Thursday, 19 January 2023

Shampoo & Condition by M.L. Ortega

 

Precis

In Shampoo & Condition, Vivian, Maggie’s soon to be ex sister-in-law, drops dead in a beauty salon and Maggie’s brother becomes suspect number one – creating friction between our main character and her policeman boyfriend.

 

What can a girl do but pursue other suspects: Vivian’s shifty sisters, a smooth financial operator, and a secretive shampoo girl.

 

Meanwhile, Maggie’s best friend is matching corpses with missing persons on the Jane Doe website, eventually spotting a dead person in their midst.

 

My review

Shampoo & Condition is the second book in a series featuring the main characters Maggie and Jane. I have not read the first book so I am unable to make a comparison. It fits in the cosy mystery genre and is a quick easy read (about 100 pages)

 

The story follows Maggie and Jane’s investigation of the death of Maggies sister-in-law, Viv, after she dies at a hairdresser.

 

The characters are for the most part likeable and the story line is unusual, but I felt there were a couple of things that let the book down preventing it from being a great read. Firstly, I think the manuscript could do with some editing particularly to correct some duplication.

 

Secondly, while most reviewers like the fact that it was a quick read I would have enjoyed more substance to the mystery. Its brevity didn’t give me time to warm to the characters or immerse myself in what could have been and excellent mystery.

 

Thank you to M.L. Ortega for providing me with an ebook copy of Shampoo & Condition in return for an honest review.

 

My rating 2*

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