Hanging by a Hair
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Snarky neighbors, sordid secrets, and community politics play a role in this madcap murder mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
Newlyweds Marla and Dalton Vail are delighted by their new home, until their next-door neighbor erects an illegal fence between their properties. Marla’s hopes for making friends are dashed by a resultant argument between Dalton and the man, who is president of the HOA. The situation becomes more tangled when their neighbor is found dead the following day.
Dalton, a homicide detective, suspects foul play, but he’s removed from the case due to a conflict of interest. Now it’s up to Marla to clear her husband’s name and make the neighborhood safe again. Secretive neighbors, tribal protesters, religious zealots, and preppers top the suspect list along with a spurned lover and a greedy nephew. Can Marla unravel the clues and pin down the culprit before he targets her as the next victim?
Suspense Magazine “Best of 2014” Cozy Mystery
“Marla is short for marvelous. If you like your mysteries ‘cozy,’ you’re going to enjoy every minute you spend with her!” Joanna Campbell Slan, author of the award-winning Kiki Lowenstein mystery series
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Marla Vail, a hairdresser in Royal Oaks, Fla., tackles married life and a slimy homeowners' association in Cohen's cheerful 11th series entry (after 2012's Shear Murder). Marla and her husband, Dalton, a police detective, run afoul of the association's high-handed president, Alan Krabber, at a board meeting. When Alan is found dead, an apparent suicide by hanging that the police soon come to suspect is murder, Dalton is taken off the case because of his public confrontation with the deceased. Fortunately, Marla's incessant gossiping with the neighbors proves a highly effective investigation technique. Seemingly every time she drops by the community center, she overhears a significant clue. Still, some mysteries remain unsolved in this pleasingly lighthearted cozy: for instance, why Marla tells Dalton that he shouldn't make ravioli for dinner explaining that she, as an observant Jew, abstains from pasta and other leavened foods during Passover and then dashes out to a cafe to order an English muffin.
