Nancy J. Cohen's Mystery Titles

Below are the research notes provided by Nancy for each of her mystery titles. You can have a look at them, and then click on the book cover images at the right of the page to read the first chapter of the books.

PERMED TO DEATH is the first book in the Bad Hair Day Mysteries starring South Florida beauty salon owner Marla Shore. Getting my hair done at the salon in the name of research was probably the most fun part of writing this book, although an exhilarating airboat ride in the Everglades beat the thrills at Disney World by far. Poisons, permanent waves, and police procedure along with a touch of Cuban Santeria add spice to the story.

HAIR RAISER involved one of my favorite pasttimes: eating. Between dining at popular Fort Lauderdale restaurants and a trip to the Bahamas, I sampled many delicious menus. Touring Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale provided hours of pleasure as I studied the mangrove habitat and tropical vegetation on this magnificent estate. An interview with a funeral director, an exhibition of Samoan fire knives, and a visit to a biomedical waste disposal facility rounded out the information needed.

For MURDER BY MANICURE, I attended citizens police academy and joined an athletic club for a trial membership, just as Marla does in the story. A jaunt to Vero Beach was a pleasurable part of the research, since this is one of my favorite Florida weekend getaways. I feel like I'm living Marla's life in many respects, except she's single and runs around solving mysteries while I'm sedately married with kids. It would help if I had her skills to fix hair!

BODY WAVE is the next book in the series. For this one, I dragged my husband along on a research trip to Tarpon Springs, Florida . Tarpon Springs is a fascinating Greek fishing village on the Gulf coast where divers plunder the waters for live sponges. While taking diligent notes, I strolled the narrow streets, ate moussakka and baklava until I thought I'd burst, and prowled the shops for unique knicknacks. Marla will track a suspect here, so you'll read all about it in BODY WAVE. Hopefully you'll also learn about shade-grown coffee plantations and tilapia fish farming, my research topics for this story. After reading about how tilapia are raised, you'll run right out for a seafood dinner.

HIGHLIGHTS TO HEAVEN deals with dog and cat fur products, beauty school curriculum, "Harperites", and citrus canker. The citrus canker eradication program is a highly charged issue in South Florida, and as a result of my research, I have a better grasp of both viewpoints: the homeowner versus the state agricultural department. If you want to keep drinking Florida orange juice, you'll be interested to learn what's going on.