A Killer Christmas at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

 

First Line: Where on earth was Shawn?

 

Something must be done to restore Honeychurch Hall's ailing fortunes, so after the butler's death and the cook's retirement, Lady Lavinia replaces them with a power couple who immediately start setting up a big-ticket Christmas gala and silent auction. There's even a mystery celebrity flying in as the guest of honor.

 

While the power couple is busy antagonizing everyone, Kat Stanford is dealing with the theft of a valuable doll that was to be the centerpiece of the auction. The reputation she's spent years building is at stake.

 

Then the bodies begin to appear. One in the Victorian stumpery, and a second in the ha-ha. Now it's not just a doll that  Kat is trying to find... she's looking for a killer.

 

 

~

 

It hasn't been all that long since I read one of Hannah Dennison's Honeychurch Hall mysteries, but I couldn't resist this holiday-themed one. A Killer Christmas at Honeychurch Hall certainly sated my appetite for some festive mayhem. 

There's a lot going on in this fast-paced little jewel. Kat's romance with Shawn is more off than on. The detective inspector who replaced him is still handsome and still smashing his head on those low beams in local homes and pubs. The Dowager Countess is showing signs of senility, and it looks as though Kat's mother Iris may finally be unmasked as bestselling bodice-ripper novelist Krystalle Storm. In addition, the double threat of the stolen Barbie doll and a killer on the loose is enough to satisfy any armchair sleuth. There were elements of both that made me feel superior in my deductive powers, but there was still more than enough to keep my little grey cells happy.

Once again, I love how Dennison weaves in information about antiques and country house life. In this installment, readers learn tidbits about Barbie dolls, Scheele's Green, and champagne coupes as well as how the owners of these large old English estates are trying to make ends meet. Converting outbuildings into Airbnbs and glamping (a term that really makes me grind my teeth) seem to be the two most popular alternatives to keep the wolves from the doors of these old houses.

The icing on the cake of A Killer Christmas at Honeychurch Hall (as well as the entire series) is the humor. From the locations of the dead bodies-- the stumpery and the ha-ha-- to "All it took was a little prick," and all points in between, I was either smiling or laughing through the entire book. By the way, don't worry-- you will find out what a stumpery and a ha-ha are.

If you're in the mood for some lighthearted, intelligent fun, then I wholeheartedly recommend Hannah Dennison's Honeychurch Hall series. I've been a fan since the very first book.

A Killer Christmas at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

eISBN: 9781408715918

 Constable © 2022

eBook, 261 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #9 Honeychurch Hall mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon

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.

Death of a Diva at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

 

First Line: "You're alive!"

 

Residents of the Honeychurch Hall estate are shocked to learn that Dowager Countess Edith Honeychurch has agreed to stage a production of The Merry Widow in the Hall's dilapidated ballroom. They soon learn that the request was made by one of the dowager's closest friends, Countess Olga Golodkin, the director of the amateur Devon Operatic Dramatic Organization. The Merry Widow will be Olga's swansong, and she wants to go out with a bang.

 

~

 

Death of a Diva at Honeychurch Hall is the latest installment of one of my favorite cozy series. Hannah Dennison writes with great humor and affection of country house life, and-- as much as I enjoy the mysteries, the humor, and the camaraderie-- I always find myself learning something when I read about Kat Stanford's latest adventure. In Death of a Diva I learned some interesting facts about opera, horseshoe bats, and the Spanish Armada and Agatha Christie's Greenway House.

 

There are relationship woes aplenty. Kat's relationship with the local detective inspector has hit a stretch of bumpy road, and her mother's beau has dumped her for the opera star coming to sing at the Hall. 

 

One of the reasons why I like the lighthearted humor of this series so much is that readers are often "in the know" about what's going on, and we get to anticipate and appreciate the characters' reactions. But we're also treated to how people deal with life in an ancient building with very low beams. (If I ever relocate to the UK, it's Georgian all the way for me. Tall ceilings, tall doors, tall windows. I refuse to be under constant threat of concussion in my own home.)

I think it's time that I come clean about something. Kat's mother drives me nuts. Others probably find her hilarious, but I've found that a little of this woman goes a long way. She's a bestselling author of bodice-ripping romances, but she keeps her identity secret. (Now I like this bit because it's fun to watch her trying to dodge discovery.) Fittingly, she writes in a converted piggery. Why fittingly? Because she "suffered from migraines" for years, leaving her husband and daughter tiptoeing about the house in fear of her health, all so she could write. Then... she's squirreled away all her money in secret, tax-evading accounts on faraway islands. It's all about her, all the time. If there's a diva in this book-- make that this series-- it's Kat's mother.  (Now that I've vented my spleen, I do have to admit that this is one well-written character to get such a strong reaction from me!)

Now that I've survived That Woman yet again, I have to smile because I have the next book in the series waiting for me. I always look forward to seeing what mystery Kat has to solve... and I can always hope that her selfish mother finally gets her comeuppance. Well, I can, can't I?

 

Death of a Diva at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

eISBN: 9781472133786

Constable © 2020

eBook, 227 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #7 Honeychurch Hall mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon. 

Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

 

First Line: "I declare the museum open day a resounding success."

 

Trying to keep all the various parts of Honeychurch Hall in reasonably good condition is expensive, which is why Kat Stanford is finally able to persuade the Earl of Grenville to open the Museum Room to villagers in an effort to raise money for roof repairs. For the price of admission, visitors will be able to view an unusual display of antiques-- including the legendary Bleeding Hawk of Honeychurch Hall.

When a young couple travel two hundred miles from London to view the treasures, their appearance sets off a disastrous chain of events. The man is attacked by the estate's Jack Russell terrier. A suit of armor falls on the ancient butler. Two valuable antique pocket watches go missing as well, and when a second body is discovered near an old quarry, Kat realizes there's a cold-blooded killer on the loose who will stop at nothing to keep the past where it belongs. In the past.

~

Hannah Dennison's light touch keeps her Honeychurch Hall series fresh and entertaining. In Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall, the pace is almost frenetic as the cast of characters find themselves in the last ten days before Christmas.

One of the things I have always enjoyed about this series is that Dennison shows readers how tough it can be for land rich, cash poor nobility in England to keep their stately homes and estates afloat. (A case in point is Highclere Castle which featured in Downton Abbey. It was in a sad state until the television series became a hit and tourists flooded in. Only then were the owners able to finance badly needed repairs on the house.) In Dennison's series, however, the noble Grenvilles are quite the eccentric bunch. The imperious dowager countess who strikes fear in the hearts of everyone. The rather scatty countess who's easily led astray. The earl who isn't above a shady deal or two to try to accumulate some badly needed cash. The eight-year-old heir, Harry, is probably my favorite, although he does have a rather tough time of it in this book with the young guest Fleur constantly trying to lead him astray.

The stately home setting is merely the icing on the cake; it's the cast of characters who keep me coming back. It's a wide-ranging cast, too, because there's one or two that I'd like to pretend were never there, one or two who always make me laugh, and those that I truly care about-- like main character Kat Stanford. I certainly wouldn't mind checking out the antiques she sells, and I completely agree with how she handles being the center of attention of three men in this book. 

The plot is a humdinger in Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall. The second London couple Angus and Lala show up in the museum room, readers will know they're up to no good... but just what kind of no good is much more difficult to deduce. Then there's the cutthroat business of which employee gets to live in the best cottage on the estate and the young reporter who is recording too many private conversations for comfort. And why does Lenny never seem to be where he's supposed to be? All those goings-on, that cast of characters, and the humor make this book-- and the entire series-- a winner for lovers of cozy mysteries.

 

If you haven't read a Honeychurch Hall mystery, you could read this sixth book and not feel lost, but why miss out on all the fun? Start with the very first one, Murder at Honeychurch Hall, and enjoy them all. 

 

Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

eISBN: 9781472128515

Constable © 2019

eBook, 320 pages

 

Cozy Mystery, #6 Honeychurch Hall mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Dangerous Deception at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

First Line: Edith Honeychurch abruptly stopped her chestnut mare in the middle of the bridleway.

Just as everything seems to be running smoothly for Kat Stanford, it starts going pear-shaped, and the name of the pear in this instance is Cassandra Bowden-Forbes. At a local teddy bear fair that Kat has been looking forward to for weeks, she values a set of antique bears as fakes while Bowden-Forbes-- who elbowed her way into the fair-- values the same bears as incredibly valuable antiques.

Bowden-Forbes also muscles her way into Kat's love life, and the normally easy-going Kat realizes that, yes, she too can be jealous of an incredibly beautiful, perfectly turned out female.

With her personal and professional lives unraveling, Kat finds herself at the scene of two mysterious deaths. She's got a lot of work ahead of her to stop all those wagging tongues.

Hopefully, any fan of British traditional (cozy) mysteries has found Hannah Dennison's delightful Honeychurch Hall series. Chockful of humor, antiques, village life, and murder, these books are always so much fun to read. Dangerous Deception at Honeychurch Hall is no exception, and-- as usual-- I learned quite a bit while I was enjoying myself. Kat Stanford specializes in teddy bears, and in this latest installment of the series, I learned about mascot bears, the tiny bears given to soldiers during World War I. I also learned two new British slang phrases: granny-farming (swindling the elderly) and fly-tipping (illegal dumping). It's true that Britain and America are two nations divided by a common language, and I do love learning the differences.

Although the whodunit of the story was almost glaringly obvious, I still enjoyed myself. I appreciated Kat's reaction to two men fighting over her, and I was surprised to find that I must be getting used to Kat's mother. Normally I've thoroughly disliked this writer of torrid bodice rippers, but-- heavens!-- I'm beginning to find the woman funny.

If you're a lover of British traditional (cozy) mysteries, you can't go wrong by visiting Honeychurch Hall. It's the perfect place to solve a mystery.

Dangerous Deception at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

eISBN: 9781472128485

Constable © 2018

eBook, 242 pages

Cozy Mystery, #5 Honeychurch Hall mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon. 

Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

First Line: "Muriel!" I exclaimed. "What a lovely surprise. Come on in."

When the one and only copy of Iris Stanford's manuscript never arrives at her publisher's office, daughter Kat's investigation leads straight to the tiny village post office-- where it seems the manuscript never left the building. Now Iris is in a right state. Not only is her publisher breathing down her neck for the book, now she's petrified that Muriel Jarvis (postmistress and Gossip Central) will expose her secret identity as the bestselling romance writer Krystalle Storm.

Muriel has her own problems, what with her husband's recent death leaving her in oceans of debt, and Kat is finding that getting her antique business up and running isn't going as smoothly as she'd hoped. Then there's the Civil War reenactment at Honeychurch Hall that's ruffling all sorts of feathers. Something tells Kat that she's going to have to put the start of her business aside so that she can ride to the rescue of all those about her... one more time.

This fourth installment of Hannah Dennison's Honeychurch Hall series is every bit as delightful as the other three. These mysteries have all the hallmarks of a writer who's loving every minute of her work. 

Her stately home setting allows Dennison to enlighten readers about the very real problems faced by the owners of such properties, and her method of showing how an extremely eccentric family tries to stay afloat and save their home takes away any appearance of this being "a lesson." In addition, having a family who's lived in the house for centuries lets the author bring to light all sorts of family skeletons-- like the one uncovered in time for the Civil War reenactment being carried out on the property.

As always, the cast of characters shines. I really liked the fact that Kat is actually starting to get her antique business off the ground. Readers get to meet a family black sheep named Piers and a very young wife named Jess, and busybody Muriel plays her role to perfection. I have to admit that Kat's mother Iris still annoys the stuffing out of me (let me count the ways!), but Dennison has so much fun with her that I won't complain. 

There's so much to like in this book-- and the entire series-- that I could go on forever. This Honeychurch Hall series is one of my favorite cozy series, and if you haven't tried it by now, I hope you will in the very near future. Due to character development, I suggest you start at the beginning with Murder at Honeychurch Hall. You have some wonderful reading ahead of you!
 

Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

eISBN: 9781466872448

Minotaur Books © 2017

eBook, 320 pages

Cozy Mystery, #4 Honeychurch Hall mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

A Killer Ball at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

First Line: "You are absolutely not selling William Dobson, Rupert!"

Growing up, Kat Stanford always believed her mother was a fragile flower, since Iris often retired to her bedroom with bad headaches. Now Kat knows better. All those headaches masked Iris's secretly writing her bestselling romance novels. And Iris's past? It just seems to get Kat involved in one situation after another.

This time it's one of Iris's old flames who's come back to Honeychurch Hall to wreak havoc. Well, that and the small problem of the partially mummified body of a young woman Kat finds in one of the abandoned wings of Honeychurch Hall. Hidden treasure, secret rooms, old loves... all these combine to put Kat and her mother in deadly danger.

I have a feeling that Hannah Dennison has as much fun writing these Honeychurch Hall mysteries as I have in reading them. They are just plain fun to read, and I always look forward to the next book in the series. 

Even with the mystery, the humor, and the wonderful characters, Dennison still finds time to show us the plight of many of England's stately homes. If the family isn't titled,  or rich, or have their home open to hordes of trampling tourists, it can be tough-- which was why Kat was stumbling around in an abandoned wing of Honeychurch Hall. Its owners are desperately strapped for cash, and she was using her expert knowledge of antiques to find something they could sell so badly needed repairs could be made to the house. 

The owners of Honeychurch Hall are a mixed bunch. In fact there's only one of them I truly like: young Harry who hates boarding school and, as "Captain Bigglesworth," likes getting into adventures with Kat as his trusty aide. Why am I not all that fond of Harry's family? For generations, they've been able to get involved in all sorts of nefarious doings and come out smelling like roses because the police (and everyone else) covers their tracks. Must be my peasant blood rearing its ugly head.

I also have a problem with Kat's mother. Iris is just a bit too self-absorbed and spoiled for me. Kat's father let Iris do as she pleased-- and she did. She has also been plowing all the money from her books into offshore accounts. Why couldn't her family benefit in some way from all that?

As a main character, Kat is pretty much perfect. Smart, funny, and getting used to dealing with situations that can often resemble slapstick comedy. Hopefully she's going to get her antiques business up and running soon. I've been looking forward to that for three books now.

All right. Enough about the characters already! Can you tell that I'm hooked on Dennison's cast? The mystery in A Killer Ball at Honeychurch Hall is a good one that kept me guessing. As a matter of fact, I didn't know the identity of the killer until Kat did, and I love it when that happens.  

If you haven't tried this series yet, I hope you will. You can dive in anywhere and not be hopelessly confused, but I'm hoping you'll begin at the beginning (Murder at Honeychurch Hall) because-- like I've said before--  these books are so much fun.     
 

A Killer Ball at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

eISBN: 9781466872455

Minotaur Books © 2016

eBook, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #3 Kat Stanford mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley  


 

Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

First Line: "I'd rather die than let the wretched government build a high-speed rail network through here."

Kat Stanford has been staying in Devon with her mother in a still-being-renovated cottage on the Honeychurch Hall estate. Now that her mother seems to have settled in, Kat should feel free to return to London and begin her new life as an antiques dealer. An agent even has the perfect premises lined up for her new home and business, but her plans are set aside when the body of a transport minister is found on the grounds of Honeychurch Hall. 

The police immediately begin looking at the villagers to fill out their suspect list. The dead man was supposedly involved in plans to put a high-speed train right through the village and the estate, and feelings are running at a fever pitch. With her mother Iris right in the thick of things, the only thing Kat can do is a bit of investigating on her own in order to catch a killer.

I fell in love with the first book in this series, Murder at Honeychurch Hall, and the love affair continues with this, book number two. Author Hannah Dennison must enjoy writing these because a sense of fun shines through on each page. As she stated in a recent tour, every Honeychurch Hall book will feature a real threat to Britain's stately homes, so if you're a reader-- like me-- who enjoys those wonderful, beautiful, old houses, I encourage you to give this series a try.

I also recommend them for the characters Dennison has created. Kat is an extremely likeable, smart, and caring woman who, as a former popular television personality, is still being stalked by the media. She also has a rather batty mother to deal with. Iris has always been a bit of a distant figure in Kat's life, tortured by headaches that would send her to her bedroom for hours at a time. However, Kat has recently learned that Iris was actually in her bedroom writing romance novels all those years, and she's the very popular author Krystalle Storm. Iris is a strange mix of wisdom and innocence. (Too many years hidden away writing bodice rippers?)

In this book Dennison livens up the action with Kat's Uncle Alfred. Between Iris and her brother, Kat may wind up talking to herself... and arguing with her answers. Newcomers Angela Parks and Patty Gully are in the thick of it, too, and they both kept me trying to figure out what they were up to.

The mystery in Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall is a good one that kept my mental gears whirring. I did manage to deduce part of the nefarious doings but had to wait until the reveal to find out whodunnit.

Hannah Dennison's Honeychurch Hall series is an irresistible blend of wit, stately homes, mystery, and wonderful characters. I'm hopelessly hooked, and now I'm reduced to waiting for book number three.

Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

ISBN: 9781250007803
Minotaur Books © 2015
Hardcover, 304 pages

Cozy Mystery, #2 Honeychurch Hall mystery
Rating: A-
Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.


 

Murder at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

First Line: "Mum!" I exclaimed. "Thank God you've called. I've been so worried."

As the face of popular television series Fakes & Treasures, Kat Stanford has decided that she's had her fill of intrusions into her privacy. What she wants now is a quiet life, a small antiques shop with living quarters above it for her mother, and for the man she loves to finalize his divorce so they can begin sharing their lives together. However, as Robbie Burns once said, "The best laid schemes o' mice and men Gang aft agley."

Now that her father is dead, Kat's mother goes incommunicado, and Kat finally finds her in a rundown carriage house on the Honeychurch Hall estate in Devon. Iris has bought what Kat considers to be a death trap, and that's not the only surprise she has in store for her daughter. Come to think of it, everyone on the estate seems to have some sort of secret, but it's not until the body of the housekeeper is found in the grotto and Iris is one of the suspects that Kat understands she's going to have to sort through all those secrets to find a motive for murder.

I loved this book! I was in the mood for funny, zany, quirky, eccentric, slightly over-the-top skullduggery (can you tell by the plethora of adjectives?), and author Hannah Dennison has delivered the goods with style and flair. The setting is a peach: a remote estate in Devon badly in need of restoration and simply stuffed to the rafters with priceless antiques. Honeychurch Hall is one of those country houses that was added to by each generation over the centuries, so secret tunnels and the like should come as no surprise. The setting adds a Gothic touch to the book that I really enjoyed.

The cast is the biggest assortment of eccentrics that you'll meet for a long time. Kat herself is the sanest of the lot-- regardless of her celebrity status-- and she helps readers stay tethered to the ground. We need the tether because the rest of the cast is bonkers. The matriarch of Honeychurch Hall rides sidesaddle, insists that her snuff box collection is disappearing, and is often seen with her 7-year-old grandson who identifies with Biggles. Almost every single estate worker comes from a long line of Honeychurch Hall servants, and they all have their (nearly) incomprehensible relationships and secrets. However, Kat's mother Iris is probably the one character who has the most astounding secrets. Kat is definitely going to have her hands full as this series progresses.

The first half of Murder at Honeychurch Hall is fast-paced, almost frantic, and I can see it leaving some readers dizzy with the introduction of several characters, the setting, the British slang, and the like. But Dennison is in her element. She has a purpose, and she is definitely having fun. The second half of the book settles down to allow readers to catch their breath, and we begin to see individual characters and their motivations in a much clearer light. It's these motivations that add a depth to the story that some may find surprising and I found to be delightful.

As much as I liked Dennison's characters, setting, and story, it is her sense of fun that captured me. Sometimes as I read a book, the way the various elements come together tell me how much the author was enjoying herself as she wrote. If Dennison had half as much fun as I think she did, I can't wait for the next book in this new series.

Murder at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison

ISBN: 9781250007797

Minotaur Books © 2014

Hardcover, 304 pages

Cozy/Humorous Mystery, #1 Kat Stanford mystery

Rating: A

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen