Murder by Manicure

Thirty-five-year-old beauty salon owner, Marla Shore, figures that ridding herself of a few flabby pounds of holiday fat will be easy, after all, beauty is her business. However, the daily walks she takes with her poodle, Spooks, hasn't managed to melt away any excess pounds, so Marla decides to sign up for a free trial membership at Perfect Fit Sports Club. Marla never imagined that trying to beat the bulk would land her smack dab in the middle of a murder. Especially the murder of one of her very own customers, Jolene Myers. Jolene decided to relax in the whirpool with a nice soak, and ended up dorwning, and as of now Marla is the only one, except for Homicide Detective Vail, who suspects foul play. Soon Marla has come upon a second corpse, and knows that she wants to nail the killer before she someone else ends up dead. Especially if that someone is her.This is my first BAD HAIR DAY MYSTERY, and I was quite pleased with the outcome. I found Marla to be a fun character, whom you find yourself rooting for from page one. Also, as an animal rights activist, I found that I enjoyed the dialogue spewed by Cookie about animals being tested on for beauty products. I think that it will help the public become more aware of what some animals go through involuntarily. Overall I found this book to be quite an entertaining amateur sleuth mystery, and I hope to read more about Marla, Homicide Detective Vail, and Spooks from Nancy J. Cohen in the future.Erika Sorocco

Marla Shore owns Cut 'N Dye Salon. She joins Perfect Fit Sports Club for a 3-month trial membership. She and her friend Tally plan to work out together.Jolene Myers, a client of Marla's, is found dead in the whirlpool at the gym the first night Marla is there.Marla Shore dates Detective Dalton Vail. He has a 12 year old daughter Brianna and Marla isn't sure how involved she wants to get with him.Marla and Dalton do not believe Jolene's death was an accident. She joins forces with him to help find the killer. There's no shortage of suspects. Everyone has a secret and thus a motive. Then there's another murder. Things get very dangerous for Marla and others involved.This series is hilarious and very enjoyable and contains many hijinks. I always look forward to reading another book in this series to see what Marla will get into and find out the latest in her love life.I like this series set in a hair salon. People talk to their hairstylist. Marla finds out things most people wouldn't be able to. I also like the growing relationship between Dalton and Marla and Marla and Brianna. I hope things work out for them in the future.

This was my first meeting with Marla Shore, hairstylist and it will not be my last. I really enjoyed this book. Ms. Cohen kept me guessing until the end. The characters were interesting and winsome. I felt like I knew them. I have already ordered two more in this series and cannot wait to crack them open!

Marla Shore isn't really looking for dead bodies but they do manage to keep showing up at the most inconvenient times. A free trial membership to the Perfect Fit Sports Club turns out to be more than she bargained for. Jolene Myers, a customer at Marla's beauty salon, Cut `N Dye, is found floating in the whirlpool, and Marla finds herself in the middle of a confusing and dangerous cast of characters and motives.Who murdered Jolene? Could it be Cookie Calcone, the animal rights activist who threatened Jolene shortly before her unfortunate death? And what about the rumors regarding Jolene and Sam Zelman? Were they having an affair? Could Sam's wife, Eloise, be the murderer? The staff at the Sports Club appear to be hiding something, as do several of the citizens of Palm Haven, a small Florida community that certainly seems to have its share of secrets. Marla launches into tracking down another killer with the same chutzpah seen in her previous two cases featured in the first two novels of THE BAD HAIR DAY MYSTERIES: PERMED TO DEATH and HAIRAISER. Along for the ride again this time is her best friend, Tally, and police Lieutenant Dalton Vail, whose chiseled good looks still make Marla wonder if her fear of intimacy isn't a little overdeveloped. MURDER BY MANICURE continues a fine series by Nancy J. Cohen. Fast paced and interesting, it is full of rich characters and attention grabbing plot twists. Cohen has developed Marla Shore into an appealing detective to whom readers can easily connect. When it comes to murder, Marla proves the old adage true - Only your hairdresser knows for sure!

Beauty saloon owner Marla Shore lives and toils in Fort Lauderdale. She also works for an organization that tries to make home swimming pools safe for children because she witnessed the drowning death of a child. When it comes to pool safety, Marla will do anything, even investigating homicides involving clients. Marla applies for a trial membership at Perfect Fit Sports Club. On the night she enrolls, a swimming pool client dies in the sports club's whirlpool. The post mortem toxicology reveals the victim's blood stream contained a strong sedative. Marla knows this woman would never risk medication just prior to entering the heated whirlpool. Unable to resist, Marla interferes with the official police investigation to quickly learn that many members and the staff prefer having the victim dead. Nancy J Cohen has written another romantic mystery starring delightful characters from her previous novels in this lighthearted amateur sleuth series. The story line is fun due to Marla's machinations. However, the plot works because so many suspects exist, which leads to readers making MURDER BY MANICURE a one sitting experience to learn who did it and why.Harriet Klausner