Buried to the Brim

Buried to the Brim is the sixth novel in A Hat Shop Mystery. I love A Hat Shop Mystery series with its quirky characters and English setting. Scarlett Parker and her cousin Vivian Tremont own Min’s Whims in Notting Hill on Portobello Road. Vivian creates the hats with the aid of her assistant, Fee Felton while Scarlett deals with customers and publicity. Scarlett is recently engaged to Harrison “Harry” Wentworth and she is viewing the world through love colored glasses. Harry’s Aunt Betty along with her corgi, Freddy are entering the annual PAWS charity dog show and she wants to win this year. Aunt Betty asks Vivian to create a hat for Freddy. Aunt Betty is upset with the shows sponsor, Gerry Swenson over the quality of his dog food because it made Freddy sick last year. After a run in with Gerry at the kickoff cocktail party for PAWS, Aunt Betty finds her paperwork “misplaced” for the competition. Vivian enters Scarlett as Freddy’s handler much to Scarlett’s dismay. Things go from bad to worse when Gerry is found dead next to the agility course by Freddy. One person is quick to point the blame at Aunt Betty. Scarlett begins listening in on conversations and searching for suspects so she can clear Aunt Betty of any wrongdoing. I found Buried to the Brim to be a delightful book to read. It can be read on its own if you have not read the other five books in A Hat Shop Mystery series. It contains good writing and the story moves along as fast as Freddy on the agility course. Scarlett is a fun character. I like that she is an American in England. There are fabulous British expressions. I enjoyed the puns even Scarlett’s who seem to miss the mark. There is plenty of tea along with various food items to keep the group up to snuff (must keep up their strength). It was interesting to learn more about the game of rugby. The explanations were easy to understand. The mystery had several suspects with good clues. It depends on your sleuthing level on whether you solve it completely or are surprised when Scarlett has a Miss Fletcher moment. I loved the hat descriptions including the adorable ones made for Freddy. Bella, a rescued corgi, was a loveable addition. I look forward to the next A Hat Shop Mystery featuring Scarlett, Vivian, Fee, Harry and their friends. I am hoping for a wedding with a gorgeous headpiece for Scarlett. Buried to the Brim is an irresistible cozy mystery with pitiful puns, cute corgis, a succumbed sponsor, charming chapeaus, and a gobsmacked gumshoe.

Buried to the Brim is a fun addition to a fun series and the mystery is wonderfully complicated. I did not figure out the murder, but I suspected everyone so that one was on my list. Scarlet is still beaming from her engagement to Harry and the idea of a little addition to the family, a corgi, brings extra delight to this mystery. The group is still trying to match Viv up with Alistair with very little luck, but if you know this group, you know they will not give up easily. We get to meet Harrison's Aunt Betty and her adorable corgi Freddy and they introduce Scarlet to the world of show dogs, world she gets to know a little better than she ever imagined. Murder is, of course, the order of the day and the suspects are all highly suspicious! I don't love this series as much as the library series, but it is still addictive and just as well written. I was excited to receive and ARC via Edelweiss and am already telling my friends about it. I do love Jenn McKinlay's books!

I loved this book, as I have the entire series. l highly recommend starting at the beginning & reading the entire series. You won't be disappointed. I also love the Library Lovers Series. If you love a cozy mystery with a good plot & a sense of humor, all of these books are for you. They're well written, funny & keep you guessing. What more could you want? Read Jenn's work & enjoy!