Hair Raiser (Bad Hair Day Mysteries) [Paperback]

Nancy.J Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2001

When savvy hairstylist Marla Shore volunteers for a fund-raiser, she has to comb through a knot of suspects to determine who's sabotaging the gala event. Participating chefs are dropping off the roster like hot rollers, and it's only through a series of hair-raising exploits that the brazen beautician can tease the truth from them. Too late to stop a murder, Marla must salvage the grand affair before she's moussed into oblivion.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An engaging, busy plot drives saucy beautician Marla Shore's second outing (after 1999's Permed to Death), set in Palm Haven, Fla. When Marla assembles 10 local chefs to cook for a gala benefit to save a pristine beach property from commercial development, the chefs start enthusiastically but nasty accidents soon cause them, one by one, to withdraw. Sabotage isn't out of the question, since the board members of Ocean Guard, the preservation group sponsoring the benefit, are all at each other's throats. When someone bludgeons the board's lawyer to death with a Samoan knife belonging to a banker on the board, Marla goes to the Bahamas to look for answers, taking malicious pranks and even murder attempts in stride with all the panache of a grown-up Nancy Drew. At times Cohen overwrites, especially when describing her characters' reactions ("Marla gazed into Babs's frantic hazel eyes and her mouth curved upward"; "His face wore its usual supercilious grin as he peered at her, hazel eyes raking her attire"), but there's no reason why a good editor can't curb such excesses in future Bad Hair Day episodes. Marla's romance with police detective Dalton Vail continues to thrive, and should be a major focus for fans in the next installment. A bold pink jacket perfectly complements the text. Agent, Linda Hyatt. (Dec. 5)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"I first met Marla Shore in PERMED TO DEATH and just spent another pleasant afternoon with her. I look forward to her next adventure." -- Patsy Asher, Remember the Alibi Mystery Bookstore

"[S]uspenseful and engrossing. . . . completely satisfying reading experience. I predict that Nancy Cohen and the Bad Hair Day Mysteries will be around for a long, long time. -- Nancy Mehl, Mystery Editor, The Charlotte Austin Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157566688X
• ISBN-13: 978-1575666884
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,798,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mystery both exciting and fun to ead, November 21, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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

In Southern Florida, Marla Shore owns the Cut 'N Dye Beauty Salon where she also works as a stylist. Currently, Marla is preoccupied with the Taste of the World fundraiser sponsored by Ocean Guard, a preservation group concerned with the coastal environment. She serves as the liaison between the participating chefs in the event and the leaders of the sponsoring group. If this occasion succeeds, Ocean Guard will obtain ownership of the property next door to her friend's property. If the property is to remain a nature preserve, Ocean Guard must also donate $20,000 to a designated political lobby, hence the fundraiser.

Obtaining the property appears to be a snap until many of the chefs withdraw from the event. Marla thinks someone is trying to prevent the transfer of the property. Two organization members are murdered and biological waste washes ashore onto the property whose ownership appears in doubt. Marla begins making inquiries that will make her a key target of a determined killer.

HAIR RAISER is a delightfully funny yet stylized murder mystery that shows the talent of author Nancy J. Cohen to entertain her audience. The characters are easy to identify with, likable and realistic next-door neighbors. The brilliantly crafted mystery makes it extremely difficult to identify the villain until Ms. Cohen reveals whom the individual is. The second installment in the "Bad Hair Day" series is a near perfect perm.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Series is getting better, February 23, 2001

By 

"kathrynlively" - See all my reviews

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

I'll admit that while I did not completely like Permed to Death, Hair Raiser's predecessor, I did not hate it, either. While I found the characterization a bit awkward and certain sub-plots of the story predictable, I thought Cohen had a nice concept with Marla Shore and hope she could pull off an improved sequel. I'm happy to say Hair Raiser is evidence that Cohen is getting better at the mystery game.

The mystery -- where Marla is determined to hunt the killer of a lawyer on the board of an environmental committee which includes her cousin -- is thought out and written well. Plus the relationship between Marla and Detective Vail makes for great page-turning sexual tension -- their relationship does not come off as awkward as it did in the first book. I can genuinely say I'm looking forward to reading more.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars How did this book make it to hard cover?, October 31, 2001

By A Customer

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

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series (Permed to Death), this one was very disappointing. It was not well written, the villain was too easy to spot, and some of the things that come out of Marla's mouth are totally ridiculous. She acts like everone's psychotherapist, and people just accept it. She throws in yiddish words in ridiculous places, just for effect, and her obsession with pleasing her family after the Tammy episode in the past is sickening. I'm through with this series.