Dead Roots (Bad Hair Day Mystery) [Hardcover]

Nancy J. Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bad Hair Day Mystery | Publication Date: December 1, 2005

Marla's a little nervous about her family reunion at Florida's historic Sugar Crest Plantation Resort. It's the first time her clan will meet her fiance, Detective Dalton Vail...and vice versa. There's little hope of much privacy. One wing of the hotel is condemned and off-limits while the rest is packed this Thanksgiving weekend with visitors, from city council members debating the feasibility of developing the property into a living history theme park to paranormal experts investigating the site's many ghosts. Not exactly a romantic getaway. The web of tension connecting Marla's relatives adds a most unwelcome tint of anxiety to the whole affair. Elderly Aunt Polly, whose Russian father, Andrew Marks, once owned Sugar Crest, is desperate to find the treasure in gemstones he hid there before the place is torn down. Meanwhile, Cousin Cynthia piques Marla's interest with talk of a family curse. Apparently the plantation was built on an Indian burial mound, and two eerie Cossacks were somehow involved in Andrew's very premature death. What one thing has to do with the other, no one can say. But when Aunt Polly is found suffocated in her bed, her nursing aide vanished, there's no excuse for silly speculations. It's time for Maria to unravel the tangle of lies that tie her family to Sugar Crest...a tangle that reaches all the way back to Tzarist Russia. And while she's on the hunt, she might as well consider those with money to lose if the demolition is delayed - like local businessmen...and Cynthia's husband, who is anxious to invest in the theme park. Things get even more desperate when the body of the resort's groundskeeper is found on the nature trail. Whatever is going on at Sugar Crest, someone is willing to go to great lengths to keep it hidden. But he or she hasn't planned on Marla, who will stop at nothing to learn the truth before the killer strikes even closer to home.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Cohen's compelling seventh mystery to feature Florida hairstylist Marla Shore (after 2004's Died Blonde), Marla is looking forward to introducing her fiancé, detective Dalton Vail, to her extended family at a reunion on Thanksgiving weekend at Sugar Crest, a former plantation, now a reputedly haunted resort hotel that's owned by her aged aunt Polly. When Aunt Polly turns up suffocated in her bed, Marla must put on her sleuthing cap and track down a killer. Historic preservationists, real estate developers, town officials and avaricious heirs all have an interest in Sugar Crest. Between such hair-raising events as encountering ghosts and hearing strange voices and music, Marla is able to relax and enjoy the company of her family and fiancé. Well-developed characters and an intriguing historical background enhance this winning cozy. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Nancy J. Cohen is an award-winning author who writes romance and mysteries. Her humorous Bad Hair Day mystery series features hairdresser Marla Shore, who solves crimes with wit and style under the sultry Florida sun. Several of these titles have made the IMBA bestseller list. Shear Murder is the tenth book in this series and Nancy's sixteenth title. Nancy's imaginative science fiction romances have also proven popular with fans. Silver Serenade recently won Best Book in Romantic Science Fiction/Fantasy at The Romance Reviews. Coming next is Warrior Prince, a Drift Lords novel and book one in a new paranormal romance series from The Wild Rose Press. Active in the writing community and a featured speaker at libraries and conferences, she is listed in Contemporary Authors, Poets & Writers, and Who's Who in U.S. Writers, Editors, & Poets. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (December 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758206585
• ISBN-13: 978-0758206589
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,466,894 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Haunting Vacation, June 10, 2006

By 

Beth D (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dead Roots (Bad Hair Day Mystery) (Hardcover)

Marla Shore, hairdresser is going to the family reunion that her Aunt Polly has put together at the historic Sugar Crest Plantation Resort. Marla knew this weekend was going to be bad as this was her first time at introducing her fiancee, Detective Dalton Vail to the family. Worrying that they wouldn't accept him because he wasn't Jewish, wasn't as bad as the worry that she had that he wouldn't accept them because they were nutty.

Things got worse when they arrived at the resort to find out that one wing was condemned and off limits, there was a ghost hunter on site, looking for spirits who seemed to be roaming the old plantation.

Then Marla finds out that her Aunt Polly has a secret. It was Polly's Russian father, Andrew Marks, who had come to America after the Russian Revolution, who had once owned the plantation and he had died after a visit from two eerie Cossacks who had disappeared. It had been her mother who finally sold the plantation, but Polly retained the rights to stay at the resort whenever she wanted.

Polly hinted of lost treasure and secret ownership of the hotel, and when she was found suffocated in her bed, Marla knew she would have to unravel her own family history, as well as, the history of the plantation to find if there was a treasure. If they still had a claim on this resort or if the family ghosts were still haunting the place or was it just a current family member who was responsible for both the killings and the hauntings.

Highlights:

Marla has always been a likable character and her relationship with Dalton Vail and his thirteen year old daughter, Brianna has always been very believable. Marla has had some trauma in her younger days and a bad marriage which made her wary of both men and of having children.

The Mystery. There were actually several going on here. Who killed her Aunt Polly. Who was her grandfather and as an immigrant from Russia just after the revolution, how did he have the money to buy this estate? Who were the mysterious men who showed up a few days before his death? Were there ghosts on the estate and what did they want.

Humor. This series has always been one of the funniest.

Lowlights:

Boring. The worse thing a mystery can be is boring. I liked that there were several different mysteries going on at the same time, but except for finding out her Grandfather and Aunt Polly's history, they weren't very interesting.

Missing characters: In the previous books most of the interesting characters are people who surrounded Marla at her work. Dalton's daughter, Brianna and Marla's wonderful dog Spook. The least interesting people have always been her family. An entire book filled with the least interesting people and none of the ones you love can be tedious.

I think this was a misfire, but Marla is still a great character that I'm sure the next book will be much better.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Death At A Family Reunion, February 1, 2006

By 

Dawn Dowdle "Mystery Lovers Corner reviewer" (Lynchburg, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Roots (Bad Hair Day Mystery) (Hardcover)

Marla Shore and her fiancé Detective Dalton Vale head off on a much-needed vacation. Marla is excited as she will be introducing Dalton to many of her extended family. They are going to a family reunion at the Sugar Crest Resort. Her Aunt Polly arranged the reunion.

Turns out Marla's relatives once owned the place and it is now supposedly haunted by some of her past relatives. Apparently Polly wanted to right some wrongs and uncover family secrets by having the reunion there. Unfortunately, Aunt Polly is found dead before she can do much more than ask Marla to look for some old letters and gems. Marla is not sure they really exist, but her curiosity gets the best of her.

When a workman falls to his death, Dalton believes the death to be murder. The house doctor lists it as an accident. Unfortunately, the local police believe the house doctor and not Dalton. This just spurs Marla on further in her investigation. Dalton is doing some investigating as well. When they discover that Aunt Polly's death wasn't a natural death, things really heat up.

Can Marla help Dalton uncover the truth without anyone else being hurt, including herself?

I really enjoy this series. Marla is such a likeable character. Most of the books are set in and around her Florida salon. While I enjoy that, this was a nice change. The relationship between Marla and Dalton has really matured and it is fun watching it grow and change through the various books. Marla is a believable sleuth. She does get herself into some scary situations, but she has a level head most of the time.

I highly recommend this book and the whole series.

5.0 out of 5 stars Dead Roots, June 8, 2007

By 

Country Lass (Small Town Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Roots (Bad Hair Day Mysteries) (Paperback)

Fast, fun read. Lots of interesting characters and plot twists and turns.
Keeps your interest 'til the last page. Can't wait to read more Nancy J. Cohen.