Rating: 
Summary: Silly
Review: Lacey Smithsonian, editor of the fashion beat of a local DC paper, is asked by her hairdresser to investigate the death of another hairdresser because she "knows the nuance of style" -- even though said death was ruled a suicide by the cops. This has got to be one of the most ridiculous excuses I've ever seen used to get an amateur involved in a case.There's not much to like about the book -- the characters are routine and flat, the dialogue is stilted, the names are silly (Tony Trujillo, Brooke Barton, Polly Parsons). There are plenty of other amateur sleuth series that are much more worth their cover prices.
Rating: 
Summary: A Really Bad Hair Day
Review: Lacey Smithsonian, fashion reporter for the Eye Street Observer has been asked by her hair stylist Stella Lake to investigate the death of another hair stylist, Angie Woods.
Angie was found sitting in the chair at her work station, with her waist length hair hacked off and her wrists cut. The police have already declared it to be a suicide and are no longer interested in investigating.
At first Lacey doesn't want to investigate, but things look suspicious to her and since the police won't investigate, she's going to have to.
Angie Woods had recently become famous for the make over of Marcia Robinson, a woman who was being investigated by a special prosecutor over her involvement with congressmen and a web site she had.
Could this be the reason for the murder? Did Marcia tell her something while getting her make over. Or was it her employers at Styletto's, Boyd Radford, the sexist pig who grants managerial promotions to anyone who sleeps with him, everyone says Angie turned him down. His soon to be ex-wife Josephine, who is anxious to watch out for her share of the business, or his son Beau, (called shampoo boy) by everyone at the salon.
What about Leonardo, another stylist who was furious with Angie because Marcia was supposed to be his client, but in a fit of pique, he had walked out that day and Angie had been the only stylist available when she came in.
Then Lacey gets a call from another stylist, Tammi White at another Syletto's salon who tells her Angie gave her something before she died. But before Lacey can get to the salon, Tammi is found dead in her chair. (Also a suicide).
Lacey can't convince the police, or Victor Donovan, (a former sheriff from Colorado) that Lacey has lusted after for years, that it was murder. After all, what happened to the weapon and why were both Angie's and Tammi's long, long hair missing from the salons.
Things move fast as Lacey tries to solve the crimes, but that doesn't prevent more murders from occurring and now she has to worry that her paper will fire her for investigating a murder when she should be writing her fashion column.
Highlights:
This book is very funny. Lacey and her friends Stella & Brooke are very likeable.
I like her fellow reporters, especially Tony Trujillo
Victor is the guy Lacey has been dreaming about for years, even though all they shared was one kiss at a party. I like the interaction between them.
The mystery is interesting. A lot of suspects, but a logical killer. Lacey does real investigating, not just being there when the killer suddenly decides they want to confess.
Lowlights:
No Low Lights. Should be a good series.
Rating:
Summary: A fun mystery
Review: Living in Alexandria, VA, I often enjoy reading books that take place in the DC area. Killer Hair was truly entertaining. I thought the "Fashion Bites" were cute and creative. A good start to a new series.
Rating: 
Summary: Really unique, funny mystery
Review: My girlfriend was bugging me to read this book cause she loved it, and it's getting great reviews on a bunch of mystery websites, so I did and I actually really liked it. It's really not like a lot of amateur detective-type mysteries where some gourmet chef or something turns out to be this incredible Sherlock Holmes supersleuth. Lacey Smithsonian is a reporter who's gotten sort of suckered into being a fashion reporter (but she sort of hates it), and now she gets herself sucked into investigating this suicide-but-might-be-murder, totally against her better judgment, but she eventually figures out that she's the only one (along with her crazy hairstylist) who clicks on the fashion clues that the DC cops could care less about. And the Washington DC stuff is really sharp and right on (Yikes, I used to live there!). By now she's in too deep anyway, and her main crush is an ex-police type who ought to be pretty helpful in a murder investigation but is mostly cute and clueless. Lacey is kind of a sweet smartass chick who's lots smarter and funnier than most of the guys around her (duh, does that sound like me and my friends' lives or what? Probably yours too). If you like funny mysteries that are more like what life is really like for real women, check this one out.
Rating:
Summary: A great start in this new mystery series
Review: Nobody wants to make an enemy of their hairdresser, so when her stylist Stella Lake asks her friend Lacey Smithsonian to attend a viewing, she goes. The dead woman is a young hairdresser named Angie who has a bald do and cut wrists. The police think she committed suicide especially with the bloody note written on her mirror in the salon. Stella knows that Angie was murdered and she wants her reporter friend Lacey to prove it. Lacey is a fashion columnist not an investigative reporter and at first rejects the idea out of hand. After thinking about it, she realizes that Angie's hair is missing. She writes a column about Angie and through a combination of circumstances finds herself in the middle of the investigation especially when another hair dresser dies and Lacey is the only one who sees the link. She continues to dig for information and ends up being stalked by a killer who wants to make her his next victim. The protagonist's running commentary on social mores in Washington D.C. is hilarious and her pithy observations about fashion and its relationship with scandal, the law and murder will have readers in tears of laughter (don't wear fashionable mascara). The who-done-it is intelligently plotted and there is a plethora of suspects who could be the guilty party. The audience will go crazy trying to figure out who the killer is while the heroine goes nuts trying to figure out if a sexy security guard from her past is interested in her or her murder theory. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Style Setting Author
Review: What a breath of fresh air. Set in a world of style and murder this book will entertain, and keep you guessing all the way through. The wit and creativity blended in with realistic life kept me in a state of laughter. I found this book to be very humorous and enjoyed it immensely. I hope you enjoy this book too!
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait for the Next One!
Review: What a delightful gift Ellen Byerrum has for witty, insightful dialogue. I felt like I was eavesdropping in a world I didn't want to leave (dead bodies notwithstanding). Lacey Smithsonian is a clever, colorful, and highly original addition to the world of reluctant amateur sleuths. I can't wait for the next book in this Washington, D.C. based series. The sooner it hits the shelves, the better! I'll even cancel my next hair appointment to read it!
Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait for the Next One!
Review: What a delightful gift Ellen Byerrum has for witty, insightful dialogue. I felt like I was eavesdropping in a world I didn't want to leave (dead bodies notwithstanding). Lacey Smithsonian is a clever, colorful, and highly original addition to the world of reluctant amateur sleuths. I can't wait for the next book in this Washington, D.C. based series. The sooner it hits the shelves, the better! I'll even cancel my next hair appointment to read it!
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