Trimmed To Death

Bad Hair Day Mystery, Book #15

By Nancy J. Cohen

ISBN: 9780998531762

Author Website: nancyjcohen(.)com

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jerjen

Synopsis:

Savvy hairstylist and amateur sleuth Marla Vail enters a charity bake-off contest at a fall festival sponsored by a local farm. While she waits to see if her coconut fudge pie is a winner, Marla joins a scavenger hunt where people playing character roles are the targets. Instead of scoring points with a live person, she finds a dead body planted face-down in the strawberry field. Who would want to cut short the life of food magazine publisher and fellow bake-off contestant Francine Dodger? As she investigates, Marla learns there’s no shortage of suspects. A celebrity TV chef, food critic, olive oil importer, food truck owner, pastry chef, and cookbook author may be stirring up more than their next recipe. Can Marla unmask the killer before someone else gets trimmed from life?

Recipes Included!   (Goodreads)

Review:

When Marla enters a charity bake-off, she figures that the hardest thing she has to do is bake a coconut fudge pie that will knock the socks off of the judges (A piece of cake, right).  The judges are a strict serious group but she hopes that her pie will loosen them up. And if she does not win, she hopes her friend Tally will win. Her and Tally are also participating in a scavenger hunt where the contestants have to Find Franny.  When Marla finds a dead body in a strawberry field while on the scavenger hunt, she feels a need to help find out who the killer is.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  I felt that it defined the characters very clearly by their actions and words.  The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and I felt like I was right there watching all of the action taking place and eavesdropping in on conversations.  I was engaged throughout the entire book and enjoyed spending time in the world created by the author. The mystery was well plotted and well paced and it was not an easy one to solve.  

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  I think Marla is a strong smart woman and she is pretty good at investigating as well as styling hair.  Having a husband in law enforcement is a big plus and they make an interesting duo, which I appreciated.  I liked the relationship between Marla and Tally, you can tell what good friends they are. The secondary characters added a lot to the story and I enjoyed getting to spend time with them.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery.  It is funny, has great characters and a good mystery to solve, so what is not to enjoy?  

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.*