Killer Knots: A Bad Hair Day Mystery
by: Nancy J. Cohen
Published by: Kensington Books
Buy From Amazon.com
Reviewed by Kathy Perschmann
Book number 9 in the series, Killer Knots finds salon owner Marla Shore on a Caribbean cruise with her fiancé Dalton Vail and his teenaged daughter Brianna. Dalton’s parents Kate and John paid for the cruise tickets. They are also on board, and they have Brianna stay in their room, so the couple can have more privacy. Marla is a bit nervous, as this is her first meting with her future in-laws.
The ship, Tropical Sun, seems perfect, except for a few small errors. First a note is left for a “Martha Shore,” saying “I know what you did and I have what you want,” which makes no sense to Marla and Dalton. Then they are seated for dinner with a bunch of strangers—all colleagues from the Camden Palms Museum of Art in Tampa. All these people had received their tickets in the mail—including the gift shop manager Martha Shore, the café manager, the business manager Bob Wolfson, the PR person Betsy, the director, Oliver Smernoff, and a major donor, Thurston Stark, and their spouses.
Things have been tense at the museum ever since the accidental death of a major new artist, Alden Tusk, and the theft of one of his triptych paintings. Eric Rand, the curator of the exhibit, had been fired over the theft. Coincidentally he is on the cruise, and in charge of the nightly art auctions!
Marla cannot resist getting involved. Her talent for ferreting out the truth when faced with mysterious occurrences comes to the forefront, even while she is trying her best to cement a relationship with her stepdaughter and her future in-laws. First, gift shop manager Martha Shore does not return to the ship after the passengers’ initial port excursion. Marla’s life is endangered when she follows the mysterious “Countess” on shore in Mexico, and she barely makes it back to the ship before it embarks. More threatening events occur before the finale.
This fun cruise ship cozy makes it seem as if you are on the cruise—the food, activities, ports, music, description of the ship—everything is described in luscious detail.
Armchair Interviews says: Set sail for a fun read.
Author’s Web site: http://www.NancyJCohen.com
From our armchair to yours...
