Wednesday, November 09, 2022

Murder in Miniature at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

 
First Line: "Well, I can honestly say that Violet Green won't have anything worth buying unless you are into teapots."
 
The news is a bombshell for everyone when Charlie Green's body is discovered buried in the woods. It had been assumed that the rogue had left for Ireland years ago. Although Charlie's death occurred years before Kat Stanford came to Honeychurch Hall, she's drawn into the investigation when she's asked to clear out his deceased aunt's belongings and finds two rare miniatures hidden in a dollhouse. 

Then Charlie's other aunt suffers a fatal fall, and suspicious villagers are ready to point the finger at any stranger amongst them. Although some believe the tourist renting the shepherd's hut in Honeychurch Hall's walled garden is the likely killer, Kat doesn't. There is something off about the tourist, but Kat believes her to be a reporter, not a murderer. 

With a new detective inspector trying to solve two murders in a village-- and estate-- filled with eccentrics, antiques expert Kat Stanford can't help but lend a helping hand.
 
~
 
When I needed something light and fun as a break from darker, more somber fare, I knew one of the best places to turn: Hannah Dennison's Honeychurch Hall series. Murder in Miniature at Honeychurch Hall was exactly what I needed. 
 
In this installment, I actually already knew about one of the featured antiques: little china dolls called Frozen Charlottes. My grandmother had a couple of them in her collection. Some people consider the Frozen Charlottes to be creepy, but I never did. (Kewpie dolls hold that distinction for me.) As you might have guessed from the book's title, miniatures are the other featured antiques. Dennison can always fascinate me with her choice of antiques, just as much as she can with the way she weaves details about day-to-day life on a crumbling country estate where repairs are legion and money practically nonexistent.

In this book, Kat's boyfriend has moved to London for an important job with the Metropolitan Police. In his place is Detective Inspector Gregory Mallory, a very handsome, very tall, man who has the tendency to make me laugh. I know I shouldn't find it funny, but the old and new lumps and bruises on his head from walking into low beams made me laugh. Although those old buildings can ooze buckets of charm, I'd never buy or rent one because I refuse to live with the constant threat of traumatic brain injury. Mallory also made me laugh as he tried his best to question the local villagers. You would be hard-pressed to find a better collection of eccentrics, and the more Mallory developed eye tics, the more I laughed.

I even enjoyed Kat's mum this time around. Normally Iris drives me around the twist with her secret bank accounts and income tax avoidance, but this time she kept me amused with her dodgy boyfriend and her own attempts to solve the crime.
 
With its well-plotted mystery, its knowledge of antiques, its humor, and its marvelous cast of newcomers mingling with generations of the upstairs and downstairs folk of the Honeychurch Hall estate, Murder in Miniature... was a delight to read. If you're in the market for some lighthearted fun in your mysteries, I highly recommend this series.

Murder in Miniature at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison
eISBN: 9781472133816
Constable © 2021
eBook, 268 pages
 
Cozy Mystery, #8 Honeychurch Hall mystery
Rating: A
Source: Purchased from Amazon.

10 comments:

  1. So very glad you enjoyed this, Cathy! I like this series a lot (haven't gotten this far yet), and it's good to know this one lives up to the series, if that makes sense. Add in all of that lovely antique stuff, and you've my interest!

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    1. For me, this is one of those series that gets stronger with every book.

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  2. "Lighthearted fun" sounds just like what I could use at the moment. Maybe I'll give this one a read.

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  3. I had a book when I was a kid that mentioned Frozen Charlotte dolls! I've never forgotten them. This mystery sounds like a lot of fun. :D

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    1. It is-- and it's nice to know someone else who knows what Frozen Charlottes are! :-)

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  4. Fascinating link about the dolls, I didn't know that. Sounds like a wonderful read and could use something light myself.

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    1. It must be catching. Me, Dorothy, you... :-/

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  5. Thanks for the info about Frozen Charlottes - that's something new for me!

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