What do you think?
Rate this book
Bad Hair Day #8
Perish by Pedicure
Professional beautician and amateur sleuth Marla Shore must stay on her toes to catch a murderer at a Florida beauty show.
With the help of her friend, Georgia, salon owner Marla Shore is hoping to get her foot in the door at Florida’s hottest beauty show, where the only thing bigger than the hair are the egos. But the event turns ugly when a well-heeled director of a beauty products company is found dead in her hotel room—facedown in a footbath.
The police think Georgia had a hand in it. Perish the thought! So Marla polishes up her sleuthing skills and steps in to prove her friend innocent. After a model who’s ready to spill some secrets winds up dead at the Russian Baths, Marla’s forced to go toe-to-toe with a killer. But it will take some fancy footwork to nail this murderer—or she’ll be the next victim.
With the help of her friend, Georgia, salon owner Marla Shore is hoping to get her foot in the door at Florida’s hottest beauty show, where the only thing bigger than the hair are the egos. But the event turns ugly when a well-heeled director of a beauty products company is found dead in her hotel room—facedown in a footbath.
The police think Georgia had a hand in it. Perish the thought! So Marla polishes up her sleuthing skills and steps in to prove her friend innocent. After a model who’s ready to spill some secrets winds up dead at the Russian Baths, Marla’s forced to go toe-to-toe with a killer. But it will take some fancy footwork to nail this murderer—or she’ll be the next victim.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 2006
36 people are currently reading
349 people want to read
About the author
Nancy J. Cohen
40 books667 followersNancy 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 16, 2021
Love these hairdressers series. Marla is having Dalton ( Marla police chief fiancee) in-laws to stay with Marla for a week. Marla is also going to be in a photo shoot at her salon. Georgia ( Marla friend from college) recommended Marla to do it. Christine ( Chris) was head of the photo shoot. Everyone around her knew she wanted to take their boyfriends or fiancees. Everyone told Marla to watch out for Chris. Then Chris died and Marla is looking in the death. Dalton's in-laws say that Marla will be very bored and is not fit to be a mother for Brianna ( Dalton daughter. Pam Dalton wife died) Pam mom Justine does not like that Marla gets involved with murders. But Dalton sticks up for Marla. My mom used to be a hairdresser that why I love these books. They I interesting. Love Marla
July 4, 2022
3.5 stars. It was fun catching up with Marla again. The convention setting was fun but there were a lot of characters to keep up with. The mystery kept me guessing and I enjoyed the ending.
March 5, 2016
This is the first book in the series that I've read. I had a hard time keeping track of the cast of characters.
June 3, 2019
A great read that will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing to the very end of the Book.
June 12, 2012
another wonderful Marla mystery
May 9, 2016
Love this series!
June 29, 2016
I like this book. The best on so far out of the series that ive read. I thought I had the murderer figured out, but no!
September 9, 2020
A wonderful absorbing escape into the world of hair fashion
I’ve long counted on the Bad Hair Day series for absorbing escapist literature but never quite appreciated what a good job Nancy Cohen (author) does on this front until COVID came along. There’s nothing like a good book when you’re stressed and Perish by Pedicure was so absorbing, and its characters so amusing, that I found myself spending a lot more time than was healthy hanging around inside this book. I feel like I’ve attended a series of hair competitions and … well, I don’t want to give the book away … lived the experiences of Marla during the course of reading. At this point in my reading life, Marla and her partner, Dalton, are old very likable friends and it was a comfort returning to their lives in Perish by Pedicure.
I’ve long counted on the Bad Hair Day series for absorbing escapist literature but never quite appreciated what a good job Nancy Cohen (author) does on this front until COVID came along. There’s nothing like a good book when you’re stressed and Perish by Pedicure was so absorbing, and its characters so amusing, that I found myself spending a lot more time than was healthy hanging around inside this book. I feel like I’ve attended a series of hair competitions and … well, I don’t want to give the book away … lived the experiences of Marla during the course of reading. At this point in my reading life, Marla and her partner, Dalton, are old very likable friends and it was a comfort returning to their lives in Perish by Pedicure.
July 3, 2019
Marla gets into the thick of things again! Bad enough her fiancé's father and mother in law are staying in marla's house, Marla gets involved with 2 murders. She takes the inlaws with her on one of her escapades, and lo and behold more issues ensue Lots of twists and turns with complex interesting and quirky characters, This 8th book in the series kept me guessing of who was the murderer. I love this series and you will too! moving onto the next book!
December 19, 2024
Conflict galore!
Marla deals with conflict on the job in her new Luxor hair show role as she untangles two murder cases. She walks a fine line between toeing the line with the hair show peeps and sniffing out the killer in their midst. Enjoyed the drama with Marla’s visiting college friend Georgia and Marla butting heads with Dalton’s former in-laws. In the end, all is well. Marla is an unstoppable MC!
Marla deals with conflict on the job in her new Luxor hair show role as she untangles two murder cases. She walks a fine line between toeing the line with the hair show peeps and sniffing out the killer in their midst. Enjoyed the drama with Marla’s visiting college friend Georgia and Marla butting heads with Dalton’s former in-laws. In the end, all is well. Marla is an unstoppable MC!
September 16, 2021
Little wordy, little unbelievable. Weirs characters throughout. Good for a quick light read.
February 5, 2024
DNF. It couldn’t hold my interest at all.
April 17, 2025
nit as cool as culinary murder mysteries
September 14, 2017
too much bickering among the characters in the first 4 chapters.
February 21, 2017
I just love Nancy J. Cohens books as they are just so interesting. This was the second book I had read of hers and it was just as exciting and well written. I love the plot and the situations she puts the main character in. Nancy hits a home run with this book!
May 17, 2011
I would probably be more realistic about my feelings for this book if I gave it a 3.5 rating. I rounded down because a 4 is too high for it. The bad hair day mysteries are good little mysteries, but sometimes Marla just gets on my nerves. The other books in this series that I've read are hit and miss. this one was in between.
The story line is easy to follow, the mystery kept me guessing, and the characters are kind of fun. However, sometimes Marla's behavior just isn't realistic and she can be really overbearing and kind of bitchy at times. And other times she's a charming and down to earth gal.
The story line is easy to follow, the mystery kept me guessing, and the characters are kind of fun. However, sometimes Marla's behavior just isn't realistic and she can be really overbearing and kind of bitchy at times. And other times she's a charming and down to earth gal.
July 6, 2009
Marla is attenidng a hair show and offering ehr shop as guest cutter place-- meanwhile Daltons' ex-in-laws spend the week visiting with
Brianna they
stay with Marla vettng her as stepmom to Brianna--
show was too over the top and the 2nd murder too much
greed and smuggling But they do go to Clewsion Inn for an elegant meal and to USSC also
Brianna they
stay with Marla vettng her as stepmom to Brianna--
show was too over the top and the 2nd murder too much
greed and smuggling But they do go to Clewsion Inn for an elegant meal and to USSC also
August 16, 2014
I enjoyed this. It's a light, easy to read, somewhat campy story revolving around two mysterious deaths at a hairdresser's convention. One of the hairdressers at the convention, Marla, is an assistant to one of the famous stylists and an amateur detective and is helping the police figure out who the killer is. There was a bit of a twist at the end.
February 5, 2017
This review is from: Perish by Pedicure (The Bad Hair Day Mysteries Book 8) (Kindle Edition)
Full of surprises. Always wondering what will happen next. Or who will be the next victim. Have another book in the series to read. So looking forward to it.
Full of surprises. Always wondering what will happen next. Or who will be the next victim. Have another book in the series to read. So looking forward to it.
June 14, 2011
I enjoyed Ms Cohen's stories, set in South Florida, with hairstylist Marla as the surprising sleuth. Cute, cosy, fun. I could actually hear them speak at the table or over the chair. And, keep reading through the series --as the tension goes up in the romance department for Marla.
April 25, 2008
I had a very hard time getting into this book. The character development never really happened. I think this was part of a series, so maybe that's why I didn't connect with it.
March 22, 2010
I honestly did not finish this book. I was so bored by the end of the first chapter that I chose not to continue
April 9, 2011
This is the third book of her's -- it is in her beauty shoppe and it is a mystry.
September 12, 2015
The bad hair day mysteries are a fun read.
January 18, 2016
started reading this, but it is pretty poorly written and not very interesting. Don't think I'll get much further.
February 22, 2016
Light reading is okay once in awhile.
November 20, 2016
I found it hard to follow because of so may characters in the story. It seemed to drag about half through before the story picked up.
January 4, 2020
could not keep me interested...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2010
I like fluffy books every know and then, but this was beyond me.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews