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    At the Drop of a Hat
    At the Drop of a Hat
    At the Drop of a Hat
    Audiobook7 hours

    At the Drop of a Hat

    Written by Jenn McKinlay

    Narrated by Karyn O'Bryant

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Cousins Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont's fashionable London hat shop, Mim's Whims, is visited by a new customer bearing an old hat box. Ariana Jackson is getting married and wants to restore her mother's bridal hat and veil for the occasion. The elegant item was made by Scarlett and Vivian's grandmother over thirty years ago, so Viv is delighted to take the job.

    When Scarlett goes to Ariana's office to consult about the restoration cost, she finds her outside, standing over her boss's dead body. Though Ariana claims to know nothing about his demise, the investigation unveils a motive for murder. Now, with the bride-to-be in custody and the wedding on hold, Scarlett and Viv must find the real killer before Ariana's future is boxed up for good.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 30, 2016
    ISBN9781515980247
    At the Drop of a Hat
    Author

    Jenn McKinlay

    Jenn McKinlay is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several mystery series, including the Good Buy Girls series and the Decoupage Mystery series, which she wrote under the pseudonyms Josie Belle and Lucy Lawrence. A former librarian, she studied English literature and library science at Southern Connecticut State University before moving to Arizona, where she lives in a house that is overrun with kids, pets, and her husband’s guitars. For more information, visit her at www.jennmckinlay.com.

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    Reviews for At the Drop of a Hat

    4/5

    70 ratings9 reviews

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    • 4/5
      When a bride-to-be Ariana Jackson brings London hat-shop owners (and cousins) Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont a decade-olds hat for restoration – one the cousins’ grandmother made for Ariana’s mother – they eagerly take on the job. Things are going swimmingly until Ariana is arrested for the murder of her sleazoid boss. Things look bad for Ariana but Scarlett and Viv – and their gang of friends – continue believing Ariana couldn’t have done it.This is the third “Hat-Shop Mystery.” After being somewhat disappointed with the second book, I really enjoyed this one. The ongoing “romance” between Scarlett and the cousins’ childhood friend and current business manager, Harrison, is getting bit tedious. Scarlett has sworn off men for a year – a self imposed discipline after being accused of being unable to get by without a man. And she’s been notoriously bad at picking said men.At the Drop of a Hat is a good cozy mystery and a quick read.
    • 4/5
      I loved “At the Drop of a Hat” as a stand-alone title not being aware it was already the 3rd novel of A Hat Shop Mystery series. There are some novels that are tiring to read as in order to move the current story forward, the author seems to provide a comprehensive review of the attributes and histories of all characters to date which interrupts the flow of the current novel and is more of a frustrating and distracting interruption to the reader – regardless if an independent title reader or series reader. This novel is definitely not tiring to read.The lead characters, cousins Scarlett (Ginger) Parker and Vivian (Viv) Tremont are as different as night and day and yet they are the dearest of friends as well as owners of their late grandmother’s millinery shop, Mim’s Whims. There are also an exquisite cast of supporting characters and each brings a special treasure of delights to the storyline from the apprentice, Fiona (Fee) Felton, to dear friends, Nick Carroll (dentist) and Andre Eisel (photographer and undiscovered chef extraordinaire) who live a few doors down from the hat shop, to Harrison (Harry) Wentworth, a childhood friend of the cousins and now a business partner, to Ariana Jackson, hat shop customer and bride-to-be and fiancé Stephen Whitcomb, to Inspectors Franks and Simms. One might immediately wonder with a large cast of characters not all of which I have named (as I don’t include spoilers in my reviews) if the reader will have any trouble remembering their names, keeping their personalities defined, and/or if the reading will become a task of keeping track of who’s who. Absolutely no worries! The characters are unique and filled with charisma, each a joy to meet in order of appearance, and each bring a distinguishing blend of intelligence, comedy, and charm to create the magical feeling that you’re in the midst of London as soon as you delve in-between the book covers. The dialogue is witty and sometimes giggling funny!Particularly in the cozy mystery category, it is a wonderful discovery of suspense and charm! The novel is entertaining, delightfully peppered with British charm in the dialogue, and especially endearing during tea times and shared meals with friends. I can’t wait to read the earlier novels in this series and then wait impatiently for the release of the 4th novel in the series.
    • 5/5
      Jenn McKinley is a great storyteller! I am really looking forward to the next book in series ❤️
    • 3/5
      Reading this, I start to remember why I used to think McKinlay was one of the better cozy writers today. It's not up to early standards, but it's definitely better than some of her more recent efforts in the 4 series she's written. I had my concerns at the beginning; the first chapter read like a UK to US language tutorial that stretched on too long. Furthermore – and really, this is why I didn't rate the book higher – if I had to read about Scarlet's stupid vow of one-year of celibacy one more time... First of all, the whole thing is immature; if Scarlet was the strong, intelligent, independent protagonist she's supposed to be, she'd know that an enforced time-limit isn't going to magically cure her poor taste in men. She'd know, if she were the protagonist we deserve, that self-awareness and self-reflection were far more likely to fix her love life and if done right, wouldn't necessarily take as long. If all she's doing is marking days off a calendar, Scarlett is really only likely to shag the first man to cross her path on day 366. Also, if Scarlett reminded us of this childish vow one more time I was going to chuck the book in the blue bin. Now, having thoroughly slagged the book off, I'll get to the good stuff: great characters; really likeable, relatively three dimensional (Scarlett's immaturity aside) characters that are all friends - no frenemies or nemesis to be found. Great London setting that makes a reader want to chuck it all and open a hat shop in Notting Hill. Finally, one of the better plot lines McKinlay has come up with in a long time. Nothing over the top, nothing (too) outrageous and requiring a suspension of common sense or logic; nothing that qualifies as TSTL. Yes, there's a bit of editorial license with police procedure but hell, at least the police were involved and respected. McKinlay ends this, or tries to, with a cliffhanger. It's not really a cliffhanger unless you're stuck in adolescence (I'd love to know why the author decided all her books, which were all very good without them, suddenly needed love triangles and cliffhangers). I have the latest book on my Pile and I'm probably just going to dive right in to it next and see what happens. Sadly it will be less because I'm curious, and more so I can check a series off my list as "caught up with" but at least this book was good enough that I am curious.
    • 5/5
      When Ariana Jackson brings in a hat she wants restored for her wedding to Mim’s Whim’s, Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont's hat shop, the two of them jump at the chance to restore it since their late beloved grandmother was the original maker of the hat. Before they can even get started working on the hat, Scarlett signs Ariana hunched over the body of her very dead boss. Many people wanted Anthony Russo dead, including Ariana who is the chief suspect. Vivian and Scarlett think Ariana is innocent and set out to find who is responsible for his death but it won't be easy.While I have read and enjoyed all three of Jenn McKinlay’s cozy mystery series (The Library Lovers Mysteries, The Cupcake Mysteries, and the London Hat Shop Mysteries) I have always considered the London Hat Shop series to be the lightest and coziest - a bit too light at times perhaps. To my surprise and delight, “At the Drop of a Hat” is a clever mystery, full of twists and turns and a surprise ending. Yes, Scarlett is still fighting her attraction to Harrison to the point where it is becoming annoying (and yes I understand why she is reluctant to enter into another relationship but she comes across as needy at times) - for me that is the weakest part of this book/series. Otherwise there are many things I like about this series: I love the London setting (I got so hungry while reading this book!), I love the hat shop setting, I love the characters (even Scarlett). But it is the mystery and the solution to the mystery that makes this book shine. I can't say too much about it because I'd spoil it but the solution is ingenious. And the surprise at the very end of the book – wow, I can't wait for the next book to see what happens next!“At the Drop of a Hat” is another nice cozy mystery by Jenn McKinlay.
    • 4/5
      In this third book in the series, Scarlett and Viv are excited to have the chance to restore a bridal hat that was made by their beloved grandmother, Mim. But when the bride is accused of murdering her boss, the cousins will do anything to prove her innocence. This series is great fun. Scarlett and Viv are wonderful characters as is their apprentice, Fee. And I can't forget their long suffering friend and partner, Harrison. There's a new guy, Alistair, that I hope will stick around for at least another book. I also like the little glimpses of London and life there that we get. The mystery in this one is pretty good but it's the characters make the story so much fun. Oh, and the hats. Don't forget the hats.
    • 4/5
      Although I found myself displeased with Scarlett's behavior in the previous book in the Hat Shop series, I am thrilled to report that she didn't raise my blood pressure once while I read At the Drop of a Hat. As a matter of fact, this is the strongest book in the series so far, and I'm definitely looking forward to more.Scarlett's tied up in knots over the vow of celibacy she took after her last disastrous relationship-- mostly because of the excellent replacement she's found in Harrison Wentworth. Her jealousy is still there, but since Harrison seems very content to wait for the year to be over, Scarlett can keep it under control, and as a result, my enjoyment factor skyrocketed.From the Pun Wars the characters hold whenever they're together, to the friends like Andre and Nick that Scarlett have made, this series really feels as though it's hit its stride-- and the mystery is a darned good one, too.As I read the opening of At the Drop of a Hat, I was struck by two things: (1) with the description of the setting being gray, gray, gray, I was reminded of the opening of Charles Dickens' Bleak House and its fog, fog, fog, and (2) that the author was inside my head because just as I thought, "Wait a second, she's in London. Everything would be grey!" here McKinlay is with "Or as the Brits like to spell it, grey." Yes, this author's books are so much fun to read, and I look forward to finding out what's going on at Mim's Whims next!
    • 4/5
      I loved “At the Drop of a Hat” as a stand-alone title not being aware it was already the 3rd novel of A Hat Shop Mystery series. There are some novels that are tiring to read as in order to move the current story forward, the author seems to provide a comprehensive review of the attributes and histories of all characters to date which interrupts the flow of the current novel and is more of a frustrating and distracting interruption to the reader – regardless if an independent title reader or series reader. This novel is definitely not tiring to read.The lead characters, cousins Scarlett (Ginger) Parker and Vivian (Viv) Tremont are as different as night and day and yet they are the dearest of friends as well as owners of their late grandmother’s millinery shop, Mim’s Whims. There are also an exquisite cast of supporting characters and each brings a special treasure of delights to the storyline from the apprentice, Fiona (Fee) Felton, to dear friends, Nick Carroll (dentist) and Andre Eisel (photographer and undiscovered chef extraordinaire) who live a few doors down from the hat shop, to Harrison (Harry) Wentworth, a childhood friend of the cousins and now a business partner, to Ariana Jackson, hat shop customer and bride-to-be and fiancé Stephen Whitcomb, to Inspectors Franks and Simms. One might immediately wonder with a large cast of characters not all of which I have named (as I don’t include spoilers in my reviews) if the reader will have any trouble remembering their names, keeping their personalities defined, and/or if the reading will become a task of keeping track of who’s who. Absolutely no worries! The characters are unique and filled with charisma, each a joy to meet in order of appearance, and each bring a distinguishing blend of intelligence, comedy, and charm to create the magical feeling that you’re in the midst of London as soon as you delve in-between the book covers. The dialogue is witty and sometimes giggling funny!Particularly in the cozy mystery category, it is a wonderful discovery of suspense and charm! The novel is entertaining, delightfully peppered with British charm in the dialogue, and especially endearing during tea times and shared meals with friends. I can’t wait to read the earlier novels in this series and then wait impatiently for the release of the 4th novel in the series.
    • 5/5
      I must start this review out by saying, Jenn McKinlay is one of my very favorite authors. It was her Cupcake Bakery Mystery series that started me on this long glorious road of cozy mysteries. After I read every book to date in that series, I quickly bought and read every book she had published at the time under all of her pen names. And all of that lead to me becoming a reviewer with my very own blog. So thank you, Jenn McKinlay. (And to be fair, thank you to my sister who handed me that first delightful book and said, “Read it.”)Book three in Ms. McKinlay’s Hat Shop Mystery series, AT THE DROP OF A HAT, is another stellar offering from the author. She always has me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions when I read her books, and this title is no different. I literally laughed out loud, gasped, and even cried a little. Her characters in this series are wonderful. I love American, Scarlett Parker and the fact that she is still trying to figure out the ways of the British. It makes for a fun balance with her very British cousin, Vivian Tremont and equally British Harrison Wentworth. I’m loving watching Scarlett’s and Harrison’s relationship progress. As for the mystery aspect of the story, it was excellent. Ms. McKinlay is wonderful with throwing misleading clues the reader’s way. She had me going down one road when I should have been going up another. As a result, I had no idea who the killer was until the author wanted me to know. Hats off to you Jenn McKinlay for this superb book and series!