BURIED TO THE BRIM is the sixth book in Jenn McKinlay’s “Hat Shop” cozy mystery series set in England. Even though this is part of a series, Jenn McKinlay is able to bring readers new to the series – like me – up to speed on who the main characters are and what their relationships to each other are. Scarlett Parker and her cousin Vivian “Viv” Tremont have a hat shop. Scarlet’s divinely dishy fiancé Harry has an Aunt Betty who is psyched to enter her corgi in the PAWS annual dog show. The competition is fierce, and the kooky complexes of the dog owners and the canine contestants are wild. When dog show sponsor and dog food magnate Gerry Swendson croaks, it’s easier making a list of who wouldn’t want him dead rather than potential suspects for murder.
Part of the draw in a Jenn McKinlay mystery is the endearing cast of “good guys” in each book. In this case – Viv, Fee, Harry, Harry’s buddy Alistair, and Scarlett’s friends Andre and Nick – all provide amusing commentary and support Scarlett as she hunts down clues and investigates alibis. Suspects abound in this charming cozy mystery. Among the unsavory characters is one of the doggie contestants with sociopathic tendencies named Henry. Uncovering the various relationships and motivations of the various people associated with the victim, and dog show, prove vital to the investigation. This is a situation in which the victim was not really that good a guy and there is not a lot of love lost after he’s murdered.
BURIED TO THE BRIM is a fast-paced and sparkling mystery with diabolical motives for murder. I found the solution of this mystery to be like something out of one of Dorothy Sayers’ “Lord Peter Whimsey” Golden Age mysteries. Aunty Betty is a little too much for me initially and something of a geriatric loose cannon, but she grows on me as the story progresses. The canine characters in BURIED TO THE BRIM are equally as compelling as the human ones. I look forward to Jenn McKinlay’s next book.
New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay's beloved Hat Shop duo Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont return to don their sleuthing caps and solve a murder that's death in show.
London's most refined canines and their humans are gearing up for the Pets and Wellness Society's annual dog show--and Betty Wentworth, favorite aunt to Scarlett's fiancé Harrison and proud owner of corgi front-runner Freddy, knows that this could be their year with the right edge. Never one to turn away a corgi in need, Scarlett convinces her milliner cousin, Vivian, to design matching hats for dream team Betty and Freddy as they compete for Best in Show.
It's a tail wagging good time until the dog-food sponsor of the event is found dead and Betty is the prime suspect. Vivian and Scarlett agree to enter the competition in Betty's place and help Harrison catch the real killer before Betty is collared for a crime she didn't commit.
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