Review

Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont have inherited equal shares of their grandmother’s Notting Hill hat shop. Viv has been running the shop while Scarlett resided in Florida working at a fancy resort. Scarlett was happy living in Florida and visiting England on holiday, but Scarlett’s like takes a turn for the worse after she learns the hard way her boyfriend is married. When her dramatic reaction is caught on a video that goes viral online, Scarlett jumps at Viv’s invitation to get over her broken heart, hurt pride, and embarrassment by joining her in London to help run their hat shop. However, once Scarlett arrives, Viv is missing and Scarlett is faced with problem after problem. Then, she encounters the worst problem of them all - a difficult customer of the hat shop is murdered and her body is found wearing one of the shop’s hats. With the help of Fiona “Fee” Felton, an apprentice at the shop, and Scarlett’s childhood friend Harrison, who serves as the shops business manager, Scarlett is faced with running the shop, finding Viv, and solving a murder.

Cloche and Dagger gets this new series off to an excellent start. It has a wonderful setting and fantastic characters. Everyone has a unique personality without resorting to wackiness. It’s also nice that you get to know a little bit about each character and are left wanting to get to know them even better in the future. The only one of the main characters I’m unsure of is Viv. She seems likeable in the beginning, but at other times seems a bit self-centered. Time will tell in future installments which is the “real Viv”.

Other characters more than make up for my doubts about Viv. When I first saw Scarlett was going to be working with a young apprentice in the shop, I was afraid Fee would be sullen and resentful of Scarlett. I was pleasantly surprised to see what a fun character Fee is and how well she and Scarlett get along. In addition, even the policemen in the book are pleasant. Often the police detectives in cozies are either the main character’s boyfriend or are the enemy. Detective Inspector Franks and Inspector Sims are neither. They have great personalities and although they are determined to solve their case, they aren’t always stern and “by the book”.  

A cozy wouldn’t be complete without a potential love interest for the main character and in this book, it’s Harrison Wentworth. Although Scarlett has been living in America, she spent many summers with her aunt and cousin in London and Harrison was a childhood acquaintance. They have some awkward moments and some wonderful moments, but any possible romance between the two left very much up in the air at the end of the book. Since this is the first book in the series, I think it’s fine to keep some “mystery” in the romance department for the main character.

I really like Cloche and Dagger, but the ending was a bit of a letdown after such an intriguing build-up throughout the book.  I am a fan of author Jenn McKinlay’s Cupcake Bakery series, but I think this new series has the potential to be even better because the characters seem more mature and are easier to relate to. This series could soon become a new favorite!

Reviewed by Christine