I've been a huge fan of cozy mysteries for a number of years. With so many authors and book series in this sub-genre, it can be overwhelming to choose, but at the same time, each one has its own theme and style. Given I've got family in the south and I am semi-fascinated by the hat-making industry, I dove into the Missy Dubois series by Sandra Bretting a few years ago. The latest one, What the Hatmaker Heard, is number six and by far my favorite in the series.

Missy is a ~thirtyish milliner engaged to a wedding dress-maker in a small Louisiana town, who happens to find a lot of dead bodies, usually in connection with a wedding she's designing a hat for. How does she do it? Sixth sense, a lot of charm, and possibly the worst case of bad luck possible. Not only is she trying to plan her own wedding, but she often gets stuck with the majorest of major Bridezillas. I thought we were heading down that path again in this novel, but it turned out the 21-year-old bride-to-be was just a little catty before turning out to be much more sweet, until her fiance was murdered in a water tower on the venue's property! Then she's got a bit of anger in her again.

Yep, Missy found the body again, but this time, she wasn't alone. At least she can only take 50% of the blame, and there was no reason why she could be guilty. Even the police want her help now. The groom, a big-time gambler, had a few people out to get him, and when you meet his parents, you gotta wonder... just how did he survive those two, not to mention the step-sister who's stranger than strange. Nonetheless, Missy tries to keep everyone calm, and in a matter of less than 48-hours, she finds the culprit... catching him/her in an interesting lie of sorts. Chock full of other suspects, readers know the groom was poisoned from a plant on the property, but who other than family would've known how to use it as a mortal weapon?

Between the wonderful phrase 'Bless Your Heart' and the charming dialog, you can't help but wish you were a wedding guest each time the nuptials go haywire. Missy is usually quite strong, even this time when her own wedding has some major ups and downs. Nope, she didn't get married in this one, but based on everything we saw in this book, we're primed and ready for it to happen in the next book (I hope). Bretting has created a fantastic main character in Missy. She easily steals the show despite a good handful or two of supporting cast members. None are as rich (personality-wise) as her, but they come across as the average folks in the town, which is probably why Missy shines even more.

The girl needs a break! She's always fixing other people's problems, but that's what endears her to us. I love the covers on these playful books, and when the distinct physical settings come to life, I feel like I'm easily part of the book and not just standing on the sidelines as the plot unfolds. My only wish this time was that we saw more of her relationship with the fiance... he doesn't appear as often as I'd like, and sometimes, I really have to wonder... is the wedding going to happen, or will one of the other lucky guys around town who occasionally flirt with our heroine... steal his thunder?

Best read in order, they do work as stand-alone mysteries. The series gets much stronger with each new book, and I think these would be great for anyone looking for some southern exposure. Kudos to a great tale and cheers to many more to come. Easily 4.5 stars!
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