Review

For fans of:  Karen E. Olson

When Mim’s Whims proprietresses Scarlett Parker and Viv Tremont agree to design a bunch of Alice in Wonderland themed hats for the Grisby family to auction off at a charity tea, they assume it’ll be a fun and easy way to raise their profile and turn a profit while doing some good.

At first, all goes according to plan. The hats are a hit, and Scarlett and Viv even manage to score invites to the exclusive event. But then Geoffrey, the odious Grisby family heir, gets himself killed and everything goes to hell. The police find traces of poison on Geoffrey’s specially designed hat, and just like that, Scarlett and Viv are once again at the center of a murder investigation. The women are innocent of the crime, but if they’re to convince the authorities of that fact, they’ll have to find the real killer. The only problem is, it seems every single one of the Grisbys had a motive, which means the duo will have to cozy up to the murderous clan if they’re ever to uncover the truth.

Death of a Mad Hatter is the second of Jenn McKinlay’s Hat Shop Mysteries. I somehow managed to miss the series debut, Cloche and Dagger, but after having devoured Death of a Mad Hatter in a single sitting, that’s something I intend to rectify immediately. Death of a Mad Hatter is, quite simply, a joy to read from cover to cover. McKinlay’s story is briskly paced and cleverly plotted. Her dialogue is sharply written and has great flow. Her theme is unique, her setting is fun, and she manages to seamlessly incorporate both into Death of a Mad Hatter’s central mystery. But what really makes this book special is McKinlay’s cast.

Every single one of McKinlay’s core characters is fully fleshed and richly textured, their relationships realistic and nuanced. Scarlett’s not only a smart, snarky, and incredibly engaging narrator, she’s an enchanting and relatable heroine, to boot – one you can’t help but root for. Scarlett’s cousin-slash-business partner Viv makes for a perfect sidekick, but she’s also a likable and completely realized character in her own right – one who could easily carry a series of her own. The shop’s intelligent, mysterious, and oh-so-sexy bookkeeper, Harrison, is well on his way to becoming one of my favorite traditional mystery series love interests. And McKinlay’s non-series characters are no slouch, either. She does a marvelous job establishing murder victim Geoffrey and making you root for his demise from the second you make his acquaintance, and she makes sure you have a slate of likely suspects in your head long before the dastardly fellow goes toes-up.

In McKinlay’s skilled hands, Scarlett and Viv’s fictional universe comes to life on the page, making Death of a Mad Hatter nearly impossible to put down. It’s the perfect summer read, I heartily recommend that you go out and buy yourself a copy posthaste.

Reviewed by Kat