Cloche and Dagger (A Hat Shop Mystery #1)

Author:  Jenn McKinlay
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425258897
Berkley Publishing
281 Pages
$7.45; $2.99 Amazon
August 6, 2013

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not only is Scarlett Parker's love life in the loo - as her British cousin Vivian Tremont would say - it's also gone viral with an embarrassing video.  So when Viv suggests Scarlett leave Florida to lay low in London, she hops on the next plane across the pond.  Viv is the proprietor of Mim's Whims, a ladies' hat shop on Portobello Road bequeathed to both cousins by their beloved grandmother, and she wants Scarlett to finally join her in the millinery business.

But a few surprises await Scarlett in London.  First, she is met at the airport not by Viv, but by her handsome business manager, Harrison Wentworth.  Second, Viv -- who has some whims of her own - seems to be missing.  No one is too concerned about the unpredictable Viv until one of her posh clients is found dead wearing the cloche hat Viv made for her -- and nothing else.  Is Scarlett's cousin in trouble?  Or is she in hiding?

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Scarlett Parker has just arrived in London -- mostly to escape her home in Florida.  It seems that a video of her has gone viral, and not a good one.  So, since she's half-owner in her late grandmother's hat shop, her cousin Vivian Tremont has convinced her that this is where she needs to be right now.  But when she arrives, she's met at the airport by Viv's business manager, Harrison Wentworth.  There's no sign of Viv, and Harrison assures her that she's disappeared before (which Scarlett knows) and it's nothing to worry about.

But Scarlett knows nothing about running a hat shop, although she does have help from Viv's employee, Fee.  Still, it;s not enough when she's visited by Lady Ellis, who insists she have the hat Viv made for her, but Scarlett can't find it.  Lady Ellis is naturally upset, and Scarlett does find a beautiful hat that's been closeted away, and Lady Ellis tells her that that's the hat.  Unfortunately, but this time, she's also promised Lady Ellis that they'll use her as a model in a photo for their shop, and the woman leaves, looking smug.

It's also quite of a coincidence that while out walking she notices a shop nearby that's about to open, and it happens that the man she meets, Andre, is a photographer.  It doesn't take much to convince him that she should be the one to photograph Lady Ellis.  So all is done, and they set out the following Friday morning to do so.  When they arrive at the manor, the housekeeper goes to inform the woman, but they hear her shriek, and Scarlett soon discovers that she's been murdered -- and is wearing only the cloche she gave her.

Then things begin to get sticky -- it seems that Lord Ellis has been in love with Viv forever; Viv still can't be found; and there's a break-in at the shop.  Now Scarlett, with the help of Harrison, is in a hurry to find Viv and find out who wanted the woman dead.  But it seems Lady Ellis might have been the first victim, but Scarlett will be the next, if she doesn't keep on her toes...

This is the first book in the Hat Shop Mysteries, and it's a very good beginning.  While it doesn't 'grab' you at the first, it does keep you interested enough to keep going, and I'm glad I did.  I've never visited a milliner (they really aren't a big thing here in the states), but I would like to visit Vivian and Scarlett's shop, only because the description of the hats seem so lovely.  I'd probably even wind up purchasing more than I could afford!

The characters are definitely something else - Scarlett seems out of her depth, but trying very hard to leave her past behind (not going to happen right now); Harrison is more than he seems at first, and Andre and Nick are perfect in this series - I love their sense of humor and Nick is a complete hoot.  I'm still on the fence about Vivian: she might be a brilliant hatmaker, but just disappearing on a whim seems awfully selfish to me.  I don't care about the reason; it's annoying.  So I will have to see in the next one how things progress with her.

The mystery was done nicely.  While there weren't a lot of suspects, it also made it easier to sift through them, and I do like that it wasn't extremely easy to figure out who the killer might be.  When the murderer was discovered, you couldn't help feeling a bit sorry for them and understand the reason they were driven to it, while still knowing that it also made them unhinged at the last.  Still, murder isn't condoned in any way.

When all is said and done, I enjoyed this book immensely.  I loved the ending and the teaser that gives us something to look forward to in the next book.  Recommended.

https://www.amazon.com/Cloche-Dagger-Hat-Shop-Mystery/dp/0425258890/ref=

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3220318481

More on Jenn McKinlay's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/jenn-mckinlay/

Sprinkle with Murder (A Cupcake Bakery Mystery #1)

Author:  Jenn McKinlay
Genre:   Mystery

Mass Market Paperback; Paperback (LP); Audio CD; Digital Book
ISBN #:  9780425233429; 9781410426222; 9781520060941
Berkley Publishing
240 Pages
$7.99; [Various Prices]; $34.19; $7.99 Amazon
March 2, 2010

⭐⭐⭐

Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura are finally living out their dream as the proud owners of the Fairy Tale Cupcakes bakery.  But their first big client is a nightmare.  She's a bridezilla who wants 500 custom cupcakes for her wedding.

When Mel stumbles upon the bride-to-be dead-by-cupcake, she becomes the prime suspect.  To save themselves and their business, the ladies need to find the real murderer before the cupcake killer ices someone else.

✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽

Melanie Cooper is realizing her dream.  She's recently opened a cupcake bakery with her friends Angie DeLaura and Tate Harper.  Angie quit her job as a teacher to work in the restaurant, and Tate funded it.  Since they've known each other since middle school, they're pretty close, and always want each to be happy.

But both Mel and Angie are in a conundrum.  Tate's getting married, and they can't stand the bride-to-be.  Christie Stevens is a fashion designer and the worst bridezilla that anyone's ever heard of.  When Tate insists that they have Mel make their wedding cake (consisting of cupcakes, naturally), Christie shows up for the meeting late.  Then she insists that Mel make five different flavors - five new flavors that have never been done, and expects her to sign a lengthy agreement.  One that gives Christie full ownership of the flavors - which means that Mel can never make them again.  Ever.  Bristling at the thought that she's going to put a lot of work into this, she has Angie's brother Joe, who is an assistant district attorney, look over the agreement, but he finds it ironclad.

Not wanting to upset Tate, she does as she's asked, and turns the box of sweets over to two of Christie's assistants.  She then goes to Christie's shop the next day and finds her dead on the floor, with one of the cupcakes in her hand.  Now she's suspected of poisoning Christie to get rid of her, and Mel knows this is going to be a nightmare.

But how much so she's not prepared for.  To top it off, she has a rival baker driving by her shop several times daily, and the police are looking at Tate also, using the old tale of a love triangle gone wrong.  It doesn't help that her deluded mother thinks she's in love with Tate and might be guilty.  So Mel does the only thing she can - she sets out to discover who wanted Christie dead - but finds out that nearly everyone she's talked with is guilty of that.  So who did the deed?  And will she find out in time to save her business?

For the most part, I enjoyed reading this book.  The story line is interesting in that it's not only Mel who's being affected by the murder, but the people closest to her - her friends Angie and Tate.  Mel and Angie are as different as day and night; and while Angie has a hot temper, Mel is more level-headed and still has body issues which are put forth from time to time.

There's an easy camaraderie between the three, and none of them will believe the others capable of such a heinous crime.  Still, eventually secrets will come out, and they invariably do, and while it doesn't change their attachment to one another, it does change them in other ways.  It also doesn't help that Mel is having feelings about Joe, even when there's time she wants him to just go away and leave her alone.

While I knew the murderer the minute the person stepped onto the page (I read a lot of these), it didn't keep me from enjoying the book one whit; however, what I didn't like was the fact that  it seemed the women in the book to be lacking in character.  Angie is quick with her fists; Mel's mother is deluded on Mel's love life and thinks her capable of murder; a rival business owner is as nasty as they come; etc.  It doesn't portray any woman in a favorable light, including Mel's aforementioned self-esteem issues.

Also, Christie's father did something truly reprehensible and there was no comeuppance - not even an apology; and Mel should have, at the very least, gotten a restraining order against the rival business owner.  Unfortunately, neither of these things happened in this book, but maybe they will in the next.

I likewise didn't understand why Mel didn't sit her mother down and have it out with her.  She didn't get angry that her mom thought she was capable of murder, and she could have (if she tried)  convinced her mom that she wasn't romantically interested in Tate.  But she basically just shrugged her shoulders and allowed her mom to be deluded.  (Maybe if she had convinced her that she didn't love Tate, her mom might not have believed her capable of murder?)  My conclusion is that Mel's self-esteem has been battered so hard by her past she's afraid that her mom won't love her if she yells at her or demands she listens.  It's a rather co-dependent relationship - and that's not good for anyone.

When the ending comes it might not have been a nail-biting climax, and it was a bit funny to boot, but still was a refreshing way to catch a killer.  All in all, not a bad start to a new series, and I will probably read the next, because while it wasn't a thought-provoking book nor terribly deep, it was a quick read, and since it's the first in the series, I am sure the author will tweak it here and there.

https://www.amazon.com/Sprinkle-Murder-Cupcake-Bakery-Mystery/dp/0425233421/ref

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2855864197

More on Jenn McKinlay's Books:  https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/jenn-mckinlay/

A Likely Story (A Library Lover's Mystery #6)

Author:  Jenn McKinlay
Genre:  Mystery

Hardcover, E-book
ISBN #:  9780425260746
Berkley Publishing
304 Pages
$13.72 Amazon; $11.99 Kindle
November 3, 2015

Five Stars

Delivering books to the household residents of the Thumb Islands, just a short boat ride from the town of Briar Creek, library director Lindsey Norris has befriended two elderly brothers, Stewart and Peter Rosen.  She enjoys visiting them in their treasure-filled, ramshackle Victorian on Star Island until she discovers that Peter has been killed and Stewart is missing.  Now she's determined to solve a murder and find Stewart before he suffers his brother's fate.

********

Lindsay Norris, Director of the Briar Creek Library, is delivering a box of books to the Rosen Brothers, Stewart and Peter.  When arriving on their private island, Stewart is not waiting on the dock for her, as is usual.  Lindsay believes something is wrong, and along with Sully, the boat captain and ex-boyfriend of Lindsey, think something is wrong.

They decide to investigate, and approach the Rosens' home.   In doing so, Lindsey learns from Sully that the place is booby-trapped and any false move could mean injury, or worse, death.  Once inside the house, they discover the body of Peter Rosen, who has been shot.  Stewart is nowhere to be found.  Lindsey is convinced that Stewart had nothing to do with this, and is likely hiding from them.

After notifying the authorities, Lindsey is determined to bring Stewart out into the open in order to find out what happened on the island.  But this is easier said than done.  After one encounter with Stewart, he disappeared again just as quickly, and is on the run.

It also happens that two antique dealers arrived in town and are very interested in the brothers' property; and, what is even more curious, a wealthy woman arrives and is buying up the nearby islands - and wants Star Island as well.  And, as they say, the Plot Thickens...

I really enjoyed the book and the fact that Ms. McKinlay wrapped one mystery inside of another; and the stories were blended well.  The characters are well done and believable; there are also a couple of side stories going on, just as there would be in real life, but are not the main focus, as they shouldn't be anyway.

If there were one thing I didn't care for, it was the love triangle.  For anyone who has been following this series, it did seem as if it were going to be resolved, but then...it's not.  I found that a disappointment (really, Lindsey should be able to figure out who she is interested in by now).  Aside from that, a worthy read and one to pick up, if you get the chance.  Recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/Likely-Story-Library-Lovers-Mystery/dp/0425260747/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1544395235

More on Jenn McKinlay's books:  http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/m/jenn-mckinlay/