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Star Tangled Murder
A Bad Hair Day Mystery
by Nancy J. Cohen
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Star Tangled Murder (Bad Hair Day Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
18th in Series
Setting – Florida
Orange Grove Press (March 14, 2023)
Paperback : 284 pages
ISBN-10 : 1952886252
ISBN-13 : 978-1952886256
Digital ASIN : B0BQS68WS7
Hairstylist Marla Vail and her husband get tangled up in murder when their Fourth of July visit to a living history village ends with a bang—and a body.
Salon owner Marla Vail and her detective husband Dalton are having a blast visiting a Florida living history village over Fourth of July weekend. But when a Seminole battle reenactment turns up a real dead body, it sets off fireworks among the villagers. One of the cast members has gone off script to murder the town marshal with a tomahawk in his head.
As Dalton gets involved in the investigation, Marla determines to help him solve the case. Her flare for uncovering secrets reveals that everyone in the village is a suspect. Instead of celebrating the holiday with red, white, and barbecues, she discovers secrets, lies, and false avenues. Did the marshal’s murder have anything to do with a lost Confederate payroll, or did his plans to renovate the park light a fuse that he couldn’t snuff out?
In a place where history comes alive, the dead bodies are piling up. Marla would rather be chilling and grilling, but somebody’s mind is on killing. If she’s not careful, her sleuthing might blow up in her face like a faulty firecracker and she’ll become the next victim. Recipes Included!
Here’s a peek inside:
“You said you’d explain why this residence is called Baffle House,” Dalton reminded their hostess before the tour concluded.
Lizzy eyes twinkled. “As I said earlier, my ancestor, Adam Canfield, sided with the Confederates during the Civil War. He housed Captain Matt Lowry and his men who were marching north to deliver a Confederate payroll. When they heard a troop of Union soldiers was headed this way, they hid the gold and escaped to the Everglades.”
She paused for dramatic effect before continuing the story. “Adam and his wife, Elizabeth, stood on the front porch and faced the Union troops. When Adam wouldn’t tell them where Captain Lowry had gone, they shot him.”
Marla clapped a hand to her cheek. “That’s horrible.”
“What happened to the gold?” Dalton asked, while Marla was still absorbing the scene in her mind. Imagine Adam’s wife seeing him killed before her eyes.
“Captain Lowry’s men failed to return, so the coins were never recovered. Nobody knew what happened to them. People have tried to find the lost payroll, but the ghost of the White Lady chases them away.”
“Who’s the White Lady?” Marla liked this legend. After her encounter with a playful spirit at Sugar Crest Plantation Resort, she believed in otherworldly phenomenon.
“Elizabeth is still here, searching for the gold so she can stave off the Union soldiers and save her husband. She’s wearing the same dress she had on the day he died. Meanwhile, the secret of the missing treasure continues to baffle people.”
“Do you believe this story is true?” Marla asked, remembering her own treasure hunt at the resort on Florida’s west coast.
Lizzy winked at Marla. “Maybe. If you want to learn more, join our nightly ghost tour. Now, you’d better hustle along if you want to get a good seat for the battle. The bleachers get filled fast.”
About Nancy J. Cohen
Nancy J. Cohen writes the Bad Hair Day Mysteries featuring South Florida hairstylist Marla Vail. Titles in this series have been named Best Cozy Mystery by Suspense Magazine, won the Readers’ Favorite Book Awards and the RONE Award, placed first in the Chanticleer International Book Awards and third in the Arizona Literary Awards. Her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook, have won the FAPA President’s Book Award, the Royal Palm Literary Award, and IAN Book of the Year. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World.
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