Murder, Curlers, & Cream by Arlene McFarlane {Review}

Murder, Curlers, & Cream by Arlene McFarlane

ebook, 290 pages

Publication: November 8th 2016 by ParadiseDeer Publishing

Valentine Beaumont is a beautician with a problem. Not only has she got a meddling mother, a wacky staff, and a dying business, but now she’s got a dead client who was strangled while awaiting her facial.

With business the way it is, combing through this mystery may be the only way to save her salon. Until a second murder, an explosion, a kidnapping, death threats, and the hard-nosed Detective Romero complicate things. But Valentine will do anything to untangle the crime. That’s if she can keep her tools of the trade in her bag, keep herself alive, and avoid falling for the tough detective.

In the end, how hard can that be?

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My Review: 3 Stars

Valentine runs a beauty salon and a murdered client leaves her struggling business in even more trouble. The story is told from Valentine's point-of-view and her voice is very quirky and snarky, which is kind of fun. I felt that things were pretty superficial with her--the reader sees the story through her eyes, but I didn't feel a deep connection to who she really is--she's just all sass and personality. While I would have liked to get to know her on a deeper level, it worked for this story.

The plot moves at a quick pace, which makes it easy to stay engaged. A lot happens within these pages, some of it pure fun and some of it a little crude. I love that the murder mystery isn't gruesome, but from the very first sentence ("You wound a perm rod around a man's what?"), it's implied that there will be some suggestive content, which there is. Taking all that aside, the meat of the story does have a surprising who-done-it and has some interesting characters and situations. I enjoyed watching things unfold and overall, I think this is a fun adventure. I've never read a murder-mystery that takes place in a beauty salon before.

Content: innuendo (technically stays clean, but some implications, crude talk, and vague sexual references); mild-moderate language (no F*bombs, but a smattering of almost everything else); mild violence (not graphic).

*I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.* 

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About the Author

Arlene McFarlane is the author of the Murder, Curlers series. Previously an aesthetician, hairstylist, and owner of a full-service salon, Arlene now writes full time. When she’s not making up stories, or being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, cat-mom, or makeover artist, you’ll find her making music on the piano.

Arlene is a member of Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Toronto Romance Writers, SOWG, and the Golden Network. She’s won and placed in over 30 contests, including twice in the Golden Heart and twice in the Daphne du Maurier.

Arlene lives with her family in Canada.