Permed to Death (Cohen, Nancy J. Bad Hair Day Mystery.)

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I love mysteries especially those set in quirky situations, so I picked up Permed To Death by Nancy Cohen with much anticipation.

I found this book disappointing from the very beginning. The dialog was simplistic and predictable as was the "whodunit". The characters were underdeveloped and not used to their full potential within the story. A few characters showed up with no introduction or background until later in the book or not at all, leaving me wondering just who they were and what their significance was to the storyline.

I purchased this book and Ms. Cohens next book in the series at the same time but after laboring through this one I think I'll pass on the second and cut my losses.

Rating:
Summary: A Promising Debut!
Review: Permed to Death is the first of Nancy Cohen's Bad Hair Day Mystery titles. Marla Shore, owner of the Cut 'N Dye hair salon, leaves difficult client Bertha Kravitz at the shampoo bowl with a cup of coffee as her perm rods set. Suddenly, Bertha is dead, the police are everywhere and Marla is in trouble. Old secrets, new business problems and a vindictive former husband add to Marla's problems as she finds herself the target of a creative killer. Marla is also attracted to the detective assigned to the case, yet another complication in her hectic life. So many people had reason to want Bertha dead and its hard to stop with a single murder. Nancy Cohen is a former nurse and her medial training, along with a great deal of hair salon research, add to the flavor of this first mystery. I'm looking forward to getting to know Marla better!

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: The title and the artwork suckered me in. I'm always on the lookout for a new series with female leads in amateur roles. But this book was a bitter disappointment and I continued reading only it in hopes it would improve. It didn't. The mystery is badly constructed with the guilty party almost standing up and self-identifying in the earliest chapters. The characters all sound alike with awkwardly constructed and generally inane dialogue. The lead character has few redeeming features. I don't expect flawless people, but the lead isn't even likeable which is pretty much a necessity in cozies. If you're looking for a well-written beauty-parlour based mystery wait until mid March when "Bubbles Unbound" by Sarah Strohmeyer is released. I read the ARC and it's hysterical in a Janet Evanovich sort of way with full-bodied characters and a solid mystery. It's what PERMED TO DEATH ought to have been...