by Kathleen Costa
& Traci Andighetti

This week we have a review of the latest book in the Danger Cove Hair Salon Mystery series by Traci Andighetti, and a fun guest post by Traci about the series. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of Killer Eyeshadow and a Cold Espresso and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

Killer Eyeshadow and a Cold Espresso: Danger Cove Hair Salon Mystery by Traci Andrighetti
Review by Kathleen Costa

Welcome! You are Entering Danger Cove!

Killer Eyeshadow and a Cold Espresso is part of the Danger Cove franchise from Gemma Halliday Publishing. Several authors, including favorite Traci Andrighetti, join fictional mystery novelist and resident of Danger Cove Elizabeth Ashby to pen their own book set in this small town in the Pacific Northwest. From renovations to a farmers’ market, cocktails to baked goods, quilting to pet sitting, bookshops to hair salons to B&Bs, more than twenty books, and more in the works, take readers on a delightful adventure with wonderful characters. As they say, “Don’t let our name fool you—we’re the friendliest (even if deadliest) town in the Pacific Northwest!”

Danger Cove Hair Salon Mystery
Book 1—Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai (2015)
Book 2—A Poison Manicure & a Peach Liqueur (2017)
Book 3—Killer Eyeshadow and a Cold Espresso (2019)

Look Good or Die Trying

Cassidi Contin left Texas and moved to Danger Cove, Washington, to claim the inheritance left to her by her Uncle Vinny who himself met a murderous end. The property’s claim to fame is that during the Klondike Gold Rush the building was home of the LeSalle House brothel…yes, a bordello popular with the prospectors heading north to find gold. Joining her is New Jersey make-up artist/step-cousin Gia DI Mitri, and together they open The Clip and Sip that combines the best a hair salon can offer with the best liquid concoctions including homemade liqueurs. But, along with a dye job and cordial, amateur sleuthing has an appointment.

Killer Eyeshadow and a Cold Espresso earns 5/5 Makeovers…Deadly Clever!

A one-espresso headache comes from Harriet McCudgeon of Gold Rush History Tours whose on-site tours of The Clip and Sip Salon highlighting the dubious history of the building have increased bringing intrusive gawkers and a drop in business. How ‘bout a makeover for the building to make the tours less desirable? A two-espresso headache comes from the financial issues that always stalk a struggling business, and the desired renovations are expensive and would ultimately put the business on hold and defeating the purpose. A helpful, yet surprising, windfall is attached to a three-espresso headache when wife of Jesse Rothman wants to hire The Clip and Sip to provide services for their vow-renewal ceremony. Jesse was recently released from prison after murder charges were dropped, and he threatens them to keep their noses to themselves or else. Or else is a pot-of-espressos headache! Jesse keels over…dead!

There is so much excitement to unpack in this third book in the series, I don’t know where to start. Cold case murders? Mobsters? Missing money? Treasure? First, I loved it! I am a fan of Traci Andrighetti’s Franki Amato Mystery, so I knew this would be just as entertaining. Second, Traci uses the traditional cozy formula that I enjoy: worry, trouble, dead body, more trouble, nosiness, more trouble, and “Eccolo!” (There it is!). However she adds her own well-written tone, emotion, and humor keeping me eager to turn the pages. I felt frustration, anger, worry, curiosity, glee, and complete satisfaction. I started with book three, and her Uncle Vinny’s murder was a reoccurring issue. But, there was enough revisiting backgrounds and character connections to keep my interest, and my interest means I’ve got to read book one and two!

Make this book the next focus of your Book Club. Found in the back of the book, Traci has compiled a set of Book Club Questions to use at your gathering. And she added the recipe for Italian Sunrise, “the drink that screams Aunt Carla,” to liven up the discussion! Also the best Ragù recipe…as Aunt Carla says, “They tasted my ragù, and the next thing you know I had a ring on my finguh.” Here’s two more favorite words…” Buon appetito!

Kathleen Costa is a long-time resident of the Central Valley, and although born in Idaho, she considers herself a “California Girl.” Graduating from CSU-Sacramento, she is a 35+ year veteran teacher having taught in grades 1-8 in schools from Sacramento to Los Angeles to Stockton to Lodi. Currently Kathleen is enjoying her retirement revitalizing hobbies along with exploring writing, reading for pleasure, and spending 24/7 with her husband.

Writing the Danger Cove Hair Salon Mysteries
By Traci Andrighetti

I’m thrilled to be on Kings River Life talking about the Danger Cove Hair Salon mysteries. When Gemma Halliday first proposed the Danger Cove series, she asked interested authors to pick a business for the town. I didn’t know the first thing about hair salons, but as an avid Murder, She Wrote fan I loved the episodes at Loretta’s Beauty Salon. It seemed like a fun place to hang out and dish (or should I say, style?) gossip with Jessica and Loretta (Ruth Roman) about the latest Cabot Cove murder. So, I created The Clip and Sip salon where clients are served a free drink while they get their hair or makeup done because booze and mysteries go hand in murderous hand.

Traci Andrighetti

Murder, She Wrote wasn’t my only inspiration for the series. I also went to my local hair salon and picked the brain of the owner, who told me all kinds of disturbing stories about working in salons—for mystery purposes, of course—from dealing with thieving employees to assisting clients who don’t wash their hair for months (ewww). Hilariously, I found the details of the dirty hair story to be too upsetting to put in a book, and yet I have no problem including lots of murders.

Another source of inspiration for the series was the reality TV show Jerseylicious about the Gatsby Salon in New Jersey. The stylists and staff were all Italian-American and wildly stereotypically so. As an Italian-American who grew up in Texas, I’ve always been fascinated by New Jersey and New York Italians because they’re unique in the world (even native Italians are fascinated by them). By comparison, us Italians in Texas are as dull as ditchwater (sorry, y’all, but it’s true). So, I created Cassidi Conti, the Italian-American native Texan salon owner, who is sort of the “straight guy” character. And for comedic effect I brought in Gia Di Mitri, her outlandishly Italian-American New Jerseyan makeup artist cousin.

In Killer Eyeshadow and a Cold Espresso, I introduce another New Jerseyan character—Aunt Carla, who was mentioned in the first two books, Deadly Dye and a Soy Chai, and A Poison Manicure and Peach Liqueur. Aunt Carla is quite possibly my favorite secondary character I’ve ever created, and she was a huge hit with the editorial staff at Gemma Halliday Publishing. To help Cassidi and Gia solve a Danger Cove murder that is threatening the salon, she taps into the New Jersey Italian-American network. And if you’re thinking about the Mafia you’re not too far off. To quote from the book, the network consists of Italian-American mothers who “not only knew what their own sons were doing, they kept an eye on everyone else’s. They operated within a vast organization that held meetings at Catholic churches, beauty salons, deli counters, and various other locations to make sure their boys were eating enough, dating respectable Italian girls, and not turning into criminals.”

I hope readers will visit The Clip and Sip and check out the other businesses in Danger Cove. It’s the friendliest—yet deadliest—town in the Pacific Northwest.

Be a Big Traci Andrighetti Fan!
Traci Andrighetti is the USA Today bestselling author of the Danger Cove Hair Salon Mysteries, but she also pens the widely popular four-book Franki Amato Mystery which are available in all versions including very entertaining audiobooks narrated by the talented Madeline Mrozek. There are also two delightful short stories, Fragolino Fucshia (2017) and Cannellino Caramel (2018) available in eBook format.

Francesca “Franki” Amato learns she is not best suited for mainstream law enforcement, so she heads off to New Orleans joining her BFF’s private investigation firm, Private Chicks, Inc. But, she learns The Big Easy isn’t so “easy.”

Facebook – Traci Andrighetti Author
Website – Traci Andrighetti

Sign up for Traci’s newsletter and receive a thank you gift of a Franki Amato short story Fragolino Fuchsia. Franki Amato heads off to Italy! It’s her version of a “Roman Holiday” when she tangles with “the likes of gladiators, mobsters, and a monk.”

Be a GHP Fan!
Facebook – Gemma Halliday Publishing
Website – Gemma Halliday Publishing

To enter to win an ebook copy of Killer Eyeshadow and a Cold Espresso, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, with the subject line “eyeshadow,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 23, 2019. If entering via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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