Cloche and Dagger by Jenn McKinlay

Cloche and Dagger (Hat Shop Mystery, #1)

by Jenn McKinlay

An all-new series from New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay

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 Mims’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?

Reviewed by Mystereity Reviews on

4 of 5 stars

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3 1/2 stars

Cloche and Dagger is the first book the Hat Shop Mystery series. Scarlett embarasses herself publicly, becomes a viral internet star and escapes from Florida to London, England at the invitation of her cousin, Viv who co-owns a hat shop with Scarlett. Various shenanigans occur, including a murder, several break-ins and a wonky wardrobe.

I picked this up on a whim. I've tried to read the author's other series in the past but never got into them, so I didn't have high hopes for this one. Luckily I was wrong. Despite the MC being in desperate need of several hard slaps to the face, and having to endure being reminded of the oh so horrific embarrassing incident every other page and that all the English characters dont sound English, and, of course, the stereotypical hunky guy at odds with the MC because of TEH SECSYOOAL TENSHUN! OMG, it still managed to be readable, and that's because the plot was very well done. I had an inkling about a few things, but no clear idea who did it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, enough to read the next in the series.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 9 April, 2016: Finished reading
  • 9 April, 2016: Reviewed