Fatal Fascinator


 
 
 
 Praise for New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay’s Hat Shop Mysteries
 “Fancy hats and British aristocrats make this my sort of delicious cozy read.”
 —Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author of the Royal Spyness Mysteries
 “A delicious romp through my favorite part of London with a delightful new heroine.”
 —Deborah Crombie, New York Times bestselling author of A Bitter Feast
 “The sharp writing and smart plotting are outstanding, and the surprising reveal and even more suspenseful chase will have readers at the edge of their seats. This stellar mystery sets a high bar for mysteries.”
 —Kings River Life Magazine
 “Brimming with McKinlay’s trademark wit and snappy one-liners, Anglophiles will love this thoroughly entertaining new murder mystery series. A hat trick of love, laughter, and suspense, and another feather in [Jenn McKinlay’s] cap.”
 —Hannah Dennison, author of the Honeychurch Hall novels
 
 
 Titles by Jenn McKinlay
 Hat Shop Mysteries
 
 CLOCHE AND DAGGER
 DEATH OF A MAD HATTER
 AT THE DROP OF A HAT
 COPY CAP MURDER
 ASSAULT AND BERET
 BURIED TO THE BRIM
 FATAL FASCINATOR
 
 Library Lover’s Mysteries
 
 BOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING
 DUE OR DIE
 BOOK, LINE, AND SINKER
 READ IT AND WEEP
 ON BORROWED TIME
 A LIKELY STORY
 BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
 DEATH IN THE STACKS
 HITTING THE BOOKS
 WORD TO THE WISE
 ONE FOR THE BOOKS
 KILLER RESEARCH
 THE PLOT AND THE PENDULUM
 
 Cupcake Bakery Mysteries
 
 SPRINKLE WITH MURDER
 BUTTERCREAM BUMP OFF
 DEATH BY THE DOZEN
 RED VELVET REVENGE
 GOING, GOING, GANACHE
 SUGAR AND ICED
 DARK CHOCOLATE DEMISE
 VANILLA BEANED
 CARAMEL CRUSH
 WEDDING CAKE CRUMBLE
 DYING FOR DEVIL’S FOOD
 PUMPKIN SPICE PERIL
 FOR BATTER OR WORSE
 STRAWBERRIED ALIVE
 
 Bluff Point Romances
 
 ABOUT A DOG
 BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE
 EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY
 
 Happily Ever After Romances
 
 THE GOOD ONES
 THE CHRISTMAS KEEPER
 
 Stand-Alone Novels
 
 PARIS IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA
 WAIT FOR IT
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 BERKLEY PRIME CRIME
 Published by Berkley
 An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
 penguinrandomhouse.com
 
 Copyright © 2023 by Jennifer McKinlay
 Excerpt from Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay © 2023 by Jennifer McKinlay
 Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.
 BERKLEY and the BERKLEY & B colophon are registered trademarks and BERKLEY PRIME CRIME is a trademark of Penguin Random House LLC.
 Ebook ISBN: 9780593546789
 First Edition: January 2023
 Cover art by Robert Gantt Steele
 Book design by Laura K. Corless, adapted for ebook by Estelle Malmed
 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
 pid_prh_6.0_142201953_c0_r0
 
 
 For Jan Buckwalter, one of the best people I know. I’m proud to call you my friend. Thanks for always helping me with the critters both domestic and wild.
 
 
 
 
 
 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