When Scarlett's love life goes downhill, it goes in a big way. Her cousin, Vivien, invites her to England to work in their grandmother's hat shop. When she died, Vivien and Scarlett inherited equal shares. Viv had the tools to design the hats, so Scarlett stayed in the States working in the hospitality industry. Since her former lover, was her employer, Scarlett is at loose ends.

When she gets to London, instead of Viv, she is met by Harrison Wentworth. He settles her into her old room but Scarlett is convinced that something is wrong. Viv shouldn't have just disappeared just before her arrival. With the help of Viv's assistant, Fiona, Scarlett is managing just fine until a prima donna arrives looking for her hat. Lady Ellis wants the hat Viv was designing for her. Scarlett is having trouble finding it when she

happens across a special hat.

To pacify Lady Ellis, she convinces her to model for some photographs to be used on their website. Just down Portobello Road, a new shop is opening. Scarlett convinces Andre to take the pictures for her when she discovers that he is a photographer.

When they arrive, Lady Ellis is found dead wearing only the hat that Viv designed. Scarlett is attacked in her flat and no one can find Viv. The Met are on the case but they are beginning to suspect Viv of the murder since it was well- known that Lord Ellis really wanted to marry Viv and she turned him down.

With danger dogging her heels, Scarlett and Harrison will have to work hard to find out who killed Lady Ellis as they try to solve the mystery of Viv's disappearance.

A longtime fan of Ms. McKinlay, I had high hopes for this new series. Amazingly, I was blown away by the story and the sheer fun of getting to know the new characters. Scarlett is such a likable character doing her best in a bad situation. She runs from Florida to London hoping to evade the viral video only to find a new life for herself on the other side of the ocean. She loved visiting her grandmother and the shop brings back so many memories.

Fans of Ms. McKinlay's other series will love CLOCHE AND DAGGER!