| Mystery Review |
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I picked the perfect place to read Permed to Death…the
beauty salon. Settling in for
four hours of pampering (including a perm), I lost myself in Marla
Shore’s adventures at south Florida’s Cut ‘N Dye.
Stylist Marla Shore opens her shop early to accommodate
Bertha Kravitz, a wealthy client who was blackmailing Marla for lifetime
free service. Mrs. Kravitz
lived to use people, so she was not well loved in the community. As she drank a cup of poisoned coffee and dropped dead before
her neutralizer, there were many with reasons to feel relieved.
But Marla had one major problem.
She was the only other person in the shop, and therefore, the prime
suspect. Marla, haunted by the death of a child in her care years
ago, is determined to solve the mystery of who poisoned the powder creamer
that only Mrs. Kravitz used. Her
list of suspects includes: Carlos,
the cleaning crewman who left the backdoor unlocked; any member of her
staff or a customer who knew the schedule; Roy Collins, Mrs. Kravitz’s
business partner; Todd, Mrs. Kravitz’s disinherited son; and Zack
Greenfield, who was in a financial slump as his wife becomes Mrs.
Kravitz’s only heir. Detective Dalton Vail is on the case and at first is at
odds with Marla’s mission to solve the murder.
She shares the findings of her investigation with Dalton, but he
remains tight-lipped about what the police have on the case. Finally, they join forces to take a ride in the Everglades
and a meeting with a santero, the holy man of a religion that
blends the beliefs of former African slaves with Christianity. A romantic relationship develops between Marla and
Dalton as the clues begin to fall in place. The initial book of Nancy Cohen’s “Bad Hair Day
Mysteries” is a nail-biting adventure, so schedule a manicure. Permed to Death is witty and a well-crafted mystery
that will have you guessing till the intense end.
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