Description (from cover):'One in a Milliner...
Scarlett Parker and her British cousin, Vivian Tremont, are hard at work at Mim's Whims--their ladies' hat shop on London's chic Portobello Road--to create hats for an Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea, a fund-raiser for a local children's hospital. It seems like a wonderfully whimsical way to pass the hat, and Scarlett and Viv are delighted to outfit the Grisby family, the hosts who are hoping to raise enough money to name a new hospital wing after their patriarch.
Unfortunately, the Grisby heir will not live to see it--he's been poisoned. When traces of the poison are found on the hat Scarlett and Viv made for him, the police become curiouser and curiouser about their involvement. Now the ladies need to don their thinking caps and find the tea party crasher who's mad enough to kill at the drop of a hat...'
My thoughts:
I absolutely adore reading about American ex-patriots living in England, especially London. I love seeing how the the Americans adapt to their new surroundings and culture as I pretend on a daily basis that I will be living in London one day. Something about the place seems magical and when I read about someone going through that process, it makes everything seem so believably real. I really enjoy Scarlett's character. She is a red-head, but she is a spitfire as well. She is curious and has a kind and generous heart despite having her heart broken by a cheating boyfriend. She decides to leave the American life behind and help her cousin with her hat shop in a trendy London shop.
Once again, Scarlett finds her way to investigating another murder. She cannot help but embroil herself into dangerous situations. She uses her cousin and the hunky shop manager, Harrison, to help her along the way. I really like this author and this series and this book was just the icing on the cake. I simply got lost in this story and didn't see the conclusion coming. It had me guessing until the very last page and I was shocked by the conclusion. The ending leaves it quite nicely open for the future and I simply cannot wait for the next one in this series to be released.
If you like cozy mysteries that are well-written, well-planned and intriguing, then pick this series up today. A great book to curl up with a glass of wine and kick back and relax. I was definitely not disappointed in this newest addition to this series and I have to say that this author is quickly rising on my author watch list. I love her other series as well. If you haven't checked out this phenomenal series yet, you are seriously missing out on fabulous characters, as well as a fabulous story.
Overall Rating: 5
Title: Death of a Mad Hatter
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Series: Hat Shop Mystery #2
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Pages: 304
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes & Noble
Disclaimer: This book was selected from the library by myself and I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
