Allons-y to Paris for more hats and homicide from the New York Times bestselling author of Copy Cap Murder!London milliner Vivian Tremont and her American cousin and partner, Scarlett Parker, tip their caps to their beloved shop on Portobello Road in Notting Hill and set off for Paris, where Viv can’t wait to teach a hat-making class. But she has another reason to travel to the City of Light: to … travel to the City of Light: to find the man she impulsively eloped with years ago and have their marriage annulled.
William Graham is not only handsome and charming, but he also has a glamorous job as an insurance investigator who works with priceless pieces of art, most recently a small Renoir that has been discovered in a junk shop. But when both Will and the masterpiece suddenly disappear, it’s up to the ladies from London to follow the trail of clues. They’ll need to hold on to their chapeaux, however, because someone is a master in the art of deception…
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I’ve come to really enjoy the Hat Shop Mystery series written by Jenn McKinlay. In this fifth and possibly final (I’ve heard rumors, but I’m hoping it’s not true!) book, Assault & Beret, McKinlay takes us from London to Paris for a caper. I’d give this a solid 4 stars and recommendation to read for any cozy mystery fans.
Scarlett and Viv are in Paris for a hat-making course, but also to find Viv’s estranged husband whom no one knew about. Scarlett discovers him, but then he’s kidnapped. When they learn he’s involved in a heist about a painting that 4 different people claim ownership over, everything goes south. Which one of the 4 kidnapped him? He’s just the insurance agent trying to figure out how much it’s worth, but someone thinks he knows more about the past forgeries and thefts. Poor guy is caught in the middle… he seems so lovable, why wouldn’t Viv want to be with him? Hopefully we find out, is all I kept thinking. And of course, because McKinlay is such a great cozy author, she delivers a powerhouse revelation among everything going on in the mystery and eventual murder that occurs. Where it ends up, you’ll have to read to find out!
Scarlett is a wonderful character. I really like following her escapades. Viv’s okay, but Scarlett makes the books pop. I love her relationship with Harrison and am so glad how things turned out in the end on this one. I really hope there’s another book possibly sending them to the US to visit the Briar Creek library in McKinlay’s other mystery series. Thanks for a fun few hours of reading!
The final book in this series, Assault and Beret wraps up a lot of loose ends. Unfortunately it’s the first one of this series I read.
What holds true for all Jenn McKinlay that I’ve read so far, applies here too. She clearly cares about her characters and manages to create a diverse group of attractive folk to solve her mysteries.
I think it may just be because I’m more partial to food and libraries than hat shops, but I’d recommend this series after her two other cozy offerings. But any McKinlay will give you humor, self-deprecating in-jokes, and just the right touch of romance.
Review available on GoodReads
Pretty and fashiony- a fun, good read. Set in Paris, two bespoke hat line girls, end up in trouble surrounding the British designer cousin’s (quick elopement) art insurance broker husband.
Cousins Vivian and Scarlett are in Paris, Vivian to teach a hat making class, and Scarlett to track down Vivian’s husband, Will. That search actually goes fairly quickly, but Vivian and Will have hardly reunited when he is kidnapped. Now Scarlett has to track him down again. But what is happening?
I hadn’t realized how much I missed Jenn’s writing until I started this book and fell under her spell once again. It engages us from the very beginning, but things really pick up once Will is kidnapped and the real complications start happening. One aspect of the plot isn’t explained, but it is easy to surmise what happened. We meet some fun new characters, but the series regulars manage to find their way over as the book progresses, and they are a delight as always.