Fatal Fascinator (A Hat Shop Mystery, Band 7) - Softcover

McKinlay, Jenn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0593546776 ISBN 13: 9780593546772

Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group, 2023

Inhaltsangabe

Hip hip beret! Hatmakers Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont return and must collar a killer when a castle wedding goes awry in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay’s new Hat Shop Mystery.

It’s wedding season and Viv’s longtime frenemy Piper May is getting married. She convinces Viv and Scarlett to take on the job of designing the headpieces for her “wedding of the year.” The well-to-do bride and her entourage are delighted to have Viv and Scarlett as their famous hat designer guests, but the hat-making pair are really just looking forward to a getaway at a castle in Sussex. It is to be a weekend full of events, culminating in the big ceremony.  
 
Unfortunately, on the first night of the festivities, the groom is found murdered, and the joyous holiday becomes the stuff of nightmares as no one is allowed to leave the castle until the investigation is complete. Although Scarlett assures Harrison Wentworth, her fiancé, that she and Viv will stay out of harm’s way, circumstances force them to step in when a secret affair between the deceased groom and a bridesmaid comes to light, and the murderer takes another life. Scarlett and Viv vow to unveil the killer’s identity before the wedding adds another to its death toll.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Jenn McKinlay is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. Her work has been translated into multiple languages in countries all over the world. She lives in sunny Arizona in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband's guitars.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

Chapter 1

"Bella, sit. Sit, Bella." She didn't sit. "Want a treat? I'll give you a treat if you sit or just aim your bottom in the general direction of the ground." I swear she smiled at me as if this had been her ploy all along.

Bella was the corgi puppy that my fiancé, Harrison Wentworth, and I had adopted several months ago in a case of cute-puppy-induced delirium. She wiggled her heart-shaped bottom and cocked her head to the side. I was undone by the adorableness and tossed the treat in the air. She nabbed it before it completed its arc.

"Scarlett Parker, did you just give that dog a treat when she didn't even do what you asked?"

I turned and saw my friend and neighbor Andre Eisel strolling down Portobello Road toward me while shaking his head. A strikingly handsome man with diamond ear studs that winked at me in the morning light, he was wearing jeans, a white T-shirt that showed off his dark complexion, beneath a black blazer with the collar turned up, and thickly soled combat boots. He was a professional photographer, and his impeccable sense of style was enough to make me feel dowdy in my brown ankle boots, cream-colored midi dress and loose-fitting navy cardigan.

Bella recognized him immediately and simply lost her puppy mind, barking and jumping as if she never received any attention at all. Honestly, from her behavior, a person would think I habitually left her outside in the cold, chained to the gate. The little conniver.

"Bella, my love," Andre cried. He immediately dropped into a squat and gave her all the affection her doggy heart could hold.

"Encouraging her histrionics is not helpful," I said.

He glanced up at me, completely unrepentant. "Where's Harrison?"

"He had to go into the office early today," I said. "So, I'm bringing Bella to Mim's Whims with me."

"Viv is going to love that," Andre said, eyebrows raised.

"Meh, she'll get over it," I said. "She won't admit it, but she secretly loves Bella."

Andre rose to his feet and fell into step beside me. It was a glorious May morning. The sun was warm, the air was cool, the birds were- Bella stopped our walk to do her business. Again.

"Here." I handed Andre the leash. He made a face while I took out a biodegradable bag and cleaned up after my girl. I tossed it into a nearby bin, and she glanced at me over her shoulder with her little tongue hanging out of her mouth. "Who's Mama's good girl?"

She wiggled and I gave her another treat, bending over to pat her soft head.

"She's going to get fat," Andre observed. He squatted down beside me and pointed to Bella's round tummy.

"Hush," I said. I clapped my hands over her ears. "She'll hear you and you'll scar her for life."

"I would never-"

"Andre! Yoo-hoo!" Andre glanced across the street, where a tall, curvy brunette stood waving. She was dressed head to toe in designer clothes, from her pink Christian Louboutin heels, to her blue silk Stella McCartney dress, to her matching pink Chanel bag.

"Ack! Hide me," Andre said. I glanced at his face. He wasn't joking.

"Who is she?"

"Bridus horribilis," he muttered. "Piper May, about as posh as they come. Her wedding is next month. I've been dodging her for weeks."

"But you're a photographer," I said. "Aren't wedding gigs your bread and butter while you pursue your artsy photos on the side?"

"They are, but her wedding is in the country and I hate the country." He shuddered, emphasizing his point. Bella took this as an invitation to offer comfort, and she hopped up and licked his chin. "Also, I loathe her fiancé."

"That is problematic," I agreed.

"Do you think if I pretend not to see her, she'll go away?" he asked.

I glanced over his shoulder. Piper May was on the move, jogging on her tiptoes and dodging pedestrians, bicycles, and moms with strollers . . . er . . . prams, as the locals say, to get to Andre.

"Not a chance," I said. "That is a woman on a mission, and if you try to escape, she'll run you to the ground."

"Blast!" Andre muttered beneath his breath.

We rose to our feet, resigning ourselves to the unavoidable meeting.

"Piper, how are you?" Andre greeted the woman as she hopped up onto the sidewalk. They air-kissed each other's cheeks, and then she stepped back and narrowed her eyes.

"You've been avoiding me," she accused. She had a long waterfall of dark brown hair, and thick eyebrows that had been shaped into arched accent marks that highlighted her big brown eyes, high cheekbones and dainty chin. She was a very attractive woman, but I wondered how much of it was dependent upon the thick coating of makeup she wore.

"I would never," Andre declared in a flagrant fib. "Nick and I have just been so busy with his vineyard in France, I haven't had a minute to myself."

This was true. Nick Carroll, Andre's life partner, had recently invested in a friend's vineyard in Provence and when he wasn't busy with his dental practice, Nick was off tending his vines, taking Andre with him. Nick had big dreams of retiring to the South of France to pursue a second career as a vintner. Andre was dubious but kept his reservations to himself and to me. Lucky me.

"Piper May, this is my friend and neighbor Scarlett Parker, one of the proprietors of Mim's Whims."

"Hi-" I began but Piper interrupted.

"Mim's Whims?" she cried. "Then you know Vivian Tremont."

"She's my cousin," I confirmed. "We inherited the shop from our grandmother Mim."

"That's right," she said. She looked me over from head to foot in an assessing glance, as if trying to place me on the social food chain. "You're the American who bagged Harrison Wentworth." Before I could confirm, she wagged a pointy acrylic nail at me and continued, "The one who went viral as the 'party crasher.'"

I sighed. It seemed that neither time nor distance would allow me to leave my sordid past in the past. I mean, you have one bad day when you stumble upon the anniversary party that your boyfriend, whom you thought was single, is throwing for his wife, you inadvertently throw some cake at him, and BAM!-you're labeled the party crasher for life. It wasn't fair. I blamed my red hair. If I were a cool brunette like the woman standing before me, I was quite certain the video would not have gotten the 3.2 million views it had.

"Yes, that's me," I said. At least the part about bagging Harrison Wentworth seemed to be a compliment, although I would argue that it was him who bagged me.

"Well, you are just the person I need," Piper said. She slid her arm through mine as if we were old friends-pushy!-and then began to walk in the direction of the shop, leaving Andre and Bella to follow.

I noted that Bella did not jump on Piper. In fact, it appeared to me that she was giving her side-eye as if jealous that Piper had managed to draw the attention of the adults away from her canine self. I could sympathize. No one likes a limelight thief.

"With what do you need help?" I asked.

"My wedding," Piper said. "Specifically, the fascinators for the bridal party."

"Isn't your wedding next month?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. Her long legs ate up the sidewalk with determined efficiency. I had to scurry to keep up. Andre was behind us, looking relieved that I was the one who was presently the focus of Piper's attention. "I'm in a fizz, as my original designer, Javier Sebastian, has been embroiled in a scandal."

"Scandal?" Andre chimed in from behind us.

Piper waved her free hand dismissively. "He murdered his lover by putting cyanide in his food and then fled the country with my money all because of his little drama. I need to get this sorted right away."

"Little drama," I repeated.

I glanced...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Penguin Publishing Group
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2023
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 0593546776
• ISBN 13: 9780593546772
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 288
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: BERKLEY; https://www.penguin.com/?s=BERKLEY; ; Unit 2 Limavady Business Park; Limavady; County Londonderry; BT49 0HR; Vereinigtes Königreich
• Verantwortliche Person: GPSR Kontakt; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland