Synopsis

A dead body in her mother’s bathroom during a home remodel leads hairstylist Marla Vail to flush out the clues and nail the killer.

When hairstylist and savvy sleuth, Marla Vail, gets a frantic call from her mother that there’s a dead body in her shower, Marla realizes this wasn’t part of the home renovation plans. The victim turns out to be the project manager, who had an untrustworthy reputation in town. Disgruntled customers, unpaid suppliers, and the design company’s staff are among the suspects. Which one of them wanted the foreman to pipe down about their shady dealings?

Meanwhile, the lead investigator sets his sights on Marla’s stepfather, Reed, who’s keeping secrets from his family. Reed has a past connection to the victim and won’t come clean about what he knows. As Marla drills deeper, she’s showered with suspicions, but nobody’s willing to leak any information. She needs to hammer down the prospects, or time will drain away and the murderer will strike again.

To flush out the culprit, Marla taps into her pipeline of resources. Can she assemble the clues and demolish the alibis to nail a killer? Or has someone designed the perfect murder? Recipes Included!

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Guest Post

Book Research Can Save Lives

by Nancy J. Cohen

In doing research for Styled for Murder, my latest cozy mystery, I needed information on how propane gas could leak into a house. It just so happened that we’d recently moved into a home with a propane gas tank that fueled our hot water heater and clothes dryer. Having had electric appliances previously, I had no idea what to watch for in terms of warning signs. The idea of a gas leak frightened me. I remembered a childhood friend’s mother who’d almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning while alone in her house.

I learned that since propane gas is colorless and odorless, it has a bad-smelling odorant added to make leaks easier to detect. However, some people might not be able to smell it if they have a cold or allergies. Or the gas could lose its odor if a leak occurs underground or there is rust inside the piping. A warning sign might be patches of dead grass in the yard.

Carbon monoxide is responsible for almost twenty-five percent of all propane-related deaths. It’s a byproduct of incomplete gas combustion. This can happen if an outside supply line gets damaged or an appliance vent gets clogged.

 Here’s an excerpt from Styled for Murder. My hairstylist sleuth, Marla Vail, is discussing the topic with Dalton, her detective husband.

Marla was glad they had electrical appliances in their home. “How does the gas get into the house if the damage occurs outside?” She didn’t understand what this had to do with Tobias’s demise but was willing to hear him out. Clearly, Dalton had researched the topic.

Dalton gripped the steering wheel as they sped north on I-95. “Propane is lighter than water. After a heavy rainstorm, any propane leaking into the ground may be displaced by rainwater soaking into the soil. As a result, the propane surfaces and can seep into your house if you have cracks in your foundation.”

“Wouldn’t a leak cause an explosion?”

Dalton nodded, his gaze focused forward. “In some cases. You hear about it on the news when buildings blow up, caused by a suspected gas leak. Propane mixed with air is flammable. It can be ignited by an open flame, an electrical spark, or static electricity. That’s why if you suspect a leak, you should get out of the house as quickly as possible. Don’t turn on the lights, adjust the thermostat, or even use your cell phone. Once outside, you can turn off the gas at the tank.”

“I’d stand clear and call for help.” Marla stared at the palm trees lining the road. “Are there leak detectors you can buy for propane gas, like our combo alarms for smoke and carbon monoxide?”

“Yes, you can order them online. They’re easy to plug into a wall outlet, but propane gas is heavier than air. It’s best to put them lower to the ground.”

“Aren’t there any warning signs inside the house?”

He nodded. “A hissing or whistling noise near a gas appliance may be a sign. You can listen for this outside, too, by the storage tank and piping. Your houseplants might die due to reduced oxygen. If you have a gas stove, the smell might linger longer than normal after you turn on the burner, or the color of the flame might change. It should be more blue than orange or yellow.”

“Most people probably wouldn’t notice those things,” Marla said. “We’re more familiar with physical symptoms like dizziness, nausea, or headache. Anyway, I still don’t get how carbon monoxide poisoning relates to propane gas.”

“It’s a byproduct of incomplete combustion,” Dalton explained. “That can happen if a pipe is damaged or if an appliance vent gets clogged. I expect the investigators at Tobias’s house will inspect these components. If there’s been sabotage, they’ll find it.”

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As a result of this research, I bought a couple of plug-in-type propane gas leak detectors. I feel much safer having these in our home, in addition to the usual combo smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. If you have gas appliances, you might want to look into getting these leak detectors as an added safety measure. I was glad to learn these facts about propane gas. It’s an issue that affected me directly. What about you? Do you cook with an electric range or a gas range? Why do you prefer one over the other?

Check out the Pinterest Board that helped serve as inspiration for this new novel.

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About the Author

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 a Readers’ Favorite gold medal and a 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 also garnered numerous awards, including the FAPA President’s Book Award and the Royal Palm Literary Award. When not busy writing, Nancy enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World.

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