Cozy Mystery Series) by Nancy J. Cohen

Synopsis (from Amazon.com)

Mix together a cocktail for murder, add a few salty suspects, toss in a dollop of sweet humor, and you have the recipe for Trimmed to Death, #15 in the Bad Hair Day cozy mystery series.

Savvy hairstylist and amateur sleuth Marla Vail enters a charity bake-off contest at a fall festival sponsored by a local farm. While she waits to see if her coconut fudge pie is a winner, Marla joins a scavenger hunt where people playing character roles are the targets. Instead of scoring points with a live person, she finds a dead body planted face-down in the strawberry field. Who would want to cut short the life of food magazine publisher and fellow bake-off contestant Francine Dodger? As she investigates, Marla learns there's no shortage of suspects. A celebrity TV chef, food critic, olive oil importer, food truck owner, pastry chef, and cookbook author may be stirring up more than their next recipe. Can Marla unmask the killer before someone else gets trimmed from life? Recipes Included!

Review

In yet another great story, Marla Vail once again is involved in the investigation of a murder. Her detective husband, Dalton, is on the case and Marla the sounding board and information seeker. Suspects abound with interesting connections from the food critique to the owners of the farm to the Italians providing virgin olive oil. 

As if that isn't enough, Marla can't just have one crisis, and she is also helping her friend Tally Riggs figure out how and where to reopen her boutique cafe, at the same time trying to expand the salon to include a bistro for her customers. On the home front, having a teen ager - though Brianna seems mature for her age and supportive of Marla - always adds to the angst.

As with others in this series, this is well-paced with enough action to keep readers engaged and the story moving along. Although part of a series, it can be read as a stand alone - though I'd recommend starting at the beginning to see how the relationships and characters evolve over time. All in all, if you enjoy cozy mysteries and female sleuths, you'll enjoy Trimmed to Death. Besides, you get some recipes!

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

AMAZON

Read an excerpt:

Dalton signaled for them to move on. As they neared the site, Marla could make out the distinctive light from lanterns. It seemed to come from inside a big spreading tree.

Voices chanted as they drew nearer. Marla could hear them more distinctly now.

“Hear us, Lady Isis, and receive our prayers. We invoke thee to awaken our souls. Speak to us and save us from the darkness. May our words be a spell and a link to thy great light, O Queen and Mother. Let your Divine goodness arise within us and bring thy truth.”

Their volume rose in unison. “I am Isis, and from my life come the suns and the moons, the rain showers and the streams, the living and the dead. I am the Mother and the Earth. All glories of the universe bow to me as I am the priest, the sacrifice, the shrine. I am thy queen enraptured by a love that shall encompass thee.”

Their pitch changed again, becoming more pleading. “Hear us, Lady Isis, and accept our prayers. We worship and invoke thy greatness. Hail to thee, Mother of our humble lives.”

“You there, stop where you are,” a man hollered from behind Marla and Dalton.

Great, the group had left a lookout. Marla would never have succeeded as an Indian scout. The Native Americans would know how to proceed through the forest with stealth.

Slowly, with both hands in view, they turned around.

Excerpt from Trimmed to Death. Copyright © 2018 Nancy J. Cohen. All rights reserved.

About Nancy J. Cohen

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have made the Independent Mystery Booksellers' Association bestseller list, been selected by Suspense Magazine as best cozy mystery, won a Readers' Favorite gold medal, and earned third place in the Arizona Literary Awards. Nancy has also written the instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery. Her imaginative romances have proven popular with fans as well. These books have won the HOLT Medallion and Best Book in Romantic SciFi/Fantasy at The Romance Reviews. A featured speaker at libraries, conferences, and community events, she is listed in Contemporary Authors, Poets & Writers, and Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, & Poets. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys fine dining, cruising, visiting Disney World, and shopping. 

Want to stay in touch for updates on Nancy's new releases, giveaways, special offers and events? Join her reader list at NancyJCohen.com/newsletter. Free Book Sampler for new subscribers.

Book Release & Review: HAIR BRAINED : Bad Hair Day Mysteries by Nancy J. Cohen

Synopsis

When hairstylist Marla Vail’s best friend is hurt in a suspicious car accident, Marla assumes guardianship of her infant son. No sooner does Marla say, “Baby want a bottle?” than she’s embroiled in another murder investigation. Her husband, Detective Dalton Vail, determines the crash may not have been an accident after all. But then, who would want Tally—or Ken in the car with her—out of the way? As Marla digs deeper into her friends’ lives, she realizes she didn’t know them as well as she’d thought. Nonetheless, it’s her duty as their son’s guardian to ensure his safety, even if it means putting her own life at risk. Can she protect the baby and find the culprit before someone else ends up as roadkill?

Review

Marla agreed to take guardianship for Luke in the event of her friends' death, but never imagined the time would come when he was an infant. She takes her promise to heart and figures out how to balance her sudden motherhood with running her business with Dalton and Brianna's help. Thankfully, there's Mrs. Phelps who was taking care of Luke when the accident occurred. Marla and Dalton are also now responsible for Tally and Ken's businesses. 

As the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear it was not an accident, but whether the target was Tally or Ken isn't clear.  More importantly, Tally still hasn't regained consciousness. The multiple plot lines, as well as Marla's own guilt and concerns regarding her friendship keep the story moving at a steady pace. As the body count rises, the tension and danger increases not only for Marla but for Luke as well.

This is the 14th in the Bad Hair Day Mystery series - they just keeps getting better.

AMAZON

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review as part of this blog tour. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

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Review: FACIALS CAN BE FATAL (A Bad Hair Day Mystery) by Nancy J. Cohen

Synopsis:

During the frenzy of the December holidays, the last thing salon owner Marla Vail needs is a dead body slathered in a green facial mask at her new day spa. The victim, Valerie Weston, had been a major donor for Friends of Old Florida, a nonprofit historic preservation society. Marla's stylists are scheduled to work backstage at their upcoming gala fashion show, but Val's demise might put a crimp in their plans.

Hoping to salvage her reputation, Marla determines to track down the suspects. Although Val had been well liked by most people, she may have stumbled onto secrets that others would kill to keep. What are the connections between a greedy land developer, a dress designer whose husband may have links to the Asian mob, a mortician who might be involved in the human hair trade, and members of the nonprofit group's board of directors? Are the latter as dedicated to their cause as they'd like Marla to believe, or do they have their own self-interests at heart?

Sparks are sure to fly when this smart stylist joins forces with her sexy detective husband to solve a decades-old mystery that includes a secret journal, pirate tales, and shipwrecks along the Florida coast. With the rollercoaster excitement, you might need a trip to the day spa to relax.

Review:

Marla Vail has a lot going on - new family, new business venture, and a gala fashion show to prepare for - but the person who selected Marla and her business to work the fashion show dies in Marla's day spa. Marla doesn't really think the beautician who worked on Val killed her intentionally, but she needs to find out who took advantage of Val's spa experience to kill her.  

With a mix of humor and light suspense, unveiled connections, and an old mystery somehow connected, the pace is maintained as Cohen adds more pieces to the puzzle.  If you enjoy humor in your cozy mystery, you'll like FACIALS CAN BE FATAL. This book is part of a series, but can easily be read as a stand alone. 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

AMAZON

About Nancy J Cohen:

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have made the IMBA bestseller list, been selected by Suspense Magazine as best cozy mystery, and won third place in the Arizona Literary Awards. Nancy has also written the instructional guide, Writing the Cozy Mystery. Her imaginative romances, including the Drift Lords series, have proven popular with fans as well. A featured speaker at libraries, conferences, and community events, Nancy is listed in Contemporary Authors, Poets & Writers, and Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, & Poets. When not busy writing, she enjoys fine dining, cruising, visiting Disney World, and shopping. Sign up for her newsletter at http://nancyjcohen.com/newsletter/