Jessie Morton returns to the Renaissance Faire Village to continue her work toward her Ph.D. At first, it looks like she will be unable to find an apprenticeship but then Chase, her main man and the Village Bailiff, finds her work in the hat shop. She learns a lot from Andre, a man who once worked in Hollywood. Andre has some fabulous stories to share and his abilities with hats are inspiring.

When Cesar, one of the Three Chocolatiers, is found dead in the chocolate shop, Jessie must utilize her detecting skills to discover the killer. As she and Chase investigate, they discover that Andre and Cesar were in competition for the favors of one of the ladies of the village. Cesar was quite a philanderer and the more they learn, the more motives they discover for the village inhabitants.

Add in a series of knights to the village and the jealousy they inspire, Chase disappearing for hours at night, and the usual high jinks that take place in the village and the reader will have a grand time. This is an entertaining read with a well-crafted plot. The identity of the killer was a surprise. Jessie has some tense moments with the secrets that Chase is keeping until she discovers the truth. Jessie and her matchmaking skills will also be in demand.

Readers of the series will not be disappointed. New readers will want to glom the backlist so they don't miss a single minute of Jessie and her crazy life.

Book Summary

Working as a hat-maker in the Renaissance Faire Village is pretty sweet for Jessie Morton-until one of the fair's chocolatiers is found drowned in a vat of chocolate in his shop. Now Jessie must sort through a long list of knaves, knights, and wenches who might have wanted to see the chocolatier double-dipped and dead.

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