When a groom gets murdered, Louisiana hat maker Missy DuBois must look behind a veil of secrets on a former sugar plantation . . . Bride-to-be Lorelei Honeycutt is brimming with excitement over the elaborate headpiece Missy has created for her wedding but fears she won’t be able to maintain her balance when she walks down the aisle. She’s asked Missy to assist her during the rehearsal at … rehearsal at Honeycutt Hall, a once grand sugar plantation now used as the family’s home. Missy’s trying to keep a cool head herself, as her own wedding is coming up in three short weeks on the Riverboat Queen. But after the rehearsal, she overhears the bride and groom quarreling. The next morning, Wesley Carmichael is missing. After searching the house and grounds, Missy discovers the groom lying at the bottom of an old, unused sugar silo—and now it’s up to the mystery-solving milliner to find an unbalanced killer . . .
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I’ve been a huge fan of cozy mysteries for a number of years. With so many authors and book series in this sub-genre, it can be overwhelming to choose, but at the same time, each one has its own theme and style. Given I’ve got family in the south and I am semi-fascinated by the hat-making industry, I dove into the Missy Dubois series by Sandra Bretting a few years ago. The latest one, What the Hatmaker Heard, is number six and by far my favorite in the series.
Missy is a ~thirtyish milliner engaged to a wedding dress-maker in a small Louisiana town, who happens to find a lot of dead bodies, usually in connection with a wedding she’s designing a hat for. How does she do it? Sixth sense, a lot of charm, and possibly the worst case of bad luck possible. Not only is she trying to plan her own wedding, but she often gets stuck with the majorest of major Bridezillas. I thought we were heading down that path again in this novel, but it turned out the 21-year-old bride-to-be was just a little catty before turning out to be much more sweet, until her fiance was murdered in a water tower on the venue’s property! Then she’s got a bit of anger in her again.
Yep, Missy found the body again, but this time, she wasn’t alone. At least she can only take 50% of the blame, and there was no reason why she could be guilty. Even the police want her help now. The groom, a big-time gambler, had a few people out to get him, and when you meet his parents, you gotta wonder… just how did he survive those two, not to mention the step-sister who’s stranger than strange. Nonetheless, Missy tries to keep everyone calm, and in a matter of less than 48-hours, she finds the culprit… catching him/her in an interesting lie of sorts. Chock full of other suspects, readers know the groom was poisoned from a plant on the property, but who other than family would’ve known how to use it as a mortal weapon?
Between the wonderful phrase ‘Bless Your Heart’ and the charming dialog, you can’t help but wish you were a wedding guest each time the nuptials go haywire. Missy is usually quite strong, even this time when her own wedding has some major ups and downs. Nope, she didn’t get married in this one, but based on everything we saw in this book, we’re primed and ready for it to happen in the next book (I hope). Bretting has created a fantastic main character in Missy. She easily steals the show despite a good handful or two of supporting cast members. None are as rich (personality-wise) as her, but they come across as the average folks in the town, which is probably why Missy shines even more.
The girl needs a break! She’s always fixing other people’s problems, but that’s what endears her to us. I love the covers on these playful books, and when the distinct physical settings come to life, I feel like I’m easily part of the book and not just standing on the sidelines as the plot unfolds. My only wish this time was that we saw more of her relationship with the fiance… he doesn’t appear as often as I’d like, and sometimes, I really have to wonder… is the wedding going to happen, or will one of the other lucky guys around town who occasionally flirt with our heroine… steal his thunder?
Best read in order, they do work as stand-alone mysteries. The series gets much stronger with each new book, and I think these would be great for anyone looking for some southern exposure. Kudos to a great tale and cheers to many more to come. Easily 4.5 stars!
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This is the 6th book in a series that is new to me, but it worked fine as a standalone. I found it delightful and intriguing, with plenty of southern charm. Parts of it weren’t super realistic, but I enjoyed it so much that I added the whole series to my wishlist. The main character was very likable and capable and I found her platonic friendship with her fellow male crimesolver refreshing. The main crime itself was interesting and fun to solve. I’d highly recommend this book—great escapism. If you like weddings like I do, you’ll find this book especially enjoyable.
Cozy Murder Mystery at a Louisiana Wedding
This is a cozy mystery that takes place at a Louisiana mansion home. Our heroine is a milliner who has arrived for a last-minute touch up for the bride’s veil. She and her buddy the detective make short work of solving the case, although there are plenty of roadblocks. It is a fun story with plenty of questionable characters. This book is 6th in a series. Although past adventures are mentioned, the reader feels totally up to speed and ready to help solve this crime. This book can be successfully read without having to read the earlier books.
I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley, Chewie the Mouse, and The Cozy Mystery Review Crew and this is my honest review.
Missy DuBois runs the Crowning Glory boutique.
Missy She is a milliner plus amateur sleuth. Her
finance is Ambrose ‘Bo’ Jackson who designs
wedding dresses.
Missy is staying at the Honeycutt Hall. Missy
has been requested to assist Lorelei Honeycutt,
the heiress to the old sugar plantation at Lorelei’s
upcoming wedding rehearsal and prior to the
wedding to Wesley Carmichael.
Missy has designed the brides veil with the
train plus the head cover for the attendants.
Missy will also help with their hair and makeup.
The groom goes missing so Missy and Darryl
Tibodeaux, the Cajun caretaker set out to join
the search.
They arrive at the towers by the main house.
Upon entering the right one first, they discover
the body of Wesley Carmichael. He looks as if
he is asleep but after a closer look Wesley
Carmichael is DEAD!!
Accidentally or the result of foul play?
Missy contacts Lance LaPorte, one of her oldest
and dearest friends. Lance is a detective with the
Louisiana State Police Department.
And so the investigation begins!!!
The characters are well developed, well rounded,
colorful, quirky with interesting backstories.
A clock with “Time’s Up” written on the back as
a wedding gift, a wine cellar, gambling, overheard
conversations plus complications for Missy
upcoming wedding such as a fire on the Riverboat
Queen, a double booked photographer add to
the flavor of the story.
Southern charm with mouthwatering fried chicken
and sweet ice tea will wet your whistle!!
This is book # 6 in A Missy DuBois Mystery
series. It can be read as a stand alone.
I volunteered to read What the Hatmaker Heard.
My opinion is voluntary and my own.
It is a page turner.
Despite having fallen into a reputation for finding dead bodies, Missy fully expected her day at Honeycutt Hall to be smooth sailing. After all, she was a guest of the bride whose veil she had designed and made.
When the groom is nowhere to be found, Missy offers to assist the groundskeeper – an old friend – in his search of the grounds.
And find him they do. They find him dead.
As if that weren’t bad enough, that discovery is upstaged quickly when Missy gets the news that her own wedding venue has suffered a devastating fire. Four weeks away from her own wedding day, she’s going to be looking for a new venue!
Inevitably, she becomes increasingly embroiled in the murder investigation, while her own wedding seems to be crumbling around her ears.
Bretting’s characters are charming but it’s obvious everyone is hiding something. While her descriptions of the machinations that go on in the wealthy south seem a bit over the top, the characters fit the scenario perfectly. Here is definitely a twisted tale of intrigue, misdirection, and secrets. Stunning, unexpected secrets.
And Missy herself is perfectly cast, once again, as the milliner cum sleuth.
Although this is Book Six in the series, I hadn’t read the others and found this a great stand-alone, curiosity may impel you to read the others as well. It’s a great tale that packs a few surprises; all the better for spending a quiet afternoon curled up with a good book!
cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, murder, amateur-sleuth, wedding-madness
Asked to be there for the wedding rehearsal by the bride, Missy happens upon the body of the groom the day of the wedding. Next up she finds out that the paddle wheeler booked for her own wedding in a few short weeks has burned. And that’s just the beginning! Fortunately the state police detective is a friendly and at least she doesn’t have to butt heads with the law. Lots of twists and red herrings in this bayou country whodunit that I read in one afternoon and even got to learn a bit about the pricing and conservation of antique lace. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
I love cozies and this series is one of my favorites. These days I can’t get enough to read and the cozy genre tops my list. Here we are with the 6th book in the series and poor Missy is trying to plan her own wedding while running her own business – hat making. Brides tend to be temperamental to put it mildly and this bride has reason to be, especially when the groom turns up dead after having a very loud argument with the bride. Given the groom’s background the list of suspects is rather long. Missy contacts a friend, Lance LaPorte, a detective with the state police and the investigation gets underway.
Missy isn’t the only reason to like this series. The Southern setting, the well developed characters, the well written puzzle – put it all together and it’s a winner.
Pamper yourself with a few hours reading pleasure with WHAT THE HATMAKER HEARD—the sixth addition to the delightful Missy DuBois southern Cozy Series. The action begins as Missy is assisting a bride-to-be, Lorelei Honeycutt, at a lovely antebellum mansion in Louisiana. Chaos erupts, and one of my favorite characters in this series, and Missy’s good friend, Detective Lance LaPorte is called to the scene when a corpse is discovered on the grounds.
Ms. Bretting provides several stumbling blocks to divert readers’ attention from one suspicious suspect to another. I didn’t realize who the killer was until the complete reveal! I love happy endings, and this story has the Cinderella moments I’d been hoping for. Great story! I recommend the entire series to cozy Mystery fans!
I honestly reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Lyrical Publishing. Thank you.
What the Hatmaker Heard earns 5/5 Wedding Woes…Entertaining Fun!
Sandra Bretting has penned a delightful sixth book in her Missy DuBois Mystery series. Missy is in awe of the beautiful Honeycutt Hall, situated on an old sugar plantation, and with its own private chapel, it’s the perfect site for the wedding between heiress Lorelei Honeycutt and Wesley Carmichael. The ceremony is set, but the bride is near hyperventilating over her veil, a behavior With which Missy is very familiar, but she is good at her job. She calms the bride, suggests a remedy, and agrees to be present at the rehearsal to ensure no wardrobe malfunctions occur. Later Missy overhears a discussion between the bride and groom that’s more curious than confrontational, as the groom begs off participating in the rehearsal due not feeling well, but the next day? The groom is found murdered, and Missy is beginning to think she’s “cursed.”
This southern gem entertains with an inviting first-person narrative sharing Missy’s inner thoughts and observations, and giving me a vicarious role in the drama with the “I” perspective. From my technical side, I enjoy Bretting’s writing style rich with descriptions to fill the senses of the plantation-style estate and the various characters along with clever banter in her dialogue that does well to illustrate personalities, emotions, and tone. She also used words and phrases I remember from my childhood: “Oh, sugar!” “Okeydoke,” and, my personal favorite, having the “heebie-jeebies.” The main drama has lots of obvious considerations, but I never ignore the obscure even though my inner Sherlock was stumped. The side drama added to the intensity of a murder investigation; Missy and Bo’s wedding has hit a few snags, and although Bo says he’d marry her in a pizza parlor, it’s not the event of her dreams. But, the murder and the wedding all turn out brilliantly! I loved it.
The sixth book in the “A Missy Dubois Mystery “milliner series What The Hatmaker Heard, by Sandra Bretting is out now. This is a delightful series about a hatmaker and her many adventures into murder. Readers are thrilled with this latest addition.
This isn’t Missy’s first time creating a unique veil for a bride, and hopefully, it won’t be her last either. As a milliner, Missy excels, but investigating murders seems to have become her forte. Her talent with her creations is known far and wide, but so is her apparent ability to find dead bodies. This time she finds the groom dead and a plethora of suspects. Every character is a suspect, right down to the groom’s parents and sister. Missy’s fiance plays a small part in this book, but he shines in the last chapter.
The motive and the subsequent perpetrator aren’t too hard to figure out, but the red herrings and twists keep readers turning the page to find out if they are right. I wish there had been more about Missy’s hat shop, and the author would have described her milliner work in more depth. For a first time reader of this series, it would bode well for a bit more background on Missy and the supporting cast.
Overall I enjoyed What The Hatmaker Heard and would be happy to read the next addition to the series. I highly recommend this book and series to readers who enjoy a different profession, like that of a milliner, and those who like fashion or wedding themes in their cozies.
This was a cute book and a great cozy mystery!! I have not read any of the other books in the Missy DuBois series, but that did not matter. Sandra Bretting did a great job of writing a story in a series, where she included enough information from previous books so that you understood completely what was happening and some of the history of Missy DuBois. Sandra Bretting’s writing is fun and lighthearted. You can’t help but keep turning the pages. Sandra’s characters are instantly likable and one can’t help but like them from page one. I will be sure to pick up more of Sandra Bretting’s books in the future!!
What the Hatmaker Heard by Sandra Bretton is a light-hearted (if murder can be light-hearted) tale revolving around a wedding and the hatmaker who designed the veil and the headgear for the bridesmaids. Lorelei Honeycutt, heiress to Honeycutt Hall and bride, was a lovely girl: charming and flirtatious, begin married tomorrow to Wesley Carmichael, who appeared to many to be cold and aloof. Certainly not the ideal husband for someone like Lorelei. Melissa (Missy) Dubois, hatmaker, was to spent the entire day at Honeycutt Hall, enjoying the festivities and preparing for the wedding. She was out enjoying a walk when she overheard the bride and groom bickering, and then out of nowhere, a deluge. Because of the weather she opted to spend the night and so was present in the morning when the search for the missing bridegroom commenced and ended with her finding his body. So much for a wedding…
Missy is a cute character: mostly upbeat, resourceful, curious, and talented. He friend, Lance, the police detective, and she had solved several murders and they worked together well, despite the disparity in vocations. Missy was to be married in a month but had let her business and life interfere with finalizing her plans. Her veil was ready, though. What the Hatmaker Heard is a pretty good mystery, with plenty of suspects, plenty of clues, and a surprising conclusion. It seems light-hearted enough until the murderers are discovered. Bretton did a masterful job of plotting and slowly discovering the truth, with the reader right there the whole time, unsuspecting. Characters grew during the story, probably in preparation for the net one. It was good. I recommend it.