Permed to Death

The Bad Hair Day Mysteries, Book 1

By: Nancy J. Cohen

Narrated by: Mary Ann Jacobs

Sassy salon owner Marla Shore is giving grumpy Mrs. Kravitz a perm when her client dies in the shampoo chair. If that isn't enough to give her a bad hair day, handsome Detective Vail suspects Marla of poisoning the woman's coffee creamer. Figuring she'd better expose the real killer before the next victim frizzes out, Marla sets on the trail of a wave of wacky suspects. Her theory regarding whodunit gels only after she looks for the culprit closer to home.

©1999 Nancy J. Cohen (P)2016 Nancy J. Cohen

Critic reviews

"A terrific mystery debut for Nancy Cohen. Marla the beautician is a delight!" (Tamar Myers, author of the Pennsylvania Dutch Mysteries)

"Fast-paced and jaunty."( Publishers Weekly)

" Permed to Death is a beauty of a read. The characters are believable, the mystery is well-plotted, and the suspense is a real manicure-ruiner." ( I Love a Mystery)

A good twist on a cozy.

Permed to Death is a every well researched and well written book. I really liked all the twists and turns the story takes and I will read the next book. If you are looking for a cozy mystery with a little something different, then this book is for you.

Great Murder Mystery

I received this audiobook for free for an honest review. I thought Nancy Cohen did a great job with this mystery. She developed the story thoroughly. I was trying to guess what who done it throughout the whole story. When you least expect... The characters were very colorful and detailed. However, could have done without a couple. Got confusing with so many people and how they fit into the story. It also had a bit of comedy to keep you on your toes. I really enjoyed this and will look for more books by Nancy J. Cohen.

Surprisingly Better Than Anticipated!

Wow! This story was much better than I anticipated, and is timeless. Permed to Death was originally published in 1999; however, it reads just like a current story. The story appears to have been revised and updated.

Told from Marla's POV, Permed to Death was a well planned mystery that was witty, suspenseful, had some humor, and a romantic spark between the Detective Vail and Marla.

Some spoilers/teasers:
Unfortunately for Mrs. Kraitz, (or Marla) Mrs. Kraitz dies while she is getting a perm at Marla's shop. Since only Marla and Mrs. Kraitz were the only two in the beauty shop, Marla is considered a suspect by the Detective Vail but without a solid motive, he must consider other suspects. Marla, who has had an unpleasant history with Mrs. Kraitz wants to find the person who killed her, before damaging evidenced is discovered, and a possible motive is revealed. Even though Marla did not kill Mrs. Kraitz, she feels responsible because it happened in her shop, and she becomes a super sleuth and is determined to find out who did the dirty deed.

Detective Vail is attracted to Marla, and while the investigation is going on, he does ask her out. Even though she is one of his suspects, he knows she is trying to investigate the murder, and cleverly appears when Marla finds herself in need.

This is the first story I've heard narrated by Mary Ann Jacobs, and her performance was really good! She was a great fit for this type of story.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Murder in a salon chair

In Permed to Death by Nancy J. Cohen, Marla Shore comes in to her salon early one day to do the hair of her longtime client, Bertha Kravitz. While waiting for her client’s hair to set, Marla fixes Bertha some coffee, complete with Bertha’s personal can of creamer. Then Marla goes to the back room to get towels, only to hear a gasp. Returning to the main salon room, Marla finds Bertha slumped over, dead. Upon learning that Bertha has been murdered, Marla’s mind flashes back to the age of 19, when a small child she was babysitting managed to get out of her playpen while Marla was fielding a phone call for the parents of the girl and fell into the pool and drowned. A surplus of guilt has influenced her actions ever since. And now, this murder has dredged up another negative part of Marla’s past, for which Bertha had been blackmailing her to get free hair services for years.

Marla finds herself attracted to the detective in the case, Dalton Vail, and he seems interested in her. But Marla knows she must be a suspect since she served Bertha the coffee. Plus, if he digs too deeply, he might uncover her shameful, but not illegal, secret. So Marla decides that she needs to do her own digging to find the truth.

This book was a lighthearted, fun cozy mystery. The setting of the book is creative, and the character of Marla was well-conceived and well-drawn. We see her deal with her Jewish mother, who is anxious for her to marry a Jewish man and holds against Marla the fact that she left her former husband, despite the fact that he was cheating on Marla, because he is Jewish and wealthy.

Mary Ann Jacobs performs the audio edition of the book, making the book really enjoyable. I really like the tone of Jacobs’s voice. With her deep voice, Jacobs adds a unique touch to the book, adding expression without being overly emotive.

Permed to Death is an enjoyable, creative book. It’s very light as a mystery, with an interesting ending. It didn’t draw me into the book quite as much as I would like, but I definitely enjoyed it. I give the book four stars

Reddish gold revenge!

So much I enjoyed..here are few :
Didn't realize this book was from 1999 , it reads like new present day. Mary Ann Jacobs- I haven't heard much that she has narrated but form listening to her voice. She had me. I felt like we're we friends reuniting and she was telling me what she's been upto. What I mean is , she was a great choice, her voice was comforting and it maid Marla come to life for me,as her. I loved that the "action" of this story happened fast and then as you continue it builds each of the scenarios and the other characters in line with Who Killed Grumpy Mrs Kravitz"
I enjoyed the subtlety between detective Vail and Marla. It didn't cask the familiar shadow of an over worked under sexed suspect and detective, all the while maintained momentum.
Determined to prove her own innocence, Marla character wasn't flaky rather naive.
I really loved how the writing showed that all the while having you eager to discover
"Who dunnit"

I have been given this book in exchange for my honest review

Fun new cozy mystery series

I thought this was a fun little cozy mystery. I love cozy mysteries, and the setting of this one, revolving around a hair salon, is a little different than the ones I usually read. Contrary to many of the other reviews, I actually enjoyed all the description and the author's word choice for things like colors. I thought the characters were interesting, though there were a lot of them, and I found myself confusing characters or not remembering who they were as the book progressed. I listened to the Audible audio version of the book and enjoyed the narration by Mary Ann Jacobs. Her voice is really pleasant on the ear (I wish I sounded like her), and her reading is very comfortable and effortless. Overall, this is an enjoyable book, and I would be interested in reading others in the series. If you like cozy mysteries, you might very well enjoy this one.

A charming cozy!

I have to agree with another reviewer who said that you would never know this book was written in 1999! It still read well & every part of the story/plot fit naturally.

I really enjoyed the plot, it had depth & intrigue and the twists weren't at all expected. I also liked that the murder occurs right off the bat as soon as the book opens. This quickly leads off the plot in which Marla is thrust into solving a murder because she just so happens to be the prime suspect! An effort to clear her name leads her down a twisted path that gets dangerous at times. As the story continues we together pieces of Marla's life, and start to learn about her relationships, and her past.

This story has a little bit of everything.. Murder, attempted murder, secret admirers, secrets from the past & romantic banter. A true cozy through & through. The narration was also perfect, it was a soothing listen & I plan to check out more of her work!

I hope there will be more books from this series available in the future. This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.

Entertaining and Enjoyable

Any additional comments?

3.5 stars

Light, fun, entertaining and really enjoyable murder mystery. Perfect for those days when you want something a little lighter to listen to.

Marla trying to accommodate a difficult client opens her shop early, When her client Bertha dies Marla becomes the prime suspect. Determined to prove she didn't do it she sets out to discover who the actual murderer is. Bertha was not a well liked person so there is no shortage suspects. During the coarse of the investigation there are of coarse other secrets that come to light.
This story has a better more in depth plot line and more twists than many of the mysteries I have listened to. It also wasn't easy to figure out. I had no idea who the murderer was until Marla figured it out. Great job

Really great cast of characters. Each character added something to the story. Really liked the fact that Marla wasn't a flighty/naive character. Detective Dalton Vail was a good match for Marla.

Mary Ann Jacobs did a really good job with the narration. Pleasant voice easy on the ears. Her narration flows smoothly. Different character voices were great. You can even tell when she's thinking to herself with no problem. The narration picks up and slows down in the right places.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom

Fun Cozy Mystery

Any additional comments?

Not only is this book really funny, it has a great mystery. There are twists and turns around every corner. I found this book to be a very enjoyable, with a well developed plot and characters. Mary Ann Jacobs’s performances was enjoyable and easy to listen to. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you love humorous cozy mysteries, I recommend this audio book.

Permed to Death: Murder Mystery - Circus!

When I seen the title to this book I just new it was going to be a fun, entertaining, murder mystery that keeps you guessing. AND IT DID! I just loved how the author keeps you guessing as to who could have done this at every twist and turn. The narrator Mary Ann Jacobs is a delight to listen to bringing every character to life, giving them each their own voice through hers. A fun old fashioned murder mystery that everyone is suspect.

"This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom."