Cloche and Dagger (Hat Shop, Bk 1)
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Author:
Genre: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
This review from another person says exactly what I would about the book. So I am giving them credit, and using their review.
Credit: drebbles (Arlington, MA USA)
This review is from: Cloche and Dagger (A Hat Shop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)
Scarlett Parker has fled to England after her very public breakdown was caught on film and went viral. She is hoping to lay low in England working in the hat shop she and her cousin Viv inherited from their grandmother. Unfortunately, things in England aren't quiet - Viv is missing, Scarlett stumbles across a murder victim, and someone is targeting her and the hat shop. Scarlett is in real danger and fears that Viv is too. Can Scarlett solve both the murder and the disappearance of her cousin?
"Cloche and Dagger" is the first book in Jenn McKinlay's Hat Shop cozy mystery series and the series already looks like a winner. I love the premise and set up. Scarlett is a well-written and sympathetic character. McKinlay takes a big gamble in having Viv gone for a large part of the book (it can be hard to care about a character we haven't even met) but she pulls it off quite well. I love the descriptions of the hats - I am a hat person and I could easily picture them and they sounded gorgeous. I also like the side characters - Harrison (he and Scarlett have great chemistry) and the (almost inevitable in a cozy mystery) gay sidekicks Andre and Nick. There is a running gag in the book involving puns that adds a lot of humor to the book without becoming annoying. But what really makes this book such a delight to read is the intricate plotting of the mystery - I was completely fooled by some of the red herrings McKinlay put in the book. This is my favorite type of mystery where, as plot twists are revealed, you find yourself flipping back and rereading certain passages in the book and realize how expertly McKinlay pulled the wool over your eyes. This couldn't have been easy to write and is extremely well done.
"Cloche and Dagger" is an excellent cozy mystery and I look forward to the next book in the series.
Credit: drebbles (Arlington, MA USA)
This review is from: Cloche and Dagger (A Hat Shop Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)
Scarlett Parker has fled to England after her very public breakdown was caught on film and went viral. She is hoping to lay low in England working in the hat shop she and her cousin Viv inherited from their grandmother. Unfortunately, things in England aren't quiet - Viv is missing, Scarlett stumbles across a murder victim, and someone is targeting her and the hat shop. Scarlett is in real danger and fears that Viv is too. Can Scarlett solve both the murder and the disappearance of her cousin?
"Cloche and Dagger" is the first book in Jenn McKinlay's Hat Shop cozy mystery series and the series already looks like a winner. I love the premise and set up. Scarlett is a well-written and sympathetic character. McKinlay takes a big gamble in having Viv gone for a large part of the book (it can be hard to care about a character we haven't even met) but she pulls it off quite well. I love the descriptions of the hats - I am a hat person and I could easily picture them and they sounded gorgeous. I also like the side characters - Harrison (he and Scarlett have great chemistry) and the (almost inevitable in a cozy mystery) gay sidekicks Andre and Nick. There is a running gag in the book involving puns that adds a lot of humor to the book without becoming annoying. But what really makes this book such a delight to read is the intricate plotting of the mystery - I was completely fooled by some of the red herrings McKinlay put in the book. This is my favorite type of mystery where, as plot twists are revealed, you find yourself flipping back and rereading certain passages in the book and realize how expertly McKinlay pulled the wool over your eyes. This couldn't have been easy to write and is extremely well done.
"Cloche and Dagger" is an excellent cozy mystery and I look forward to the next book in the series.
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