Copy Cap Murder (Hat Shop Mystery #4) by Jenn McKinlay

I know I have told you about Jenn McKinlay before and more than once. She remains one of my very favorite cozy authors. I have never been disappointed and I have read every single book in each of her series'. Hot off the press is Copy Cap Murder (Hat Shop Mystery #4) by Jenn McKinlay. I grabbed it, and read it in one night. 

From the back of the book:

The New York Times bestselling author of At the Drop of a Hat returns to her London hat shop with a fresh tale of milliners and murder.


For Scarlett Parker, part of the fun of living in London is celebrating the British holidays, and she’s excited to share her first Bonfire Night with her cousin Vivian Tremont. Invited to a posh party by their friend Harrison Wentworth, Scarlett and Viv decide to promote their hat shop, Mim’s Whims, by donning a few of their more outrageous creations. The hats prove to be quite the conversation starters as the girls mix and mingle with the guests—never suspecting that one of them is a killer.

It’s a cold, clear night, perfect for the British tradition of tossing a straw stuffed effigy of Guy Fawkes, traitor to the crown, onto the bonfire. But instead of a straw man, they realize in the heat of the moment that the would-be Guy Fawkes is actually Harrison’s office rival and he’s been murdered. Before the smoke has cleared, Harrison is the Metropolitan police’s prime suspect, and Scarlett and Vivian must find the real homicidal hothead before their dear friend’s life goes up in flames.

My thoughts:

The setting for this series is England, at hat shop. It doesn't get much more tailor made for me. All things English make my heart happy and there is nothing like a fabulous hat to make me smile. In this part, we get to visit with all of favorites from the prior parts and, of course, the lead, Scarlett, remains my very favorite. I love her humor and tenacity. It was nice to see that alongside the murder mystery, the relationships conditioned to evolve and deepen.

The mystery was a wild one and the reveal was pretty surprising. The end had some high action that was tense and made for some furious page turning. I absolutely love the way that no matter how intense things get, McKinlay always manages to keep a light feeling with her natural wit. This is another winner that you will want to grab right away. If you haven't read the other parts, you can easily jump in here but I will tell you in advance, her characters are so real and the writing is so fabulous that you might save yourself some time and read them all to start with.  

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