Harrowing Hats
A Renaissance Faire Mystery, No 4
Joyce and Jim Lavene

Berkley Prime Crime
August 2011/ ISBN 978-0-425-24277-3
Mystery / Cozy
Amazon

Reviewed by Laura Hinds

Josie Morton spends her summers working at the Renaissance Faire Village, as an apprentice to various masters of their trades, and finding dead bodies. In this fourth book in the series, Josie is still learning crafts for her dissertation on “The Proliferation of Medieval Crafts in Modern Times.”

Josie, along with her boyfriend, Chase Manhattan, who just happens to be the Village Bailiff, find the body of the eldest chocolatier dead in a vat of chocolate. Known for being a bit of a lothario, Cesar Rizzo had quite the roster of enemies. In addition to being found dead in a vat of chocolate, Rizzo had a hatpin stuck right in his eye! Is it possible that the hat maker, Andre Hariot, killed him? On the other hand, is it an attempt to frame him?

Because she was Cesar’s apprentice, Josie wants to find his killer herself. After all, she has a knack for solving murders at the Renaissance Faire Village. As Josie and Chase track down leads and try to get people’s alibis confirmed, the killer remains two steps ahead of them.

This is the fourth entry in the series, and it remains true to the previous books in setting the atmosphere of the Faire. Life isn’t easy there, and the costumes are never quite right. The language of the period is unique, and I think this series would appeal to most anyone who loves a historical-type mystery, even though it is set in the present time. It is an exciting read and is full of action and adventure. The characters are interesting and the mystery is well crafted. If you love a cozy mystery with a unique flair, you’ll be sure to enjoy this book. I sure enjoyed my trip back in time!