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Valentine Beaumont Mysteries #4
Murder, Curlers, and Kegs: A Valentine Beaumont Mini Mystery
An escaped felon is stalking beautician Valentine Beaumont on the heels of another murder. Will Valentine’s beauty tools save her from this maniac a second time?In her first action-packed mini mystery, beautician Valentine Beaumont is stalked by an escaped felon she once helped put behind bars. As she strives to stay one step ahead and stop this maniac before he kills her, she stumbles onto a dead body, unearths secret plots, struggles with family obligations, and is tackled in more ways than one.With a string of beauty disasters, two sexy heroes, a ticking clock, and a little help from her friends, can Valentine solve this case before the killer gets his revenge, or will this be her last?Murder, Curlers & Kegs is book 4 in the Murder, Curlers series and the first in Valentine’s shorter-length mini mysteries.
198 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 18, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
June 25, 2019
Ziggy is back!! He had escaped from jail so
Valentine Beaumont beware!!! He said he
will come for you.
Valentine owns & runs a Beauty Salon plus
plays amateur sleuth on many murder cases.
Valentine uses her beauty tools as a means
to catch the culprits. Now that she knows
Ziggy is on the loose she aims to capture him.
While helping a friend get the new Wee Irish
Dude establishment ready to open. A keg to
be used as decor, falls and breaks open. To
everyone’s surprise a dead body falls from
inside. Who put the body there? How did they
get into the establishment?
Come along with Valentine as she discovers
gifts left on her porch, finds her salon window
painted, discovers she was being stalked, gets
shot at taking her Aunt to the European Deli,
manages to give the escaped killer a helicopter
ride, uses pizza dough as resource to curb the
perp and more. Meanwhile Max, one of her
employees becomes fixated with a bread machine.
Then her nightmare of an employee actually
cuts the escape convicts hair in the closed salon
without knowing who he really is.
One laugh after another combined with drama,
suspense, thrills and chills plus add some
romance.
The characters are very well created, colorful,
vivid, quirky, relatable, scary and dangerous.
The author pulls the reader into the story from
the first word until the final word.
This is book #4 in the Valentine Beaumont Mystery
( The Murder, Curlers series). It can be read as a
stand alone as the author presents the past and
present together effortlessly.
A Highly Recommended Read!!
Valentine Beaumont beware!!! He said he
will come for you.
Valentine owns & runs a Beauty Salon plus
plays amateur sleuth on many murder cases.
Valentine uses her beauty tools as a means
to catch the culprits. Now that she knows
Ziggy is on the loose she aims to capture him.
While helping a friend get the new Wee Irish
Dude establishment ready to open. A keg to
be used as decor, falls and breaks open. To
everyone’s surprise a dead body falls from
inside. Who put the body there? How did they
get into the establishment?
Come along with Valentine as she discovers
gifts left on her porch, finds her salon window
painted, discovers she was being stalked, gets
shot at taking her Aunt to the European Deli,
manages to give the escaped killer a helicopter
ride, uses pizza dough as resource to curb the
perp and more. Meanwhile Max, one of her
employees becomes fixated with a bread machine.
Then her nightmare of an employee actually
cuts the escape convicts hair in the closed salon
without knowing who he really is.
One laugh after another combined with drama,
suspense, thrills and chills plus add some
romance.
The characters are very well created, colorful,
vivid, quirky, relatable, scary and dangerous.
The author pulls the reader into the story from
the first word until the final word.
This is book #4 in the Valentine Beaumont Mystery
( The Murder, Curlers series). It can be read as a
stand alone as the author presents the past and
present together effortlessly.
A Highly Recommended Read!!
June 26, 2019
Another fun Valentine Beaumont mystery! I love the humor and quirky characters! So many suspects and red herrings that kept me guessing until the very end. Valentine is sophisticated yet has some flaws that makes her one of us! Would love a friend like her (minus the dead bodies she seems to attract)!!
June 20, 2019
This, of course, is the fourth book in this series and they just keep getting better and better! I love the humor woven through Murder, Curlers, and Kegs, along with the mystery and the regular goings-on of Valentine's life. One of the things I love most about this series - and series in general - is how I can follow along with the characters through their lives. I find Valentine to be a realistic and likable character, and I love her admirers, Detective Romero and Jock. There's just the right amount of romance in this story. The mystery was well written and kept me guessing, which I love. If there's a downside to this book, it's that it just isn't long enough. Hoping for more Valentine books so I can keep following her adventures!
May 21, 2019
Murder, Curlers, and Kegs is the fourth installment in Arlene McFarlane’s delightful cozy mystery series featuring Valentine Beaumont, beautician and occasional crime buster. If you’ve read the earlier books, you already know that Valentine first attracted the attention of the local cops (including sexy Detective Romero) when she captured a killer named Ziggy Stoaks by wrapping a perm rod around his, um, private parts. Now it appears Ziggy, or someone acting on his behalf, is back, leaving unwelcome gifts on Valentine’s front porch. But did Ziggy have anything to do with the body in the barrel that rolls down a staircase and splits open at Valentine’s feet? And then there’s Jock de Marco, Valentine’s star employee at the salon, and a rival for Valentine’s affection. What’s a girl to do? In Valentine’s case, fend off a shooter with hand cream and defend herself with a variety of beauty tools. I love this series!
June 4, 2019
Valentine Beaumont is known around town not only as an excellent hairdresser and aesthetician, but a fiery young woman who solves mysteries and catches the bad guys with whatever styling product at hand. This is the first mini-mystery, 4th story in the series; each is progressively funnier than the last. Much of the humor is irreverent, showing it to be more of a chick mystery than a cozy mystery. The author is adept at packing a full tale into the a mini-mystery format!
Valentine and Michael Romero, the handsome police detective, have finally begun dating after exasperating him through helping solve several mysteries even as she fascinated him. Jock, one of her stylists, is also interested in her, which raises the tension between Valentine and Jock, and Romero and Jock. Has she “really” already decided which of the two guys she likes best, or is there still a competition…or is the competition only in the minds of the guys?
Valentine’s salon is closed on Sunday and Monday, so she and her staff help her old friend, Jimmy O’Shea. An inheritance from his aunt took him from being a ticket scalper to owner of the new Wee Irish Dude. They are helping him get ready for the grand opening the following weekend when one of the guys dropped a heavy keg that was supposed to be empty. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. As the keg broke open, they were horrified to see the murdered body of Jimmy’s cousin Dooley, recently released from prison and starting over as the chef at Jimmy’s pub.
As if that isn’t enough, a “gift” was left on her porch early that morning, a reminder of the first creep she put away who she seriously injured with one of her salon products. Then she learns that the bad guy, Ziggy, escaped from prison. Despite Romero’s orders to her, Val won’t be told what to do. Instead, she finds nasties painted on her salon window and gets shot at when taking her great aunt to the European Deli.
This fast-paced, action-packed mystery shows Val as a strong, independent woman who won’t hide and let the menfolk handle things. She could never be accused of being a shrinking Violet! Even though she takes outrageous chances, she analyzes the information she learns about the bad guys and tries to solve them ASAP. Not only does her life depend on it, but the lives of her staff and customers, and her livelihood at the salon.
This tour de farce seems to have a lot of unrelated clues but hang onto your hairdryer and see what’s coming! This is a hard mystery to solve. Keep an eye out – people aren’t necessarily who they say they are. The end brought more than one surprise of bad guys and motives. I wouldn’t consider this a cozy mystery due to strong, frequent sexual innuendos. It is quite funny, however, and if one doesn’t mind some of the references, I think it would keep most who appreciate chick mysteries in stitches. I recommend it to those who appreciate challenging mysteries, very likable characters, LOL humor, and romance.
From a thankful heart: I received an e-ARC of this from the author, and a positive review was not required.
Valentine and Michael Romero, the handsome police detective, have finally begun dating after exasperating him through helping solve several mysteries even as she fascinated him. Jock, one of her stylists, is also interested in her, which raises the tension between Valentine and Jock, and Romero and Jock. Has she “really” already decided which of the two guys she likes best, or is there still a competition…or is the competition only in the minds of the guys?
Valentine’s salon is closed on Sunday and Monday, so she and her staff help her old friend, Jimmy O’Shea. An inheritance from his aunt took him from being a ticket scalper to owner of the new Wee Irish Dude. They are helping him get ready for the grand opening the following weekend when one of the guys dropped a heavy keg that was supposed to be empty. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. As the keg broke open, they were horrified to see the murdered body of Jimmy’s cousin Dooley, recently released from prison and starting over as the chef at Jimmy’s pub.
As if that isn’t enough, a “gift” was left on her porch early that morning, a reminder of the first creep she put away who she seriously injured with one of her salon products. Then she learns that the bad guy, Ziggy, escaped from prison. Despite Romero’s orders to her, Val won’t be told what to do. Instead, she finds nasties painted on her salon window and gets shot at when taking her great aunt to the European Deli.
This fast-paced, action-packed mystery shows Val as a strong, independent woman who won’t hide and let the menfolk handle things. She could never be accused of being a shrinking Violet! Even though she takes outrageous chances, she analyzes the information she learns about the bad guys and tries to solve them ASAP. Not only does her life depend on it, but the lives of her staff and customers, and her livelihood at the salon.
This tour de farce seems to have a lot of unrelated clues but hang onto your hairdryer and see what’s coming! This is a hard mystery to solve. Keep an eye out – people aren’t necessarily who they say they are. The end brought more than one surprise of bad guys and motives. I wouldn’t consider this a cozy mystery due to strong, frequent sexual innuendos. It is quite funny, however, and if one doesn’t mind some of the references, I think it would keep most who appreciate chick mysteries in stitches. I recommend it to those who appreciate challenging mysteries, very likable characters, LOL humor, and romance.
From a thankful heart: I received an e-ARC of this from the author, and a positive review was not required.
June 2, 2019
The things that Valentine Beaumont can get into in one day drives sexy Detective Romero to distraction! Not only is she a magnet for dead bodies but she tries to solve cases on her own and he sure wishes she would leave the "policing" to him! However, it just might make him fall in love with her too! In another installment of Valentine's murder mysteries, she just can't seem to stay away from a situation where a murder has taken place. That girl is definitely always in the wrong place at the wrong time! This time she is innocently helping a friend get his new restaurant ready to open when a keg breaks open and there is a dead body inside! Talk about BIG SURPRISE!!!!! Then begins a very long day that sees her experience her life in danger everwhere she turns BUT she actually puts herself in that danger! She is trying to solve the murder and doesn't take any precautions, just runs headlong into danger! Everything she does is hilarious and you'll find yourself laughing yet rooting her on to find the killer! There are twists and turns everywhere. The secondary characters are fantastic and absolutely make this book worth reading. Valentine has two "suitors" but I am "Team Romero" all the way....I love their chemistry! I recommend this book - two thumbs up!
May 29, 2019
In this fourth installment of the series, a mini-mystery, Valentine Beaumont almost single-handedly takes on her nemesis from the first story, Ziggy Stoaks. You remember that she had stopped him short with a perm rod which she wrapped arounds his family jewels. In fact, Valentine’s beauty bag has helped her catch her fair share of bad guys and gals!
There’s a killer lose, and with Ziggy having escaped from prison, Valentine is intent on catching him. Much to the frustration of her boy toy, Romero, a local cop. And then there’s Jock, the hunk who works in her salon and makes her heart, and other parts, throb.
The story chases all over town and we bump in to some of our favorite characters. McFarlane likes to have fun with us and has given us several comic characters: Phyllis who works in the salon and is just awful, Mom and Dad who are naïve and very funny, Max, also works in the salon but is easily distracted. Quite frankly, I didn’t see enough of these guys!
There are some fun episodes, like the helicopter, the bread machine, and the unmentionable Val found on her porch. The mystery is well crafted and surprising. I just wish the story had been longer so we could spend more time with the nuts Val has in her life!
There’s a killer lose, and with Ziggy having escaped from prison, Valentine is intent on catching him. Much to the frustration of her boy toy, Romero, a local cop. And then there’s Jock, the hunk who works in her salon and makes her heart, and other parts, throb.
The story chases all over town and we bump in to some of our favorite characters. McFarlane likes to have fun with us and has given us several comic characters: Phyllis who works in the salon and is just awful, Mom and Dad who are naïve and very funny, Max, also works in the salon but is easily distracted. Quite frankly, I didn’t see enough of these guys!
There are some fun episodes, like the helicopter, the bread machine, and the unmentionable Val found on her porch. The mystery is well crafted and surprising. I just wish the story had been longer so we could spend more time with the nuts Val has in her life!
May 31, 2019
Valentine just can’t avoid trouble and finding dead bodies. She has reason to believe her nemesis, Ziggy Stoaks, who after escaping from prison, is seeking revenge for her putting him there. Romeo, a local cop and her current boyfriend, wants to keep her safe and tries discouraging her from investigating. But strong-willed Valentine has other ideas and theories. And to complicate matters, her attraction to Jock keeps getting in the way of her sleuthing. Throw in horrible, inept cousin Phyllis and her attempts graduate from an on-line school by coercing unknowing acquaintances to be her test subjects and Max, who has become fixated on a bread machine instead of keeping tabs on her per Romeo’s request and mayhem often ensues. And Valentine’s ability to get herself out of trouble with only what she finds in her overflowing purse is quite entertaining. Another great read in this series.
May 29, 2019
Who would have thought owning a beauty salon could save your life? When someone is out to kill Valentine, she gets pretty crafty with using her beauty supplies to subdue her stalker. But when a blast from the past comes back to stalk and try to kill her, will she be able to keep herself safe once again? Valentine seems to have the worst luck when it comes to dead bodies showing up. While helping a friend get ready to open his restaraunt, one shows up!!! In this story, she must get her stalker. Even though sexy Det. Romero is handling the investigation, he cant be there every minute to protect Val. Can good ole Max or her hunky employee ,Jock help to keep her alive? You will have to read this book to find out and enjoy the antics that they create trying. Such a good book with "laughter," and " catch your breath moments" !!
May 28, 2019
How much action can one girl pack into one day? I do believe Valentine may hold the record. This story moves right along and the characters play off each other so well. I love it! I believe you’ll have a few chuckles along the way as you follow the adventures of Valentine and friends. You might even learn a thing or two, whether it be about bread making or beauty products. I mean, seriously, I never knew how handy beauty products could be. Hopefully things will quiet down for a few days and this group can just enjoy life. I can’t wait to see what our next adventure will be. I received an ARC of this book, but my opinion is my own.
December 12, 2020
Wonderful continuation of this series. Plenty of laughs and plenty of mystery that isn’t revealed until the very end. Always looking forward to the next book in the series. Can’t wait to have more from this author.
May 28, 2019
Murder, curlers and kegs find Val drawn into another murder to solve. The characters are quirky and yet you gave to love the way they help each other. Val is always thinking when she gets into trouble. The many twists will keep you on your toes.
November 11, 2023
Making me crazy
The story was too short. I wish she would decide which one of the two men she was really interested in . I'm for the cop.
The story was too short. I wish she would decide which one of the two men she was really interested in . I'm for the cop.
July 1, 2019
This was a fun book and the first one I have read in this series. I found I was able to easily follow along without having read the previous books. The characters were entertaining and the storyline was interesting. Valentine manages to get herself in more trouble in one day than anyone I've known. A man that she helped put in jail has escaped and has possibly murdered the cousin of one of her friends. Now he seems intent on coming after her. The end had a surprising twist to finding out the killer. I look forward to reading more of this series and hope to see the relationship develop more between Valentine and Romero. I have to say I am definitely Team Romero at this point and not Team Jock. :)
June 5, 2019
Valentine and her crew are so much fun. I always love their zany adventures. When Valentine finds a "gift" on her front porch, she knows that there will be trouble. While she and the others are helping a friend, she finds a dead body and then she finds out that Ziggy escaped from prison (where she put him) and is looking for revenge. Did Ziggy commit the murder, leave her the "gift" and draw on her store window? She needs to find him fast. Romero is trying to keep her out of the investigation and Jock is trying to help her forget her troubles. What can she do?
July 17, 2019
Loving the mini mystery format!! Especially since we fans already know the character and story backgrounds. It's great to simply get on with the story, and "Kegs" is another roller-coaster ride!
Valentine is true to form and resourceful with her uses of beauty products. How does she get into all those situations and stay sane? Loved the deli scene and the airport scene (not giving anything away)
Read this book - now!
Valentine is true to form and resourceful with her uses of beauty products. How does she get into all those situations and stay sane? Loved the deli scene and the airport scene (not giving anything away)
Read this book - now!
July 20, 2019
I absolutely love Arlene McFarlane’s fourth book in The Murder, Curlers Series. Her heroine, Valentine Beaumont, embodies the best we could all hope to be: fun, smart, has many friends, and two love interests. The mini-mystery format is terrific because it makes it so nice and easy to be able to sit and relax while immersing yourself in Valentine's world.
I cannot wait for the next story in this series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book.
I cannot wait for the next story in this series!
I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book.
July 19, 2019
Murder, Curlers, and Kegs is extremely well written. The adventures of Valentine within one day are beyond my imagination, but still managed to make me go through an array of emotions. This book was such a delight to have in my pile of books to have read. I'm sure that anyone reading this series will thoroughly enjoy this one.
August 6, 2019
I love this series as it is so exciting and Valentine the main character you will fall in love with. She is the main character and she flys by the seat of her pants and in all situations. I just can't wait till the next one in which Valentine I am sure gets into more trouble with her boyfriend for helping to investigate and gets in hot water. Arlene hit a home run with this!
September 19, 2019
Fabulous read from start to finish!
I find Arlene McFarland to be one of the best authors I have read in a while her stories with Valentine and Romero are so easy-to-read and she really engages the reader with her adapte descriptions of everything she creates a picture in your mind .
I find Arlene McFarland to be one of the best authors I have read in a while her stories with Valentine and Romero are so easy-to-read and she really engages the reader with her adapte descriptions of everything she creates a picture in your mind .
October 9, 2023
Another Great series by Arlene McFarlane
Valentine is wrapped up in another hilarious murder and mayhem involving a friend. You wonder how that can be hilarious?? You need to read this series. You really don't have to read the books in order but start with book one so you can get the gist of it. Just a hilarious excellent series you all need to chill out & read!
Valentine is wrapped up in another hilarious murder and mayhem involving a friend. You wonder how that can be hilarious?? You need to read this series. You really don't have to read the books in order but start with book one so you can get the gist of it. Just a hilarious excellent series you all need to chill out & read!
July 26, 2019
Murder, curlers and kegs
Arlene has done it again. How can one woman get into so much trouble in such a short amount of time. How she can put up with Phyllis I don't know. Team Romero! Write fast. Can't wait for number 5. See you in April!!
Arlene has done it again. How can one woman get into so much trouble in such a short amount of time. How she can put up with Phyllis I don't know. Team Romero! Write fast. Can't wait for number 5. See you in April!!
May 7, 2022
Hilarious read
This series keeps me laughing throughout each book. Valentine always finds herself in the most comical situations and all the characters play well together. If you want a good laugh along with a mystery this is the series for you.
This series keeps me laughing throughout each book. Valentine always finds herself in the most comical situations and all the characters play well together. If you want a good laugh along with a mystery this is the series for you.
May 24, 2020
What's the next adventure?!
I loved this series. Your funny lines and quirky spins are wonderful. Oh look forward to reading more of your work.
I loved this series. Your funny lines and quirky spins are wonderful. Oh look forward to reading more of your work.
July 29, 2020
I can’t put these books down. Valentine is a wonderful character. You just never know. I am on to the authors next book.
August 19, 2020
Cute, funny, sexy, but I think I’ll not read another one yet.....sort of all the same plot but good.
June 1, 2021
Amusing Read
Each murder mystery gets a little more "campy", but they are all fun diversions after the "year of Covid". On to the next book in the series.
Each murder mystery gets a little more "campy", but they are all fun diversions after the "year of Covid". On to the next book in the series.
July 28, 2021
I am loving this series, very reminiscent of the Stephanie Plum series. These characters are absolutely hilarious! Excited to read the rest of the series!
October 4, 2021
Not a dull moment!
I enjoy reading the exploits of Valentine and the subplots going on at the same time. Her interesting friends and family are perfect!
I enjoy reading the exploits of Valentine and the subplots going on at the same time. Her interesting friends and family are perfect!
January 1, 2022
Cute little series of murder and valentine.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews