Book Review: Murder At Honeychurch Hall

Author: Hannah Dennison
Title: Murder at Honeychurch Hall
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Publish Date: May 13, 2014
Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb: 

Kat Stanford is just days away from starting her dream antique business with her newly widowed mother Iris when she gets a huge shock. Iris has recklessly purchased a dilapidated carriage house at Honeychurch Hall, an isolated country estate located several hundred miles from London.

Yet it seems that Iris isn’t the only one with surprises at Honeychurch Hall. Behind the crumbling façade, the inhabitants of the stately mansion are a lively group of eccentrics to be sure—both upstairs and downstairs —and they all have more than their fair share of skeletons in the closet.

When the nanny goes missing, and Vera, the loyal housekeeper ends up dead in the grotto, suspicions abound. Throw in a feisty, octogenarian countess, a precocious seven year old who is obsessed with the famous fighter pilot called Biggles, and a treasure trove of antiques, and there is more than one motive for murder.

As Iris’s past comes back to haunt her, Kat realizes she hardly knows her mother at all. A when the bodies start piling up, it is up to Kat to unravel the tangled truth behind the murders at Honeychurch Hall.

Review: I love English mysteries and this is a rather great one. It isn't your typical cozy. It is the first in a new series and one I'll definitely keep up with.

Kat is a tv host trying to get out of the business. She comes to Honeychurch Hall to see the home her mother has purchased. Things definitely aren't what they seem. The cottage house is falling apart and she learns that her mother has some really big secrets. One of them has to do with her mom's career, that Kat didn't know about until arriving at Honeychurch Hall. There's really a book within a book here at times, and that made for an interesting read.

I loved the aristocrats from the hall especially Countess Edith and young Harry, who is Rupert's son. Harry is totally precious, even though he has an obsession with WWII. Then there's Kat's boyfriend, who is married to her nemesis, Trudy. There's some hilarity there too.

It takes quite awhile for the mystery to get going, but there's enough intrigue with the quirky family members from The Hall and Kat's family and boyfriend.

There's a lot going on with her mother Iris, who is hiding quite a bit from her daughter, not only a career but a rather unusual family life from before her marriage to Kat's father.

The story is fast paced and fun a great start to a new series! I look forward to seeing how things progress at The Hall.

Rating: 5 flowers