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Jersey girl and beauty shop owner Annie Addison is ready to enjoy the quiet off-season in her beachside town. When a long-time resident drops dead, all unmanicured fingers point to Annie. Teaming up with a friend, she’ll do whatever it takes to solve this mystery. Can her amateur sleuthing unravel the mess she’s in, or will she run out of time before she can clear her name?

With endearing characters and a small-town feel, this cozy mystery is perfect for a quick slice of puzzle solving. Get whisked away as Annie stumbles through a novella full of murder, mayhem, and misunderstandings. “Color Me Crazy” is a hair-raising mystery you won’t want to miss.

63 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 17, 2014

208 people are currently reading
396 people want to read

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Molly Dox

36 books24 followers

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5 stars
135 (25%)
4 stars
140 (26%)
3 stars
159 (30%)
2 stars
63 (12%)
1 star
24 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
Profile Image for Ted Tayler.
Author 79 books299 followers
January 30, 2019
"Quick read"

This took as long to read as it does for me to have my hair cut. There's not much to it... that goes for the story and my hair. This sort of cozy caper does no harm. If you're at the hairdresser or the dentist, then this will fill in those few minutes while you wait.
Profile Image for Ruth.
992 reviews56 followers
December 9, 2016
Annie owns a salon at the Jersey shore. High season is over and the population has decreased to almost nothing and business has fallen off. Trish, who works at her salon with her has the misfortune to have the grumpiest client in town coming in that day.

That evening Annie and her friend Charlotte are at Uncle Buck's having a bite to eat when grumpy Patsy comes in and has a drink with her bartender son, Greg. To their amazement, Patsy drops dead before their eyes but when the long arm of the law reaches out towards Annie as their prime suspect, she and Charlotte decide they need to pitch in and try to figure out who committed this murder.

The writing seemed to flow nicely in this story but the plot was lacking. It was way too easy to figure out who the murderer really was. I have read many Cody mysteries but their plots were better crafted. I would not be anxious to read another book by this author.
Profile Image for Anne.
450 reviews8 followers
July 29, 2014
A very cute short story. The police incompetence was a little hard to believe but otherwise as advertised.
Profile Image for Paula.
1,271 reviews7 followers
January 19, 2016
A good cozy mystery. Interesting characters. No foul language, no blood. Good clean reading. I look forward to Book 2
1,700 reviews35 followers
August 18, 2019
I really wanted to like this one. It really had potential.
Have you ever heard the phrase “Too stupid to live?”

The lead character in this story is too stupid to not be charged with murder!



This story started off really good. I was enjoying it.

Annie Addison owns a beauty salon. She is recently divorced and opened her salon with the settlement. One of her customers dies suddenly, the next day her salon is served with a search warrant, and the officers leave with a vial of unknown substance.

Patsy had stated that she would likely be murdered during her appointment. She is a chronic complainer, who hardly anyone likes.

The morning that Patsy was murdered, Annie had found a glove outside her shop and had thrown it into the trashcan. When she returns with a friend to get the glove to give to the police, she sees the locks have been changed and crime scene tape across the doors. Rather than waiting to tell the police the next morning, Annie decides it’s best to do a little B&E into her own shop to retrieve the glove to give to the police.

Her associate in the salon is also a suspect. An even better one. She did the hair coloring appointment, and she has been sleeping with the women's son, and may now be pregnant.
Profile Image for Catherine.
933 reviews
October 28, 2017
I loved this book!
Jersey girl and beauty shop owner Annie Addison is ready to enjoy the quiet off-season in her beachside town. When a long-time resident drops dead, all unmanicured fingers point to Annie. Teaming up with a friend, she’ll do whatever it takes to solve this mystery. Can her amateur sleuthing unravel the mess she’s in, or will she run out of time before she can clear her name?

With endearing characters and a small-town feel, this cozy mystery is perfect for a quick slice of puzzle solving. Get whisked away as Annie stumbles through a novella full of murder, mayhem, and misunderstandings. “Color Me Crazy” is a hair-raising mystery you won’t want to miss.
1,769 reviews23 followers
April 10, 2019
Taken for Granted

Molly Dox gives a good sense of humor and mystery in her writing caracters are simply delightful. Poor Annie just wants to move on after her divorce, building a clientele at her hair salon. When one of her clients falls dead the local police are looking towards Annie. She's frightened and decides i'ts time to solve this murder mystery herself with the help of her friend Charlotte and cheating exes husband. Can she keep her from going to jail, read and find out, you won't be disappointed.
Profile Image for Natelle.
678 reviews3 followers
June 3, 2025
Annie Addison runs a beauty shop in a beach town, so the off season is usually uneventful. Not this year. When one of her customers dies under suspicious circumstances, she takes the top spot in the suspect pool. Can she prove her innocence?

This proved more of a novella, which made it a quick read. Would have been quicker if they cut out some of the annoying repetition. Some of the characters get reintroduced every other time they appear. Honestly, if it weren’t so short, I probably wouldn’t have pressed on to the end.
7,757 reviews50 followers
March 16, 2019
Annie owns a beauty salon in this beach town, divorced and Pip her dog, who gets upset if she is out late. A leisure place for the rich during the summer, and she loved the quirky people who,lived there all year.
Patsy got her hair dyed, then went to a local bar, slipping off the stool, in front of her son, dead. Investigation shows poison, hair dye is now being questioned and Annie. Eighty but miserable to people, who wanted her dead. Nice flowing cozy mystery to enjoy.
Profile Image for Nancy Alexander.
151 reviews
April 16, 2019
Amateur Detective/Hairstylist

This is my first reading of Molly Dox’s Cozy books. Annie Addison is a divorced woman who owns a beauty salon on the Jersey resort area shore. The Jersey shore is very busy during the summer & dead in the winter. Annie has a little pup named Pip, who is very spoiled & plays a big part in Annie’s life. Annie is accused of murdering one of her elderly clients, Patsy, who just had her colored at Annie’s by Trish, Annie’s partner. Annie sets out to clear her name with the help of her best friend, Charlotte. Unfortunately Annie poses more problems for the local police department & gets herself in trouble.
You’ll have to read it, it’s a quick funny read, to find out who did it & how Annie figures it out cuz I’m not going to tell you. Enjoy!
Profile Image for Joy.
602 reviews33 followers
July 1, 2025
DNF at 57%. I just lost interest. A woman dies & police search Annie's shop (the victim didn't die there). Annie's already cracking under the pressure, just thinking she's a murder suspect & she hasn't even been accused! It felt like an overreaction for her to suddenly decide to clear her name on her own. There was also a lot of telling instead of showing; reminding the reader of something said on the previous page. Just not for me.
22 reviews3 followers
January 2, 2018
This was a good read, humorous , likeable and suspenseful all at the same time

This was a good read. It was humorous likeable and suspenseful all at the same time. I look forward to reading more by this author.
Profile Image for Lisa.
1 review
October 15, 2018
Good read

Quick moving, good descriptions that help imagining the setting. As a Jersey girl myself, very accurate about shore life in off season. Plot was good, easy to follow. Enjoyed reading.
3 reviews
December 2, 2018
Nice

This is a nice quick read. Thoroughly, entertaining. I read it while doing laundry, made the time go by fast, without even realizing it. I would recmmend this book to cozy lovers everywhere.
Profile Image for Cindy B. .
3,899 reviews219 followers
March 25, 2019
Nicely plotted

and for a novella lots of character definition. Enjoyed this tale more than expected. Cleanly written, likable characters and interesting plot with twists- what’s not to like!?!
128 reviews4 followers
April 4, 2019
A good w mystery

This is another good clean cozy mystery. It is short enough to read in one sitting. I really enjoyed it. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading a good clean cozy mystery.
2 reviews
June 9, 2019
Great easy read with engaging characters

This is the first Annie Addison story I have read and found it engaging and entertaining. The characters have depth and qualities that make me want to see what happens with them next!
Profile Image for Kim Loomer.
625 reviews9 followers
July 10, 2019
Annie Addison is a hair dresser who is looking forward to the slower season on a Barrier off the Jersey Shore. She quickly gets wrapped up in a murder and for such a short story it packed a good punch. This is an author I am looking forward to reading more of.
149 reviews2 followers
March 31, 2020
You know how to get my attention.

The story was great and attention getter.You kept me hooked from the beginning to end.I didn't think it was going to end that way it was great.Thanks for sharing it with me and keep them coming.
Profile Image for Elle Hartford.
Author 35 books301 followers
June 3, 2021
It was fun to read a mystery set on a Jersey beach! The narrative "hopped heads" a little bit (it jumped from character to character rather than sticking to 3rd person limited), which is something I've always been told not to do as a writer. Overall though this was a nice, quick read.
796 reviews1 follower
February 9, 2017
Very good book, a bit different than other cozy mysteries but I really enjoyed it. Can't wait to read more from this author.
Profile Image for Liane.
270 reviews5 followers
August 13, 2017
I got this as a free Google play download and although it is not my usual type of book it was a pleasant read.
Profile Image for Jacqueline Varblow.
9 reviews1 follower
December 12, 2017
Fun!

Fun, entertaining mystery book. Looking forward to more sleuthing by Annie! Will she go out with the sexy cop? Have to read the next one to find out.
Profile Image for Kristin.
1,429 reviews119 followers
July 16, 2018
Meh. The heroine seems really stupid at times.
Profile Image for Richard Schmidt.
33 reviews5 followers
April 15, 2019
Nice little novella!

Good story line and a believable conclusion. It would have been a better story if Annie had had more of a relationship with Officer Rossi though.
Profile Image for Sherry McWilliams.
741 reviews4 followers
June 17, 2019
I enjoyed Annie and the other characters. Plan to read more in this series.
Profile Image for Wendy Beachley.
96 reviews
July 8, 2019
Excellent

Great Read! Loved this book! The characters were fun and funny! The storyline was humorous with a nice couple twists. Can't wait to read more.
Profile Image for Jennifer K..
93 reviews1 follower
July 11, 2019
The real deal

This is one of the more realistic cozies out there. Great characters and quick read. I hope you enjoy it too.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews

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