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!
An all-new series from New York Times bestselling
author Jenn McKinlay
Not only is Scarlett
Parker’s love life in the loo—as her British cousin Vivian
Tremont would say—it’s also gone viral with an embarrassing
video. So when Viv suggests Scarlett leave Florida to lay
low in London, she hops on the next plane across the pond.
Viv is the proprietor of Mims’s Whims, a ladies’ hat shop
on
Portobello Road bequeathed to both cousins by their beloved
grandmother, and she wants Scarlett to finally join her in
the millinery business.
But a few surprises await
Scarlett in London. First, she is met at the airport not by
Viv, but by her handsome business manager, Harrison
Wentworth. Second, Viv—who has some whims of her own—seems
to be missing. No one is too concerned about the
unpredictable Viv until one of her posh clients is found
dead wearing the cloche hat Viv made for her—and nothing
else. Is Scarlett’s cousin in trouble? Or is she in hiding?