Not all salon gossip is about bad bangs and messy breakups.
Some of it can get you killed.
A Cut Above by Janice Angelique starts with what sounds like a perfectly reasonable post-retirement plan: Marie Greenbrooks leaves the FBI and buys a hair salon with her daughter, Ellie. Marie wants peace, quiet, and absolutely no drama. Which is adorable, because this is a hair salon, and also because some of the employees are using it as a front for criminal activity. Oops.
The salon setting is one of the strongest parts of this book. Hair salons are made for gossip and cliques, and Angelique clearly understands that. The smoking group, the personality clashes, the employee turnover, it all felt very real. The first third of the book takes its time setting up the space and the people in it, and while it’s a slower start, I actually appreciated it. By the time things went sideways, these weren’t just “characters”. They were people I had opinions about. And those opinions changed more than once.
This isn’t a heart-pounding thriller, and it’s not trying to be. The pacing and tone lean much more toward cozy mystery, with a crime-fiction edge. The book doesn’t start out dark or sinister, even though it eventually deals with serious subject matter. There’s also a light romantic spark involving Ellie and an FBI agent, just enough to make me smile, not enough to push this into romance territory.
Content-wise, the story references human trafficking and drug abuse, which could be triggering for some readers. There is also some profanity, though it’s censored with asterisks. Personally, I didn’t think the profanity was necessary at all. A simple “the language was colorful” would have done the job without making me mentally fill in the blanks.
What really worked for me was the way the story unfolded. I enjoyed getting to know the characters, watching the salon dynamics play out, and trying to figure out who was involved while hoping the missing employee was still alive. Marie stepping back into investigator mode was especially satisfying, and I can absolutely see the potential for this to become a series. If Marie and Ellie keep the salon, I’d happily keep reading.
Final verdict: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
I didn’t cancel plans or stay up all night, but I was engaged the whole way through. My only real eye-rolls came courtesy of Roy hitting on Peter (sir, please stop), and I did notice a few punctuation hiccups, but that’s a me problem. Overall, this was a solid, enjoyable read that I’d confidently recommend to fans of cozy mysteries and lighter crime fiction. Thriller junkies and spicy romance readers should probably look elsewhere.
A special thank you to Ms. Angelique for providing this book for review consideration via NetGallery. All opinions are my own.
