Dreidels and Dead Ends

Memories of sitting under the hairdryer at the beauty salon with your head full of curlers and reading a magazine came back to me as I enjoyed reading this fun mystery novel. Maybe a more modern version is sitting reading this novel while waiting for the hair color to set.  Dreidels and Dead Ends by Nancy J Cohen is an entertaining mystery novel for reading at the hairdresser.

Cohen has created the perfect setting and real time job position for an amateur detective to have while trying to solve local crime in a small town.  Where would there be a better place to interview suspects than while they are having their hair styled.  Also the women that come in for a wash and cut are always ready to share the news they have heard.

This novel is the newest in this long running A Bad Hair Day Mystery series.  Hairstylist Marla Vail owns the Cut 'N Dye salon and is now married to Dalton, the newly retired police homicide detective.  She and Dalton have teamed up solving crimes in their small town in Florida.

When a diamond studded hairbrush is stolen from the local museum, Marla and Dalton are on the trail to get it back and save the museum from having to close down. Marla was asked by her friend Becky Forest, the curator for the local museum, to fill in last minute as a featured speaker for a fundraising event and Marla agrees.  That puts her and Dalton at the scene of the crime. The antique hairbrush, on loan, an heirloom with a family curse, is stolen during the opening night event and the injured security guard is sent to the hospital. When more unexplained accidents start occurring to people involved with the museum Marla is not convinced it is the curse. She is sure someone is behind the unpleasant problems.  Then another security guard turns up dead and the pressure increases to find out who stole the hairbrush and return it to its rightful owners.

An added characteristic to this mystery series is that Marla is Jewish and the author has added many Jewish references to her novels. In this novel the winter holidays are just around the corner and as she is interviewing suspects, Marla is also thinking about her holiday parties and her gift lists.  She has to pick out Chanukah and Christmas presents for her new extended family along with getting the latkes and donuts for their son, Ryder's, daycare class Chanukah party.