Meet Marla Shore, a Florida beauty salon owner with a knack for creating dazzling 'dos-and solving mysteries... Marla was already having a bad day, but when one of her clients dies while getting a perm in her salon, her day just can't get any worse...until the smugly competent Detective Vail accuses her of poisoning the wealthy widow's coffee creamer! Granted, Bertha Kravitz was hardly her favorite customer, but Marla could never have murdered the ornery woman. Now it's up to the savvy stylist to find out just who did. Combing the woman's privileged world for clues, Marla soon discovers that the town is crawling with potential suspects. As the case grows more snarled, Marla becomes determined to unmask a cunning killer before she's outwitted-and dead. "A terrific mystery debut for Nancy Cohen. Marla the beautician is a delight." --Tamar Myers, author of Baroque and Desperate "A keeper...I plan to reserve a permanent place on my bookshelf for this action-packed, character-driven series." --Denis Dietz, author of Footprints In the Butter and Throw Darts At A Cheesecake
From Library Journal
When a rather nasty woman dies of poisoning in Marla Shore's Palm Harbor beauty shop, police suspect Marla, the only other person in the shop. Marla, who doesn't want the authorities to find out that the victim was blackmailing her, takes a defensive stance and falls for the attractive detective in charge. She conducts her own investigation, questioning the dead woman's estranged son, niece/heir, greedy business partner, and others. While not without redeeming qualities, this first effort suffers from inconsistent characterization and a few frayed story lines. An optional purchase for larger collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"A terrific mystery debut for Nancy Cohen. Marla the beautician is a delight." -- Tamar Myers, author of Baroque and Desperate
"I plan to reserve a permanent place on my bookshelf for this action-packed, character-driven series. Permed to Death is a Keeper!" -- Denise Dietz, author of Footprints in the Butter and Throw Darts At A Cheesecake
Permed to Death is propelled by strong characters set in a plot full of interesting kinks, if you'll pardon the pun. The author kept me guessing until nearly the end. As a stylist with 16 years under her belt, I can fully relate to the salon setting and must say Ms. Cohen has nailed it. I can't help myself. Although I have never been to Florida, I can capture the essence of the area through the vivid description of the scenery. Good job, Ms. Cohen, I look forward to your future books in this series, The Bad Hair Day Mysteries. -- Reviewed by April Redmon; Copyright by Under the Covers 1999