Permed to Death

Bad Hair Day #1

by Nancy J. Cohen

Meet Marla Shore, a Florida beauty salon owner with a knack for creating dazzling dos—and solving mysteries...

Marla was already having a bad day, but when one of her clients dies while getting a perm in her salon, her day just can’t get any worse... until the smugly competent Detective Vail accuses her of poisoning the wealthy widow’s coffee creamer! Granted, Bertha Kravitz was hardly her favorite customer, but Marla could never have murdered the ornery woman. Now it is up to the savvy stylist to find out just who did. Combing the woman’s privileged world for clues, Marla soon discovers that the town is crawling with potential suspects. As the case grows more snarled, Marla becomes determined to unmask a cunning killer before she is outwitted—and dead. 

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Audiobook, Chick Lit, Crime

244 pages, ebook

First published December 1, 1999

About the author

Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and the RONE Award, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook, have won the FAPA President’s Book Award, the Royal Palm Literary Award, and IAN Book of the Year. Nancy’s imaginative romances have proven popular with fans as well. These books have won the HOLT Medallion and Best Book in Romantic SciFi/Fantasy at The Romance Reviews. Active in the writing community, Nancy is a past president of Florida Romance Writers and Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America. When not busy writing, she enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World. Visit her at NancyJCohen.com

Reviews

[Kellie O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 shiny stars rating from me 💫💫💫💫

Oh no!! Imagine being found dead waiting for for your perm to dry!!! Marla, the main character, just went to get fresh towels and came back to find her very regular client, Bertha dead!! Oh the horror 🤯! Soon, the list of people who wanted to kill Bertha is adding up. So are the bodies.

I really enjoyed the unique setting taking place in a beauty shop in Florida. It has so many twists and turns to keep me flipping the pages. I thought I had the right killer in the beginning, but it was too obvious. Honestly, I didn't guess the killer until the end.

This is a fun, cozy mystery and a solid one. I thought it was especially good to read for Spooky Season!! I really enjoyed it so much and I hope whoever reads it will enjoy it as much as I did!! It also fulfills one of my goals for this year to read more books at home 💜.

Enjoy and Happy Reading for Spooky Season 😂!! 🪄💫

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to put mysteries into two categories...

Triller mysteries: Like Sue Grafton and Michael Connaley. dark and edgy.


And what I like to call...

Small town mysteries: Light hearted and fun. Like this one.


When I pick up one of these small town mysteries it's usually because I've become disenchanted with all the tropes that accompany more harsher mysteries. Stuff like the loner hero that is tough and tortured, the super cop/super dad who fights against the law and then he falls in love with someone who understands him and knows him but they can't be together, blah blah blah. You get the point.

They populate a lot of average mysteries and slowly just become boring.
I was pleasantly surprised when this book was not only a fun book to read but also used a lot tropes from the thriller genre and did them much better.

The story is about a lady name Bertha Kravitz who gets poisoned in the salon of our protagonist Marla Shore. Shore is accused of the murder by detective Vail and so she goes out to prove her innocence by finding the real culprit.

Marla is a great character, she fun, perky, and sarcastic but never trying to be rude and is kind to her friends too. While she is "tortured" by things I won't spoil, and the things that torture her are talked about way too much; It's not bad because it doesn't affect her likeability as a character and it's not the only thing about her.
I actually felt genuinely bad for her and wanted her to overcome her problems and succeed.

The characters she meets while trying to solve the murder are all interesting and all different. If one person is talking they will say different things from another person she'll interview next scene. Everyone feels like they could have had a hand in the murder. Although her actual friends feel somewhat underdeveloped but I still liked them.

The world this book built was defined and fun to be in. Every place feels like it's own separate location with it's own feel and characters. From the salon with it's gossiping workers and customers, to the shady nightclub with it's questionable crowd and alcohol aplenty. Even Marla's home often being the resting place in between running around everywhere, the book also balances the generally happy atmosphere but with a darker undertone. Nothing like a mafia base but there are times this book can remind you it's still a murder mystery. Overall it was a world I really wanted to jump into.

I won't spoil how the mystery plays out, but I will say this book does a great job of giving the reader all the pieces but still being a great "whodunit" story. I really had no clue who was the culprit but afterwards I realized that the clues did point to them all along. I wish more mysteries could do that these days.
Overall if your a fan of mysteries you will enjoy this light hearted take. If your not, still pick this one up as it's still a great story.

[Paula Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mysterious murder in a hair salon while only the owner and the client were there as the client insisted on the early appointment. While in the back room to get more towels after having fixing her a cup of coffee, she comes back to see her what she thinks is asleep. Ends up calling 911 and she is dead and now she is suspect number 1. I was surprised by who did it and why. I will continue with the series.

[AudioBookReviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

My original Permed to Death audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Marla Shore is a beauty salon owner with a slight problem.  A well-known, respected but not necessarily liked client who just died in her perm chair.  Like several other people in the community, Marla has motive AND opportunity.  It does not help that poison is usually the choice of women too!

Detective Vail, handsome and smart and slowly stealing the heart of Marla, has to solve the crime.  It’s not looking good for Marla at all.  Marla is not Sherlock Holmes or Jessica Fletcher but she has to prove her innocence and find the real murderer or she may not only lose the handsome Vail but her life as well!

A nice cozy mystery with twists and excitement.  There are a couple of moments where I thought Marla should have had a “duh” moment or two but she didn’t.  I thought the other characters were fun and the type of friends everyone needs.  I thought Nancy Cohen did a masterful job of creating a likable set of characters and mystery.  Not one I would have thought of myself and I love cozy mysteries!

Mary Ann Jacobs performed very well.  I enjoyed her voice and the excitement she interjected into the book.  She wore the character of Marla very well.  She helped bring the characters to life as well as the story with her voice.

I hope Cohen submits more books - this one was very good.

There were no issues with the production quality of this audiobook.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

[FangirlNation · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

Read the rest of this review, more reviews, and other wonderful, geeky articles on FangirlNation

[Janice Boychuk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to A Stitcher's Book Club Buddy Picks for choosing this for me!

Ummm, hmmm. I just don't know what to say about this book, other than I have no clue how it has won awards! Ok, it's a matter of personal taste, but this was absolutely cringe-worthy.

I don't want to hate on this cozy mystery, but the writing... ugh. Couldn't get past it. The author must have had a thesaurus firmly planted by her side, trying to use every descriptive verb and noun the dictionary could provide. And so many just weren't used in the right context. Repetitive use of words like snarl, sneer, smirk, snapped or scurry - people don't scurry, rats do.

For example (I could reference many, but won't)...
Abruptly she halted and executed an about-face... Lifting her chin, she caught a startling glimpse of Detective Vail a few paces ahead. She crossed the distance in several short steps. “Were you following me?” she demanded, thrusting her face in front of his. Her fists clenched as rage boiled...

Startling glimpse? Crossed the distance in several short steps? Thrusting her face?? Fists clenched in rage?? Really? Rage?? The guy was literally walking on the beach minding his own business.

I was reminded, too many times, about that f'n envelope, and toddler Tammy... ok, ok, that was tragic, but seriously, for someone who preaches moving on, I lost track of how many times Marla referred to it. Marla's usage of the word "pal" was just, well, weird and unnecessary.

Sigh... enough hating on it!! Just not my style. Perhaps the writing and editing improve in future books, but this isn't a series I will continue to read.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.com

[Anne Blyth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this audio book in return for my honest review.

I had already read 'Facials Can Be Fatal' so I was aware of the romantic outcome of this book but that just added to the interest of knowing how this all cams about. As usual, Nancy had many possible suspects and it was interesting watching the heroine Marla collecting facts and trying to solve the crime while trying to avoid getting involved with Detective Vail who was investigating the death of her client. Marla is a very likeable character who gets herself in a little deeper than she thought but Detective Vail was able to save the day, just in the nick of time. The book also introduces many interesting characters who will play important roles in future books.

Definitely a 'must read' for anyone who loves a good mystery.

[Heidi Prockish · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been looking for a hair salon cozy! I personally had a hard time with some of the ghosts of Marla's past, but I enjoyed how the story flowed and how the murder unfolded. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next for Marla.

[Leslie Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dead client. Nice to have the murder right off the bat. However, the play-by-play of what happened when the detective started questioning the hair dresser was kind of daunting. The narrative is descriptive. In fact, it was too descriptive. We can all appreciate the scenery being described in minute detail, but this can make the whole thing rather long and winded for the reader. Matter of fact, it kind of made me lose interest in the story. I didn’t even care about the dead body anymore.

A little long and very boring!

[Marian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The problem with PtD is that about two seconds after the murderer appears on screen, you know who did it. Marla then spends the entire book trying to catch up, and not always with the best of luck.

Also kind of annoying is Marla's habit of calling everyone "pal." But that might just be me. For the most part a fun read, although I'm fairly certain I liked her later mysteries more.

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this series. However, I've become accustomed to a faster-paced, more direct type novel. This book contained too many unnecessary descriptions, that were not pertinent to the story. I had to force myself to complete the book. It could have been more interesting if it had been portrayed in a different way.

[Suzan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Ann Jacobs narrated this book and I thought did a wonderful job. I would give her 5 stars. The story was just okay for me. I listened to the end because I liked Mary Ann's voice. I might listen to more in this series if Mary Ann Jacobs is the reader again.

[Julie Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. This is the first book by this author that I have read or listened too but it won't be my last. I am glad I discovered the first book in the series because if the rest of the books are like this one then they are going to be a lot of fun and a series I don't want to miss out on. I really liked the characters and with Marla being the owner of a beauty salon it gave her the perfect opportunity to investigate and know everyone. She is a down to earth likeable character, making her a great main character and her background makes her more interesting and definitely complicates her possible love interest. The mystery was good with plenty of suspects to keep you guessing and also enough clues for you to figure it out yourself. I had my suspicions and was proved right but still enjoyed the journey getting there, especially as so much was going on and Marla had her own secrets to hide. Looking forward to the next book.
Providing coffee to her complaining client shouldn't have Marla fearing she was going to be arrested at any moment but that is exactly what happens when the client drops dead. Even with her back door left unlocked Marla is still under suspicion when it turns out the coffee was poisoned and that's even before the police discover the dead woman was blackmailing her. Can Marla find the photos and proof she had a very good reason to kill her client before the police does? Or even better can she find the real killer?
I liked the narrator. She helped the story come alive by providing each character with there own individual voice.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

neeeeed to do my hair

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was obvious who the culprit was, and the reason why, so found it kind of boring how long it took Marla and Dalton to figure it out. I also didn't care for Marla, so that makes it harder to like a book. Don't think I'll continue with the series.

[Vincent O'Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nancy J. Cohen’s Permed to Death is one of those books that start out fast and don’t slow down. In this, the first novel in her acclaimed and long-running “Bad Hair Day” mysteries, we meet main character Marla Shore in the styling salon she owns in Florida. One page later we get the dead body—the deeply unpleasant Bertha Kravitz, who dies right there in the salon. One of the big questions in amateur sleuth mystery novels is just why is this untrained individual trying to solve a murder? In this case, the answer is readily apparent. Marla was alone with Bertha, and had just served the coffee that killed her. Marla’s automatically a suspect, and the readers soon know she has a hidden reason (or two) for wanting Bertha gone. She needs to identify the real killer before the slowly constricting web of means, opportunity, and motive closes around her.

One way of describing the “cozy” mystery genre is to offer the novels of Agatha Christie as examples. That description actually works for Permed to Death, because one of the most effective things Nancy Cohen does in this book is provide a batch of potential suspects in a fashion similar to Dame Agatha’s. The suspects are all believable, and organic to the communities surrounding Marla and Bertha. As the story unfolds, we learn more about the friends, relatives, coworkers, and enemies (some Bertha’s and some Marla’s) who might have liked to see Bertha dead and Marla blamed. By the end of the story I had changed my main suspect several times, and still didn’t guess who it was.

This is a fine debut novel, and as of this writing the “Bad Hair Day” series has 14 books in it. So go spend some time with Marla in Florida. You’ll be glad you did.

[Madonna Dolin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy from netgalley in exchange for a review.

This is the first book in a new series and I enjoyed parts of it quite a lot. I just found the author to be a bit windy. She apparently had a real thing for fashion since she went into great detail on what people were wearing and the exact shade of it. There was too many characters for me to keep up with that added nothing to the storyline and could have easily been left out.
Marla owns a beauty salon although she used to be a nurse (very odd transition) and she gives a customer poisoned coffee, to make matters worse, this customer was blackmailing her. (figured out very early on about what) and that could have been left out of the story completely. Before the cops lock her away, she has to figure out who is really responsible for killing Bertha and why. There is good humor use in the book and it was probably 2/3 in before I figured out who did it and why. I will probably read the next book in the series to see if it grows on me. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this book but if someone was considering it, I would tell them it is better than a lot of books and they should give it a chance.

[Rohn Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book...a lot. It was fun, inviting, layered, and the murderer was pretty difficult to figure out.

The reason I gave it 4 out of 5 stars was simply because I found it difficult to keep track of the characters. There were SO many suspects and people and conversations with random people that it felt a little like watching a movie with 12 main characters. It made it difficult to know who was the murderer and who was just a drive by character introduced for a few pages.

I also found Marla, the MC, a bit strange. She had a casual hook up with a guy but emotionally manipulated many other men who genuinely told her they wanted a relationship with her. That part bothered me a little.

All in all it was a good read, quick too! I think I finished it in just a few days, reading an hour here and there.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love fresh and entertaining cozies, this one is for you. This one takes place is Plantation, Florida. We're introduced to Marla Shore and her fellow colleagues at her salon. They're eccentric and have their own shares. And when a fellow customer dies in their salon, it makes Marla curious. There's an instant connection between Marla, a Jewish divorcee and Detective Vail, a handsome detective on the case, who's not so Jewish. We also meet her family and friends. There's a lot of drama in her own life, and root for Marla, who won't back down on preserving her reputation and her salon. This is a good page-turner. Marla's not just an ordinary heroine who has some flair in this series.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this book. The story was fantastic and I really cared about Marla, the main character. She seemed to be a good investigator and a great hair stylist!!! There are many suspects for the murderer, and I wasn't sure until the very end who done the dirty deed.

Mary Ann Jacobs did a wonderful job of narrating this book. Her pacing was perfect and her voice was beautiful. I often have trouble with female voices because of issues with my hearing, but Mary Ann's gave me no problems at all. I will have to listen to more of her books.

I can't wait for the next book in this series.

I received a copy of this audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Barbara Fricks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the progression of the story as the author developed the characters. The author takes you through the suspects, gives you supporting theories as to whether they may be the murderer and then clears them. She did a good job keeping me guessing and though I suspected, I did not know who the murderer was until the end. I usually have a difficult time following more than four or five characters in a story but there was enough depth in each one that it was easy to connect with and follow them. I appreciated the Yiddish/Jewish glossary in the back.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good series opener that I enjoyed. It was especially fun because I was able to determine the identity of the murderer before the sleuth. I hope I am able to read the other books in this series #readforkimberly

[LVLMLeah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an OK cozy. It wasn't bad, not gripping either.

I had a hard time following. I listened to this book and I had to keep repeating pages since my mind wandered and it wasn't really grabbing me.

[Helen O'Day · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't bother.

I read the whole book. Much to my chagrin. A lot of typos and stereotypes and some really bad editing. I did give it 2 Stars though because.... well I like mysteries. But I have to say I know who did it long before the end.

[Melodie]

NO stars! Couldn't even finish it!

[Lisa Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★½☆

[Tulay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kept me guessing.

Yiddish expressions and too many physical details slow down my reading. Never heard "Bless my bones" repeated many times. Easy reading, good mystery.

[Allie York · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a little too seedy for my taste. And the slut shaming was... gross. I wanted to love it, but this one just wasn't my cozy cup of tea.