A daring holiday heist at the local history museum sends hairstylist Marla Vail on her most tangled case yet.When salon owner Marla Vail agrees to speak at the local history museum’s gala opening for a new exhibit, she expects applause—not a catastrophe. But shortly after she takes the stage, a thief steals the featured diamond-studded hairbrush, leaving behind an empty display case and a badly injured security guard.
Marla’s friend, museum curator Becky Forest, begs for her help in recovering the prized heirloom before the mayor uses this scandal as an excuse to cut their funding. To make matters worse, the antique hairbrush comes with a curse, and suddenly bad luck is spreading through town faster than a botched dye job. As Hanukkah festivities begin, Marla would rather be lighting candles than chasing clues, but with Becky’s job at stake, she takes on the case.
Her trail leads to a knot of suspects including the hairbrush’s owner, his greedy cousin, shifty museum staff, and a reclusive collector of mystical antiquities. Instead of enjoying menorah lights and latkes, Marla discovers murder, lies, and larceny. She’ll need sharp wits and a holiday miracle to save the museum and to keep the truth from being brushed aside.
Do you know the difference between antiques and antiquities? Which one would you go after if you were a treasure hunter?
In Dreidels and Dead Ends, my latest Bad Hair Day mystery, hairstylist Marla Vail is helping her friend Becky—curator at the local history museum—to recover a stolen antique hairbrush. Having belonged to a Florida sugar producer’s family in the 1800s, this heirloom piece is rumored to be cursed. It was originally part of a three-piece set including a comb and mirror, but those other items have been lost through time. This hairbrush would be considered an antique, not an antiquity.
I wasn’t clear on the difference, so I learned the definitions along with Marla.
Antiques refer to items that are at least one hundred years old. These objects can be works of art, jewelry, furniture, household goods and even books. They’re valued for their craftsmanship, since they were created before items were mass-produced.
Is this the same thing as Vintage?
No. Vintage refers to items from the early 1900s through the 1960s. Fashions and accessories from that era are popular because many were handmade or one-of-a-kind. Comic books may also be considered vintage if they date back that far.
Then there’s the Retro era, which covers the 1960s through the 1990s, although an earlier style might be imitated and called Retro, like a 50s-style diner or an old-fashioned soda fountain. Kitchen accessories in Retro style are also popular. Remember CorningWare casserole dishes with the blue cornflower design? I still have a set of these useful, covered dishes in my cabinets.
What are Antiquities?
Antiquities go much farther back to ancient civilizations. They can be thousands of years old and provide insights into the daily lives, beliefs, and artistic expressions of ancient peoples. This history connects us to the past and can help to shape the future if we listen. Because these objects help humanity preserve our stories and cultures, they hold vast archaeological value.
Provenance tells us where an item originated, who owned it, and how it passed from hand to hand over time. Knowing an object’s provenance gives it more value and verifies its authenticity.
In Dreidels and Dead Ends, Marla suspects a local antiquities collector might be involved in the theft from the museum. It’s possible his interest in the antique hairbrush comes more from its alleged curse than from the diamonds embedded in its sterling silver back. Norman Falconi collects items with mystical powers allegedly to protect the public from harm, or at least that’s his excuse for dabbling in the black antiquities market.
Then again, a clever jewel thief might have stolen the hairbrush for the gemstones alone.
Or, there’s one other possibility that doesn’t escape Marla’s notice. Becky’s job as museum curator is on the line if the hairbrush remains missing. Could it be a rival at work who is at fault, or someone else who is targeting her for a specific purpose?
Meanwhile, bad things start happening around town and especially to Becky. Whatever the reason behind the crime, Marla promises to find the hairbrush before its curse spreads to everyone involved, and the mayor decides to permanently close the museum.
Dreidels and Dead Ends is book #19 in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries. Since the story takes place around the holidays, Marla must juggle her busy life with solving a crime, planning holiday meals, gift shopping for her interfaith family, and seeing clients at her salon.
No worries if you haven’t read this series before. All titles are written as standalones so you can jump in at any time.
What You’ll Get
Museum Heist
Cursed Artifact
Stolen Heirloom
Holiday Traditions
Small-Town Setting
Shady Suspects
Heartwarming Family Scenes
Do you enjoy visiting history museums, historic houses, or living history villages? Which is your favorite?
DREIDELS AND DEAD ENDS
A cursed family heirloom, a murder at a museum, and eight nights to solve the crime...
When hairstylist Marla Vail agrees to speak at the local history museum’s gala opening for a new exhibit, she expects applause—not a catastrophe. But shortly after she takes the stage, a thief steals the featured diamond-studded antique hairbrush. Marla’s friend, museum curator Becky Forest, begs for her help in recovering the prized heirloom before the mayor slashes their funding.
As Hanukkah festivities begin, Marla would rather be lighting candles than chasing clues. But with Becky’s job at stake and secrets piling up faster than wrapped presents, she takes on the case. To make matters worse, the missing heirloom comes with a curse, and suddenly bad luck is spreading through town faster than a botched dye job. Marla will need sharp wits and a holiday miracle to save the museum and to keep the truth from being brushed aside.
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About the Author
Nancy J. Cohen is the author of over thirty published works, including the Bad Hair Day Mysteries and the Keri Armstrong cozy mystery series. These books have won numerous awards, along with her nonfiction titles, Writing the Cozy Mystery and A Bad Hair Day Cookbook. Active in the writing community, Nancy has served as president of Mystery Writers of America Florida Chapter and vice president of Citrus Crime Writers. When not busy writing, she enjoys reading, fine dining, cruising, and visiting Disney World.
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She rounded a corner to note Sierra vanishing into the restroom. Marla followed her inside, realizing she could use a bathroom break herself.
However, Sierra wasn’t in a stall when Marla entered. The redhead stood by a sink, washing her hands. No, she was scrubbing them like Lady Macbeth wiping imaginary blood off her skin.
“Hey, Sierra. Are you okay?” Marla asked with a friendly smile.
Sierra cast her a surprised glance, then her eyes narrowed. “I’m fine, except for you being here. With my social media presence, they should have asked me to give that keynote speech. I could have come up with some beauty tips and filmed the session for my podcast.”
Of course you would only think of yourself. “People wanted a history lesson, not a class on beauty hacks,” Marla managed to say in an even tone.
“Oh, yeah? And what are your credentials in the field?”
“I’ve had an article published on the subject, plus I work with hairbrushes every day. And I’m friends with the curator, she thought but didn’t say aloud. “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight. Did you come with the handsome man in a tux that I saw you with earlier?”
“That’s none of your business.” Sierra dried her hands with a paper towel and tossed it in the trash.
“He’s impressive, whoever he is.” When Sierra didn’t respond and merely glared at her, she tried another tack. “It’s terrible that the guard was hurt. I hope he’ll recover without any residual damage. Imagine the chances of standing right under the chandelier at the wrong time.”
“People are saying the curse struck again,” Sierra remarked, lifting her penciled brows.
“I don’t believe there’s anything supernatural involved. Joel’s accident put him conveniently out of commission so somebody could steal the hairbrush.”
“I’ll bet you want to investigate,” Sierra said with a sneer. “I know how you like to meddle, but it wouldn’t be wise for you to get involved.”
Is that a warning? Marla’s instincts flared. Since she’d been solving cases with Dalton, she’d become suspicious of implied threats.
“Why is that?” she asked, with a glance at the Kate Spade bag on Sierra’s shoulder. It was large enough to hold swag that she gave out to fans, like samples from the companies she endorsed online. Or perhaps a stolen artifact?
Sierra gave her a smirk. “The curse may affect you next. Maybe I should be glad no one asked me to speak.”
“That’s ridiculous. I don’t believe in evil spells. And even if I did, once the hairbrush is restored to its rightful owner, nobody will have to worry about a mythical curse.”
Sierra swept a tendril of red hair off her face. “If I were you, I’d leave the investigation to the cops. I’d think you have enough on your plate without interfering in other people’s affairs.” She gave a pointed glance at Marla’s belly, then whipped around and left.
Marla frowned as she watched Sierra depart. She couldn’t fathom what the woman might know, and yet she felt certain Sierra hadn’t been scrubbing her hands for fear of germs.
Hairstylist Marla Shore untangles a knot of secrets when she’s suspected of poisoning her client’s coffee creamer in this debut case.
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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Thank you so much for hosting me here!
ReplyDeleteA cozy Hanukkah mystery with a museum heist sounds like such a fun seasonal read. I really enjoyed the excerpt where Marla investigates the missing hairbrush — the cursed heirloom angle adds a nice touch of intrigue. And the antiques-versus-antiquities discussion in the guest post was genuinely educational. Looking forward to seeing how Marla untangles this one.
ReplyDeleteThank you; I hope you enjoy the story!
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