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A review by katherineep
Peril By Ponytail by Nancy J. Cohen
4.0
This was my first mystery in the Bad Hair Day series and while the series is quite established I had no problem jumping right in. The mystery starts as Marla and Dalton are just arriving in Arizona and the hunt for the saboteur is immediately on. The history of the region and the mining operations was interesting but not overpowering. The mystery itself was intriguing and I liked how Marla and Dalton really worked together and talked out their theories.
There are several mysteries happening at once but it never felt like it was muddled together or that one was less interesting. I really wanted to find out why Raymond and his sister were estranged, what caused the feud between Raymond and Hugh Donovan, who is sabotaging the ranch and ghost town, and who killed the ranger. The conclusion did not disappoint and I'm pleased to report that there were no TSTL moments! Marla and Dalton did get into some risky situations but Dalton was involved with the police and they took adequate precautions. Marla was a bit on the nosy side as frequently happens with amateur detectives but she was enough of a part of the legitimate investigation that it worked. It was obvious that Cohen had researched the area as the setting really rang true. This really felt like it was taking place in Arizona mining country and I especially enjoyed Marla and Dalton's trip to The Poison Pen Bookstore.
I would have liked more time spent in the ghost town but that's just because I'm fascinated with the whole concept. This is on the cozier side of the cozy genre so if you're not a big cozy fan this may not be for you. However, if you enjoy a good mystery in an interesting setting this is definitely worth reading.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/09/peril-by-ponytail-review.html
There are several mysteries happening at once but it never felt like it was muddled together or that one was less interesting. I really wanted to find out why Raymond and his sister were estranged, what caused the feud between Raymond and Hugh Donovan, who is sabotaging the ranch and ghost town, and who killed the ranger. The conclusion did not disappoint and I'm pleased to report that there were no TSTL moments! Marla and Dalton did get into some risky situations but Dalton was involved with the police and they took adequate precautions. Marla was a bit on the nosy side as frequently happens with amateur detectives but she was enough of a part of the legitimate investigation that it worked. It was obvious that Cohen had researched the area as the setting really rang true. This really felt like it was taking place in Arizona mining country and I especially enjoyed Marla and Dalton's trip to The Poison Pen Bookstore.
I would have liked more time spent in the ghost town but that's just because I'm fascinated with the whole concept. This is on the cozier side of the cozy genre so if you're not a big cozy fan this may not be for you. However, if you enjoy a good mystery in an interesting setting this is definitely worth reading.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2015/09/peril-by-ponytail-review.html