I’m Marla Vail, hairstylist and amateur sleuth. Since I got married and had a baby, I’d sworn off crime solving. But how could I resist when my mother called to say she’d found a dead body in her shower? Oy vey! She and my stepdad are in the midst of a bathroom renovation, and this will put a stopper in their plans. She’ll be lucky if the remodel doesn’t go completely down the drain. Now she’ll have more worries than which plumbing fixtures to install.

Before I can run over there, I have to complete my morning routine. With a ten-month-old son, I have a strict schedule to follow. Feed Ryder, get him dressed for the day, do my morning pumping, finish another round of laundry. Fortunately, my detective husband Dalton has already taken our son to daycare. It’s Monday morning, my one weekday off from the salon. Did I mention that I own the Cut ’N Dye Salon and Day Spa? I love doing people’s hair and making them feel better about themselves.

For now, I’ll have to put aside my own needs. I jump into my car and drive to Ma’s house in Boynton Beach. My pulse races as I note the police cars in her driveway. Inside, Ma is relieved to see me. She paces nervously while waiting for the detective to interview her along with my stepdad, Reed.

When I enter the master bedroom, the lead investigator scowls at me and makes a statement that sends chills skittering up my spine. Reed was home alone when the death occurred, and one of his neckties was wrapped around the victim’s neck. The dead man is Jack Laredo, the manager for their remodeling project. Did Reed have any reason to resent the job foreman?

As I learn to my dismay, Reed is keeping secrets from my mother. He appears to have a past connection to the victim. Can I convince him to come clean about what he knows before the detective accuses him of murder?

Styled For Murder, A Bad Hair Day Mystery #17
Genre: Cozy
Release: November 2021
Purchase Link

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!

About the Author
Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. These books have won numerous awards along with her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook. Nancy is a past president of Florida Romance Writers and Florida Chapter of MWA. When not busy writing, she enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising and visiting Disney World.

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram

All comments are welcomed.