Murder by Manicure

The Bad Hair Day Mysteries, Book 3

De: Nancy J. Cohen

Narrado por: Mary Ann Jacobs

Hairstylist Marla Shore joins a fitness club to get in shape, but discovers a dead body instead of an exercise routine. Jolene Myers, a client at Marla's salon, has drowned beneath the frothing waters of the whirlpool.

When Detective Dalton Vail determines Jolene's death was no accident, Marla decides to give her deductive skills a workout and help solve the case. Jolene had few friends at the fancy athletic club.

As Marla gets to know everyone, she wonders who might have targeted Jolene for a lethal soak in the hot tub. When another member turns up dead, she intensifies her efforts to nail the killer and wrap the case. If she fails, the next buff body on its way to the morgue might be hers.

©2001 Nancy J. Cohen (P)2024 Nancy J. Cohen

Murder and more murder

This was a cute, fun book. Seems Marla cannot stay out of trouble. Murder seems to follow her around. I look forward to reading more in this series. I have read book 1 and 3 and look forward to going back to read book 2. I received this book free in exchange for an honest review,

I LOVE this series

What made the experience of listening to Murder by Manicure the most enjoyable?

I love how the narrator brings the characters to life, it keeps me tuned into the story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Murder by Manicure?

Saving the detectives daughter and her reaction

Which character – as performed by Mary Ann Jacobs – was your favorite?

Why Marla of course. It seems she is always getting herself into hot water and what is up with her clients being killed?

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

These books make me happy.

Any additional comments?

In these books you'll find comedy, a little romance, and a lot of sleuthing. This are easy to listen books with a fun and light energy to them. I look forward to the next book in the series. This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom

Marla saves the day

Hair stylist Marla Shore joins a health club in Murder by Manicure by Nancy J. Cohen, and at her first night there, she walks in on her hair client Jolene Myers in a heated argument with Cookie Calcone, a virulent activist against product testing on animals. Jolene works as a researcher for a chemical company, and Cookie accuses her of cruelty to animals in her work. Announcing plans to get a massage and then relax in the whirlpool, Jolene walks off and Marla goes to explore the gym. But as she is checking out the machines in the exercise room,Marla hears a frantic scream, only to run into the room with the whirlpool and find Jolene lying at the bottom of the spa. The staff try to revive her, but with no success. And the tox screen shows that Jolene had ingested a strong sedative about an hour prior to her death, making her death look like murder.

Marla has been bored since her last case with Detective Dalton Vail concluded, so she immerses herself in trying to find the solution. But all the snooping seems to take her around in circles and show her duplicitous angles of many people involved in the case. In the meantime, things heat up further between Marla and Dalton, to the consternation of Dalton’s 12-year-old daughter, who feels that she and her dad don’t need anyone else now that her mother has been dead for two years.

This third book in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries is an improvement over the previous two books. The plot is tighter and with some creative twists that surprise when they arise. In my review of Hair Raiser, I expressed concern over the shallowness of most characters in the book, but this book makes an improvement to the quality of many more people than just Marla and Dalton.

Mary Ann Jacobs does a terrific job of performing the audio version of this book. She has a unique sounding voice that expresses things well and in a creative manner. She suits the role of Marla, the first person narrator of the book, very ably.

I enjoyed this book better than the previous, and I thought the solution to be a surprise, unlike the previous book, which telegraphed the answer to the readers way in advance. I was planning to let this book be the last book I would read in this series, but after Murder by Manicure, I think I’m going to try the next book! I give this book four stars!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free through Audiobook Boom, but that in no way influenced the content of my review.

A Stylish Fun Cozy

This is a fun, quirky cozy series. The heroine is Marla a cosmetologist who owns a beauty saloon. She has a way of literally stumbling upon dead bodies. She is divorced from a verbally and emotionally abusive husband and has major commitment issues. Also she has a mission regarding campaigning for pool safety such as locked pool fences and early swimming lessons for children. When she was a young college student her toddler charge escaped from his play pen and fell into and drowned in the backyard pool while she was on the phone. The guilt still plagues her, thus she doesn't want to be a mother or be in charge of children.

The story is good though not quite a full 4 stars but better than three stars, which made it hard for me to rate. The narration however is excellent and made the book.

Also, my mouth started watering when Marla was talking to a friend and making Kugel. I really wish that there was an recipe attachment to the book.

In conclusion, If you like cozies with quirky characters and some fun, then this book would be a great choice.

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

An entertaining, engaging and comical mystery!

Murder by Manicure is a fast-paced, short comical mystery. As a light mystery, you get the enjoyment of a mystery tossed in with some humor and charm. The story is full of suspense and unplanned explorations. I thought this book was unique and amusing with some unforeseen twists. This is the third book in the series but is definitely a standalone. Not having read the previous books in the series, this book did not have the feeling that I missed anything. They are unique and individual stories.

Mary Ann Jacobs did a good job with the narration. She had a clear and crisp voice that was easy to follow. She brought great tone and delivery. She helped bring the story to life. It was enjoyable listening to her narration.

This was a nice and entertaining cozy mystery from Nancy J Cohen. It will certainly not be my last read from her. I was not disappointed at all. I recommend Murder by Manicure to anyone that enjoys cozy and entertaining mysteries.

A Fun Book...

Where does Murder by Manicure rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It Wasn't A Plot That Blew My Mind...But The Characters Were Likable And Had Some Funny Moments..There Were A Couple Of Unbelievable Events When I Thought The Author Could Have Expanded The Reading Audience Mind By Creating Events That Were More Believable

What about Mary Ann Jacobs’s performance did you like?

I Really Liked This Narrator..She Brought The Characters And Story To Life..

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes It Was...A Classic Who Done It Mystery

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review

Funny, light and full of surprises and twists

Trouble follows Marla Shore wherever she goes! Trying out a fitness club trial membership she discovers Jolene dead in a whirlpool. Trouble always finds Marla with bodies popping up, hidden identities and playing with fire, so to speak! Marla’s relationship with Dalton takes a series of hilarious turns when she agrees to be “engaged” to Arnie and Dalton introduces his young daughter to Marla. First and foremost, Marla sets her mind to finding out who killed Jolene before anyone else dies.

Marla is a wonderful sleuth. Her skills are questionable but she gets the job done! Funny, light and full of surprises and twists, Nancy Cohen has another delightful cozy mystery hit.

Cohen keeps developing her characters, keeping them realistic and relatable. The situations Marla finds herself are realistic as well. She engages the listeners to solve the mystery before the end of the book but as a true mystery writer, she throws in some surprise twists and keeps us guessing until the last page. The story is well written, the plot expertly executed!

Once again, Mary Ann Jacobs owns Marla and the rest of the characters making the book come to life. Her highly talented performance keeps the listeners engaged with her smooth and calming voice. The words roll from her tongue in a clear and easy manner making her own the story fully.

The teaming of Nancy Cohen with Mary Ann Jacobs is exceptional! They keep the story light, fun and interesting.

A fan of cozy mysteries, I have enjoyed this series by Nancy Cohen, performed by Mary Ann Jacobs immensely. I look forward to more.

There were no issues with the production or quality of this audiobook.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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A Great Listen

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, and found it very entertaining. The characters are very interesting and well written. A hairdresser teams up with police detective friend to solve a murder of a client. This fast moving tale is full of suspense as unplanned misadventures add to the mystery, they're trying to solve. I will be checking out more books in this series.

Vapid main character

This book was originally written at least 15 years ago and I must have originally read it very close to it's publication date. I guess my tastes have changed because I have read every book in this series so I must have originally liked this book. After listening to it now (at the age of almost 55) I would not have bothered to get the next book because I found Marla to be pretty darn unlikable and superficial. Everything and everyone was judged by their appearance.

The mystery aspect was fine, but overshadowed by the romantic elements; Marla for Vail and a friend for a former classmate. Marla helps her friend with his romantic quest, but it was juvenile and I'm surprised someone of her age and personality would participate (and for mere bagels).

The narrator had a variety of voices and did a good job.

I received this audiobook at no-cost from Audiobookworm Promotions. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

Murder by Manicure

Murder by Manicure
: Nancy J. Cohen

Book three in this cozy mystery series. The characters are out to solve a murder but along the way we get some interesting twists and turns. Add in romance and you get a fun listen.




The narration was well done. The characters were well portrayed by Mary Ann Jacobs.



"I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."