Synopses & Reviews
In Hannah Dennison's Murder at Honeychurch Hall, 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 isnt 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 Iriss 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
"A New Reading Delight Featuring Antique Shows, Romance Novels, Quirky Characters and Murder!" —
Fresh Fiction“Dennison has created a fun world of tabloid gossip, romance tropes, eccentric neighbors, family drama, and antiques. I look forward to more adventures from Kat & Iris.”—Johnny Cake Reads
“Hannah Dennisons Murder at Honeychurch Hall is a light, funny mystery that would be perfect for the beach or a rainy weekend at home.”—How Mysterious!
“A cozy mystery novel at its finest… Hannah Dennison has created a story with a nice balance of English charm at a quirky country manor with a cast of characters that all have cause to be murder suspects.” —Night Owl Reviews
“Dennisons book is fast and funny and a little sexy to boot” —Chicago Tribunes Printers Row Journal
“Dennison launches a new series with a potpourri of sentimentality and suspense. It all works since the dryly self-deprecating heroine keeps herself centered in spite of the zaniness around her.” —Kirkus Review
“Dennison keeps the twists and turns coming fast and furious”—Bookpage
“This upstairs downstairs cozy should please Downton Abbey fans” —Publishers Weekly
“The first in a new series by Dennison is a humor-laden blend of antiques, celebrity adulation, and old-style British Cozy. Fans of Alan Bradley or G.M. Malliet would savor. A romance novel embedded in the cozy mystery makes it especially fun” —Library Journal
“With believable characters, a modern take on manor-house life, a juicy subplot involving Kats mother, and a possible love interest, this is a good start to a new series.” —Booklist
“Establishes Hannah Dennison as the mistress of hilarious British mysteries. Fabulous fun. As off-the-wall and clever as Sarah Caudwell.”
—Carolyn Hart, author of Ghost Gone Wild “A delight. Kept me up all night because I couldn't put it down.”
—Dorothy Cannell “This is the perfect classic English village mystery, but with the addition of charm, wit and a thoroughly modern touch. Pour yourself a cup of tea, curl up on the couch and enjoy!”
—Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author "Downton Abbey was yesterday, Murder at Honeychurch Hall lifts the lid on today's grand country estate in all its tarnished, scheming, inbred, deranged glory. With lords and ladies, cooks and butlers, romance writers and priceless teddy bears, Hannah Dennison's Devon caper is a riot and the mystery itself keeps those pages turning right to the end."
—Catriona McPherson, author of the Dandy Gilver series “A classic country house mystery with a present day tabloid sensibility, cracking pace and acerbic humor—not to mention an entirely original cast of British eccentrics. And I did not guess whodunit. Please, please, let there be a sequel!”
—Harley Jane Kozak, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Award-winning author of A Date You Cant Refuse “Downton Abbey meets Midsomer Murders in this lively and entertaining series debut.”
—Marcia Talley, award-winning author of the Hannah Ives mystery series “A rousing romp through the English countryside. Filled with quirky characters and hilarious antics, this page-turner will leave you breathless!”
—Julie Hyzy, New York Times bestselling author of the White House Chef Mysteries and the Manor House Mystery series “Kat Stanford and her mother exchange laugh out loud one-liners and make a delightful duo as they solve a multi-layered mystery that kept surprising me right up until the end. Fantastic!”
—Jenn McKinlay, New York Times bestselling author of the Cupcake mysteries, London Hat Shop mysteries, and the Library Lovers mysteries “When she goes to the aid of her much loved but often irritating mother, Kat copes with aplomb with secrets old and new. A fun read.”
—Carola Dunn, bestselling and award winning author of the Daisy Dalrymple and Cornish Mysteries.
Synopsis
In Murder at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, former TV celebrity host 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, on an isolated country estate, Honeychurch Hall, several hundred miles from London. When Kat arrives at the house, she discovers that Iris has yet another surprise in store. Iris has been writing in secret for years and reluctantly reveals that shes actually Krystalle Storm, the famous bestselling author of steamy bodice-rippers. The gentry upstairs and those below stairs at Honeychurch Hall regard the newcomers with suspicion and distrust. When the nanny goes missing, the loyal housekeeper ends up dead, and Iris is accused of the murder, Kat realizes she hardly knows her mother at all and wonders if she is—indeed—guilty. Although the six hundred year old estate has endured wars, corruption and Royal favors, its the scandals, secrets and lies of the last few decades that must remain buried at all costs.
About the Author
HANNAH DENNISON began her writing career in 1977 as a trainee reporter for a small West Country newspaper in Devon, England. Hannah is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, the Willamette Writers, British Crime Writers Association and Toastmasters International. Hannah is the author of the Vicky Hill mysteries, published by Berkley Prime Crime; Murder at Honeychurch Hall is her first time being published in hardcover.