Customer Reviews

Missing Mabel (Curl Up and Dye Mystery Series, No. 1 / Hometown Mysteries)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've eagerly awaited this new cozy Christian mystery series by Nancy Mehl and my anticipation has been well-rewarded. Once again Ms. Mehl sets a snuggly, cozy tone, gently shares her faith, provides readers with a coterie of delightful characters, and sprinkles the plot with tantalizing clues to pique our interest.

Hilde Higgins loves her job and considers dressing hair before funerals her ministry. This pride in her work and attention to small details has built Hilde's clientele with mortuaries in Wichita, Kansas. Once she sees a photo of a person in life, her photographic memory is a godsend. Through prayer and skill, Hilde creates the perfect image for funeral viewing. Why a young woman would want to be "hairdresser to the dead" is a mystery to most who know Hilde, especially her mother. She could still be working for the most prestigious salon in Wichita, but got tired of rich old women who want to look like movie stars. The dead don't talk, or complain.

Except for her mother's disapproval and a barren social life, Hilde's world turns smoothly until the day she's called to dress Mabel Winnemaker's hair. One brief glance at the REAL Mabel a day before tells Hilde the body in the casket is not Mabel. When she expresses her belief that Mabel is missing, no one believes her and the mortuary owner accuses her of stealing Mabel's ring. Everything goes downhill for Hilde from there. Her reputation is shot, Mabel is missing, and the only comfort Hilde has is her cozy apartment and friends in tiny Eden, Kansas.
Eden and Hilde's friends there provide interest and depth to the plot as our heroine struggles to clear her name and find the real Mabel. The ending, when it came, was a complete surprise. The clues were there, but I missed them.

Readers who love cozy Christian mysteries should relish this series. Highly recommended.

Hilde Higgins has a calling. She is a hairdresser with a limited but never-ending clientele: she does the hair of "the dearly departed" for funeral homes. She does a good job, good enough that she makes a very frugal living at it. When she is called in to do the hair of Mabel Winnemaker, Hilde has some bad news for the director of Druther's Funeral home. The woman on the table is not Mabel. Hilde knows her hair, and that is so not Mabel's hair. Of course, the funeral home denies that they have the wrong body and, in turn, accuses Hilde of stealing a diamond ring from the corpse.

Hilde is determined to find out what is going on. With the help of some friends, old and new, she does find out the truth. Along the way, her love life improves.

Mehl has written a mystery that will fit several groups of readers. It's "clean" enough for young adult readers. It's got enough message for readers who want some obvious faith in their reading. It's a decent mystery for fans of the cozy and traditional, and for those who enjoy an amateur sleuth.

Mabel could have gone through college and had a normal career. That would have been too predictable for Mabel, who is quirky and odd. Instead, she went to beauty school and now works on dead people's hair.

Someone is trying to frame her. She is being accused of stealing a ring from a dead body. Even worse, she knows that the woman she is working on is not the woman she is supposed to be working on. Why did someone switch the bodies? Nobody will believe her, so it is up to her to solve this mystery. In the meantime, she finds love, tries to bring a friend closer to God, and mends fences with her closed-off mother.

From looking at the cover, I expected a book for young adults. Young adults will enjoy this book, but older adults will, also. The character development is top-notch. These unique characters will stick with you. Hopefully, there will be more Mabel books to follow!

"Don't judge a book by the cover." This old adage certainly rang true for me as I sat down to read Missing Mabel by Nancy Mehl. The cover of this book was unappealing but after just reading the first page, I knew I was reading a winner.

Missing Mabel is the first in an engaging new series by Nancy Mehl which features Hilde Higgins, a free lance hairdresser to the dearly dparted as the protag and takes place in a tiny city ("it was recently carpeted" Arthur, the movie) in Kansas called Eden.

A corpse switch is duly noted by Hilde who has been assigned to do "Mabel's" hair only to find it isn't Mabel who lies in front of her. The funeral director, Mr. Druthers, dismisses Hilde's claim of switched corpse and .......let's just say, there is trouble in Eden.

Hilde vigiantly stuggles through various attempts of others to quiet her accusations and she does get to the bottom of things with some very surprising revelations. Along the way, she encounters 2 men: one who she actually grew up with but lost contact with and one who a lot older who she befriends but harbors suspicition regarding his mysterious past. All very intriguing and making me want to know more.

Ms. Mehl's characterizations are spot on and such a joy to read. There is a delightful balance in flow and cadence to her writing which engaged me immediately. There is a lovely, uplifting theme of Hilde's faith which spurs her on to achieve justice for Mabel and the unidentifiable not-Mabel. Hilde is a hero in my book!

I totally enjoyed Missing Mabel and am overjoyed to find that there are at least 3 more books to follow in this series. I heartily recommend Missing Mabel to one and all! Enjoy!!!!

Hilde's mother is still reeling. She had thought Hilde's life was settling and then this happened.

Life may have fallen apart a bit when Hilde's father left but her mother was made of stern stuff. She was a brain surgeon and Hilde would be raised correctly! Oh, Hilde had great prospects. She was in college. When, much to her mother's chagrin, she dropped out to become a hairstylist. Did that phase her mother? No, way! She found Hilde a fabulous job at an upscale boutique. Yet, Hilde wasn't satisfied with that either! No, she had to become a hairstylist for mortuaries! Mortuaries!

And you can't take her out. She died her hair black with hot pink steaks! Oh, and don't mention lunch at the Beach Club. Hilde has no manners! She shoves the food in her face. She jabbers. Oh, and she prays. IN PUBLIC. Can you fathom?

Now, now! Look at the mess she's gotten herself into! First, Hilde decides that the body she's working on isn't the same one as in the photo of the deceased. Then she winds up with the deceased jewelry in her purse. Oh, and if it couldn't get worse? She's accused of stealing and is kicked out only to find her camera's been stolen.

Maybe Hilde will just let this drop. If only she would let this drop!

This book was a good read & made for fast reading & the author weaves inspirational increment into the mystery which makes the reading more fascinating. I would buy other books by this author & the Amazon experience was secure & the book for being slightly used was like brand new! I would also purchase by mail, other books from the same dealer if I saw them on Amazon

"Missing Mabel" is the first in a new Christian cozy mystery series by Nancy Mehl. Set in Wichita, Kansas as well as a suburb of the city called Eden, our main character is Hilde Higgins. Hilde has found a job she really enjoys and feels called to do - dressing hair of the dearly departed. Not only is it a way of paying her respects to the deceased, she views it as a comfort to the grieving family to have their loved one looking their best at the very end. The mystery starts when she goes into a funeral home to take care of a client, and accidentally walks into the room holding a different corpse than the one she is called to work on. When she returns later to work on Mable, the one she accidently ran into, it's not the same person. Other strange things begin happening and no one believes her that the bodies were switched! A little bit of a twist on the usual murder mystery since the body is already in the funeral home and the mystery surrounds the switching of bodies. Why were they switched? Where is Mabel? Who is the person in the casket and why hasn't anyone noticed they are missing?

The character of Hilde Higgins is quite likable and there are enough other characters in the novel to keep it interesting. Hilde lives in a boarding house so there are a handful of folks who add spice and variety as well as her mother (who can't believe her daughter has chosen this line of work) who adds quite a bit of interest. The mystery and its solution are plausible enough to not have my eyes rolling in disbelief. Also, a healthy dose of humor also is injected which left me smiling many a time.

Bottom line: Enjoyable, light cozy and a good start to a new series.

Note: This is a Christian cozy with all that entails. Many chapters are concluded with a bit of a short discourse about God. Anyone not of the Christian faith may have a difficult time with this, but I am not sure they would necessarily pick it up to start out with.

Missing Mabel by Nancy Mehl is a completely delightful read.

When Hilde Higgins, hairdresser to the recently departed is called in to tidy the tresses of 87 year old Mabel Winnemaker, she is shocked to her roots to discover the body has been switched. Before long, fingers are being pointed at Hilde accusing her of inventing this conspiracy to cover her own pilfering of Mabel's diamond ring. Hilde knows she is innocent, but the evidence is found in her handbag. Who would set her up, and why? Although Hilde comes up with several suspects, none of them seem likely. Hilde's life seems to be in tangles. Can she straighten things out before her life is trimmed short.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters are amusing and the story is captivating. It moves along at a brisk pace and all the questions are tied up by the end. It is the perfect book for when you want a good relaxing read that doesn't require too much thinking on your part. I give this book a solid 4 stars. Although it's not a blockbuster, it does the job it was called to do quite well.

"Missing Mabel" is a premier story in the "Hometown Mysteries Series" by Nancy Mehl. Set in small-town Kansas, this humorous mystery revolves around the lead character, Hilde Higgins, a hair-dresser for funeral homes. Hilde knows that the person identified as Mabel Winnemaker is not the same body she previously viewed. But, when Hilde goes to the director of the funeral home, she is accused of stealing Mabel's diamond ring and using the alleged body switching as a distraction to cover her tracks. What follows is a fascinating story filled with humor, sadness, interesting characters and a search for faith. Hilde makes friends with the cantankerous older gentleman living across from her boarding house, re-connects with an old childhood friend, and rebuilds her relationship with her mother as she works to solve the mystery surrounding Mabel. Along the way, her faith in God is strengthened as she learns there is nothing you can't overcome with His help.

"Missing Mabel" is a treasure of a book and I highly recommend it to everyone.

Among my top favorite genre's to read are cozy mysteries and Christian fiction, and when the two are combined together that just makes for double reading pleasure. So when I seen Missing Mabel (Hometown Mysteries) listed by Barbour through Net Gallery, I just knew I had to read it.

Hilde Higgins , a hairdresser for several funeral parlors gets herself in one tangled mess. Born with a photographic memory, she knows the lady she is working on is not Miss Mabel. She is not the lady she seen earlier. When she voices her opinion first to her friend Gwen that works at the parlor and then to the owner things start going south for Hilde. First a diamond ring is planted in her purse and she is accused of stealing it, her camera disappears and there goes her proof , and to top it off things have come up missing in the apt building where she lives so she wonders will they blame her to. When an old childhood friend arrives on the scene , will he believe her, her mother doesn't Will they ever find the real Miss Mabel. Will clues from an Agatha Christie mystery book help solve this. Not only is she involved with finding the real Miss Mabel, she is dealing with episodes of her past, clowns as a matter of fact.

There are so many characters in the book that are so likeable, from her mother , who despises Hilde's choice of food..SPAM... not to mention the church she attends, to the mysterious Mr. Gabe Bashevis owner of Bashevis Antiques, to Mrs. Hudson and Minnie owners of the apt building where she lives.

If you are looking for a truly sweet cozy mystery with a touch of romance and a Christian background then you will thoroughly enjoy Missing Mable by Nancy Mehl. When you think you know "who dun it" guess again. Excellent story. I myself will be waiting for another episode of Hometown Mysteries to add to my collection.