Will beautician Valentine Beaumont unearth who murdered a Scotsman wearing a kilt at a multicultural fair? Or will the tough detective and others stand in her way? A weekend visit to Rueland’s multicultural fair turns sour when beautician Valentine Beaumont comes face to face with a corpse wearing a kilt. What’s worse, she learns the victim was a target of foul play, her #1 … play, her #1 nemesis is on the case, and on one is who they seem.
Despite warnings from hot, hard-headed Detective Romero to leave things to the police, Valentine sets off to snag the killer. While on the case, she crashes into sexy, Herculean stylist Jock de Marco, rattles an old foe, wrestles with family issues, and tangles with secretive clan members.
Will Valentine catch the murderer before she becomes the weekend’s next target? Or are her fair days numbered?
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Rueland’s annual Multi-Cultural Festival is starting.
Valentine Beaumont is attending. Her employee and
best friend, Max is walking the grounds with her.
The big attraction at the festival is the caber toss
with men in kilts. One of the participants is Jock
de Marco who is an other employee of Valentine.
What a surprise when a dead body wearing a kilt
comes out of the pond….landing right next to
Valentine.
The man has been murdered. Valentine starts
her own investigation even after her boyfriend,
Detective Romero warns her not to look into
the death.
Let the shenanigans begin…the mystery is
very well written with characters that are well
defined, interesting, quirky, relatable and
dangerous.
This is a very well crafted story that I throughly
enjoyed. While it put a scare in me as I followed
Valentine around the festival grounds, I also
found humor in the antics in the story. There is
even a hint of romance.
This is book # 5 in the Valentine Beaumont
Mysteries series. It can be read as a stand
alone. It can be read as a stand alone as the
author presents the past and present together
effortlessly.
I volunteered to read this story. Thanks to the
author for the opportunity. My opinion is my own.
I loved this fun cozy with a cast of wonderful characters and a great mystery that quickly became a page-turner that I couldn’t put down because I had to find out whodunit!! I love Valentine Beaumont, full time beautician and part-time sleuth and enjoyed her dynamic with the other characters especially hot and sexy Detective Romero. “Murder, Curlers, & Kilts” is the perfect escape from everyday stress and I can hardly wait to find out what happens next with Valentine and the gang in Rueland, Massachusetts. I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are honest and my own.
Murder, Curlers & Kilts, the fifth installment in Arlene McFarlane’s charming Valentine Beaumont series, finds Valentine attending Rueland’s annual Multi-Cultural Festival. One of this year’s big attractions is a caber toss—or is it the participating men in kilts? When a kilt-clad body pops out of the pond in the middle of the park, Valentine is on the trail.
Helped or hindered by the usual gang of beauty specialists (Valentine’s salon employees Max, Jock, and Phyllis, not to mention her arch-rival Candace), Valentine works her way through a long list of possible suspects while trying to stay under the radar of Detective Romero. In true Valentine fashion, she finds herself hanging on for dear life as she pursues the killer onto a Ferris Wheel.
And—biggest question of all—is it true what they say about men wearing kilts? Well, Valentine may just have a chance to find out.
This book & series is one that is a must read. It’s filled with mystery, humor, and romance. What more could a reader ask for? Having read most of the books in the series, I do wonder why does Valentine endure as must as she does by the way of her interpersonal relationships. I guess that is just the added drama that lingers in her life. Any reader will be pleased with this book.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are honest and my own.
Murder and curlers, and kilts, oh my!! Arlene McFarlane’s 5th Valentine Beaumont mystery is just as entertaining as the previous installments with the right amount of humor and romance (and cute guys in kilts don’t hurt)!! Valentine gets herself entangled in yet another murder while putting herself right in the killer’s path. With Max upset with Valentine and Phyllis getting in the way and causing lots of commotion (although she DOES have 20/20 hearing), how can she solve the murder without getting on Romero’s bad side or even getting killed herself? So, grab some tabbouleh and a cold drink and find a comfy seat because you won’t want to put this book down once you start reading!
I’m eagerly awaiting the next book in this series!
Valentine is unique! If you’ve read any of the books in the series, you know this well, If you haven’t read any of the books, you need to! The books are written in first person so you know everything Valentine is thinking and feeling – and I mean everything! In this book, Valentine is in her favorite town park, attending the multicultural festival. She’s supposed to be helping her parents at their booth but is really at the “caber toss” (Scottish Highlands games) watching two of her employees compete with her other employee, Max, when suddenly a dead body lands next to her…a man in a kilt, no less! Well, Valentine is on the case! However, Valentine finds out that her love, Detective Romero, who she hasn’t seen for 3 months due to being out of town, is there at the park and he tells her to “stay out of if” as usual, and as usual, she doesn’t! What follows is a lot of hilarity, danger and confusion! There are a lot of suspects and let’s see if you can figure out who the killer is! Returning, we have the usual previous characters from other books, and then new ones too. Lots of laughter and some romance round out this satisfying tale of mystery! Not to be missed!
Only Valentine. I snorted a few times reading this book. I think I would give up after some of the situations she finds herself in, but of course I’m glad she doesn’t and I keep reading to see what is going to happen next. These characters are so funny and play off each other so well. I love fairs and parks and enjoyed the storyline. I’m already looking forward to the next Valentine adventure. I received an ARC of this book, but my opinion is my own.
Another hilarious and fun read! Valentine is someone you would love to have as a friend,….until she finds another dead body lol. When a body in a kilt is found and Val stumbles on a mood ring near the body, you know she has to get involved.. Others describe hearing the dead man arguing with others before he is found dead…but Val is very interested in finding out how and if the mood ring is related to the murder. Yes, sexy detective Romero is on the case. Val and her crew have their own issues to deal with as well and it doesnt stop Valentine from getting information. And having a yummy Jock in a purple kilt can be very distracting… Come join in the ” who done it” and have some laughs along the way. Then decide , are you team Romero? Or team Jock? Valentine sure is surrounded by some sexy men
I’ve been waiting for so long for another Valentine Beaumont book and it’s finally here! It did not disappoint! I love how she has her bag of stylist tools that she uses as weapons. Too funny! How she puts up with Phyllis I’ll never know, but the stuff Max says to Phyllis to get her riled up…omg! I hope the next book is coming out soon! I’m already wanting more!
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are honest and my own.
Valentine Beaumont and her gang of beauticians are back! This time they are all volunteering at the local International festival. Thanks to Phyllis’ usual ineptitude, a body pops up in a nearby pond, sending Valentine on her next mystery-solving adventure.
Not only is the whole gang onsite, but her hot romantic interest, the cop Romero, has returned from afar and has eyes, and hands, only for Valentine. Will they finally get it together, or will sexy Jock win out once and for all?
I love these stories! Cousin Phyllis was in fine form, using expensive locks of hair as part of a costume. And Mom and Auntie were busy at the Armenian booth. And Val bumbled her way through tracking the many possible bad guys using her handy beauty tools as weaponry. Romero was at his sexiest and Max was in top form.
I would have liked to see the gang in the shop for a chapter or two. And a bit more laugh-out-loud antics. The strength of these books are the clever fun characters and I love their interactions. I still chuckle at the food fight on the cruise Terrific series! I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are honest and my own.
Valentine and company are always fun. While at a multicultural fair, Valentine again stumbles on a dead body. To be fair, it landed in front of her. Once again she is involved in the investigation. Romero has been out of town, but all of a sudden, there he is and she wants to help. He wants to keep her safe and so does Jock. So she has to sneak around to do some investigating. That only gets her in more trouble. Will she find the killer before the killer finds her?
Valentine is all set to join a thousand people in Rueland Town Park for the annual May multicultural fair when the festivities turn sour. She has promised her parents she would help dish out Armenian food at the festival. As she was heading to her parent’s booth, Max decides she should accompany him to watch the caber toss. That’s where things go sour. It occurred when Phyllis decided she was going to compete in the caber toss. Valentine and Max were watching Phyllis lurching forward and backwards with the pole when Phyllis realized she didn’t know what she was doing, staggers uncontrollably, heads for the pond and the pole crashes into the water. It made such a splash that at first, everyone thought it was a missile. Suddenly, lying next to Valentine was not a missile but a corpse wearing a kilt coming face to face with Valentine. As usual, Valentine starts thinking about it and begins to investigate. She stumbles across Romero who had been gone for a little over three months investigating another crime in Baton Rouge and caught the red-eye to help his mother at the festival. She informs him what happened and things begin there. The twists and turns kept me guessing who killed Woody and why. Between Phyllis, Max, a mood ring, a mascot and Candace, Valentine has her hands full trying to solve this murder.
I love how the relationship is evolving with Valentine and Romero and the sexual tension between Valentine and Jock. Of course, I enjoy Max’s involvement and Phyllis’s antics. I also enjoy how Valentine always stumbles into a murder. It always brings a smile and a laugh to me just when I need it! Murder, Curlers, and Kilts is a must-read for fans of well-crafted humorous cozy mysteries. I can’t wait to see what Valentine and her crazy crew are up to in with the next book.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are honest and my own.