Murder At Honeychurch Hall, overall, was a good mystery read. The mystery was well planned and not easy to guess. The settings were somewhat unique in that most of the scenes took place at an old manor house instead of the typical quaint village that you usually see in cozy British mysteries.

The story follows Kat, a city girl who loves the London life, as she sets out to find what is causing her mother to act strange when she abruptly moves to a small, coastal village and buys a dilapidated carriage house on the grounds of a run down manor house. Upon arriving to see her mother, the nanny disappears and the housekeeper is soon murdered. Kat must unravel the mysteries behind her mother's past and the connections to Honeychurch Hall and the murder in present day.

The reason behind a 4 star review, instead of the 5 which I think this book could easily have gotten, was that many of the character, even Kat and her mother Iris, were completely unlikable. Kat is selfish and wants her mother to follow her desires for the future instead of getting to know her mother and what she wants to do. Iris, instead of being honest with her daughter about her career and her past, she keeps these things hidden from Kat, which creates a strained relationship. These were two characters I wanted to give a smack across the head and tell them to act like grown ups instead of children.

Despite this, I do look forward to the second book and hope to see some changes in their personalities. ( )

This is the first book in Hannah Dennison's Honeychurch Hall series and I am definitely going to read the next one. It is everything a cozy mystery should be. It takes place in the Devon countryside where the action occurs. Honeychurch Hall is a country manor in disrepair and the family is short on funds. This story has secret identities, antique stuffed animals, hidden passages, secret wheeling and dealings and a murder. It's the type of book that you literally want to curl up with and keep reading until you get to the end.

Katherine (Kat) Stanford has decided to give up the celebrity life of hosting the TV show, Fakes and Treasures and open her own antique shop with her recently widowed mother, Iris. When Iris tries to locate her mother she finds out she has move 200 miles away from London to a carriage house on the Honeychurch Hall Estate in Devon. Kat finds this out when her mother calls to tell her that she has broken her hand and will not be opening a shop with her daughter. Kat is worried that her mother has had some kind of mental breakdown and heads off to convince her to come back to London. When Kat arrives at the Honeychurch Hall Estate she becomes involved in her mother's as well as Lady Edith's life and situations. Lady Edith is against selling to developers that her son has secretly been dealing with. Kat learns that she doesn't really know her mother much at all, as Kat's preconceived ideas of her mother as a lonely widow and city girl are quickly dispelled. Kat is not sure about her new life with her mother, her boyfriend, his ex-wife or the people on the estate. As Devon proves to be anything but the boring out-of-the-way backwater Kat was expecting, the question remains at the end, what Kat will decide to do with her life. A wonderful cozy mystery that I really enjoyed. ( )

A light, entertaining story that skirts right up to the line of farce and dances along it without ever teetering over the edge, this first in a new series reminded me a bit of Dorothy Cannel's writing style, and to anyone who has read and enjoyed those, I'd recommend giving this one a try.

Kat Stanford has just resigned as a TV personality on Fakes & Treasures and is on her way towards her dream of opening her own antiques shop with her mother. Only to find her mother has no intention of going into business with her, and has moved out to the country and bought a carriage house on an old-family estate without telling her. Kate, sure her mother has misplaced a few of her marbles, rushes out to Honeychurch Hall to badger some sense into her mom and get her back into London and back on The Plan. On her arrival, she's confronted with another shock: her mom is, in fact, a romance writer of renown; a secret she's been keeping all of Kat's life from everybody. Oh, and the carriage house is a big hot mess with holes in the roof and the floors.

The dynamic between Kate and her mother, Iris, is so refreshing; here are two women who obviously love and respect each other but do not let the other get away with anything for one moment. They bicker almost non-stop throughout the entire book. Based on my own family dynamics, it's the most realistic mother-daughter relationship I've ever seen written.

The rest of the supporting cast of characters are eccentric, yet realistic - although their antics can be a bit out there. I love Biggles! I don't normally like kids in my mysteries, but he's just adorable! Kat's boyfriend plays a part, but it's a small one and he's around just enough for me to wish him gone.

The murder takes place about halfway through the story; there's a lot of character setup, background information, and setting establishment taking place, so to me it felt natural. There's also a missing woman almost right from the start, so there is some investigating going on throughout the whole book. This wasn't a cozy where the MC decides she 'must' investigate to save someone; Kat is just trying to help out her mother, convince her to come home, and not fall through her bedroom floor. She stumbles across everything naturally in the course of everyday events and I LOVE that! There weren't any TSTL moments either.

Overall the plotting was fluid, as natural as these things can be, and really well done. I loved the way everything new and old was tied together at the end and nothing was given away before it was supposed to be.

This is a strong first in what could be a vastly entertaining series. I deducted 1/2 star for the very subjective reason that I had difficulty really connecting with the MC; I like her, but I think I need to read the next book to get to know her better.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in return for an honest review. ( )

This whodunit was quick paced and an easy read. I finished the book a lot faster than I expected and was pleasantly surprised by the conclusion. While I was kept guessing about the murderer's identify, i grew tired of the choppy dialogue. I'm hoping the dialogue improves with the next book in the series. ( )

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. ( )