Highlights to Heaven by Nancy J. Cohen

From the Publisher

Professional hair stylist and amateur sleuth Marla Shore lands a case close to home when her pet-loving neighbor, a man aptly named Goat, disappears, leaving his animals - and a dead body - behind. The corpse might be just another anonymous stiff except for the distinctive highlighting in his hair. Marla immediately recognizes the signature technique of Ft. Lauderdale’s Heavenly Hair Salon and the work of stylist Cutter Corrigan.

Curiosity - and a desire to impress sexy Detective Dalton Vail - motivate Marla to question the proprietor of Heavenly Hair before the police do. And before she even leaves the murder scene, Marla makes another a grisly discovery that suggests the killing involves the exotic pet trade, where fancy fur coats are illegally made from local Tabbies and Rovers.

How could gentle Goat be involved in that? Outraged and upset, Marla vows to find out the truth. Soon her unofficial questioning of other area hairdressers turns up a surprising link between Goat, the victim, and her own past. The long and short of it is danger for Marla, as she gets closer to uncovering a hair-raising secret someone would kill to keep.

Publishers Weekly

With its many loose ends, Cohen's fifth cozy whodunit starring hairstylist-sleuth Marla Shore (after 2002's Body Wave) lives up to its billing as a "Bad Hair Day" mystery in more ways than one. In Palm Haven, Fla., Shore juggles the demands of her salon business with problematic relationships with her mother, her mother's importunate suitor and attractive police detective Dalton Vail. A missing neighbor, a murder victim with a signature highlighting pattern and Vail's official investigation conspire to put Marla on the scent of crimes involving contraband animals, illegal furs and a potion to cure baldness. A bizarre murder scheme apparently aimed at Marla's former beauty-school classmates also figures in the patchwork plot. The supporting characters aren't vivid enough to help carry the story, while the Jewish slang and humor seem forced rather than natural. As a result, the action careens from one improbable happening to another with interludes of romance and comedy that fail to captivate or convince. With Janet Evanovich setting a high standard for screwball mysteries and Sarah Strohmeyer's Bubbles Yablonsky already providing one successfully lighthearted hairdresser-sleuth heroine, Cohen has tough competition and fails to measure up in this outing. (Dec. 2) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Hairstylist and sometime sleuth Marla Shore (Body Wave) finds murder in the neighborhood when pet lover "Goat" disappears, leaving behind his animals and a corpse. Marla investigates, identifying the victim by way of his distinctive bronze highlights, but there's still that handsome detective boyfriend. Lively fun. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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