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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Review originally published at The Bookwyrm's Hoard.
Murder at Honeychurch Hall has a little of the feel of a Margery Allingham mystery, with its eccentric characters, convoluted plot, masses of secrets, and quirky British humor. But it's definitely no period piece, for all it takes place at a venerable stately home. This is decidedly today's Britain: the estate is dilapidated and in dire need of money; there are few servants left; the main character just left her job with an Antiques Roadshow-style television program; there are celebrity gossip shows and protests over a proposed railway line. The housekeeper even wears designer shoes (though it's a mystery how she can afford them.)
On the other hand, some of the characters are clearly living in the past -- or hiding from it. The dowager countess, Edith, is losing her memory (or is she?) and clings to the past through her horses and snuffbox collection. Young Harry, her grandson, is obsessed with a fictional WWI- and II-era fighter pilot ("Biggles.") And Kat's mother seems to be both revisiting and hiding her own past.
The characters are perhaps the best part of the whole book. Eccentric and individual, for the most part they avoid becoming caricatures, displaying very human emotions and flaws. Kat is both the main character and first-person narrator; she's likable but far from perfect, from her frustrations with her mother to her current love interest. She's not static, either, but grows at least a little in both areas by the end of the book. Kat's mother Iris is a hoot, and I honestly couldn't blame Kat for some of her frustration even as I found myself warming to Iris. I also really like the police detective, Shawn, though he doesn't appear as often as I expected him to. He walks the tightrope between his job and his familiarity with the suspects with tact and integrity, while remaining charmingly casual and even a bit rumpled.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the comic moments and the English setting, I found the novel a little confusing at first. It was hard to keep track of who was who in the beginning chapters. Eventually I did get the cast of characters straight, but there are also scads of secrets -- almost everyone seems to be hiding at least one. And between the nanny's disappearance, the housekeeper's death, a decades-old robbery, and possibly the death of the first earl's wife, not to mention whether and why someone is trying to drive Kat's mum out of the Carriage House she recently purchased... well, it's hard to determine what the central mystery is, which secrets tie in, and which are irrelevant. It may have been a little hard for author Hannah Dennison, too, because while most of the secrets are revealed eventually, not everything is completely resolved, and the solution ends up looking a bit like a jackdaw's nest, with bits and pieces sticking out in all directions.
Still, perhaps that, like the estate itself, is more realistic than the polished grand homes and neat resolutions in an Agatha Christie novel (dearly as I love them.) After all, in real life things rarely resolve neatly, with every detail tucked into place. And perhaps that's why, despite its flaws, I really enjoyed this funny, mixed-up, and sometimes moving mystery, and find myself hoping for more.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are entirely my own.
Murder at Honeychurch Hall has a little of the feel of a Margery Allingham mystery, with its eccentric characters, convoluted plot, masses of secrets, and quirky British humor. But it's definitely no period piece, for all it takes place at a venerable stately home. This is decidedly today's Britain: the estate is dilapidated and in dire need of money; there are few servants left; the main character just left her job with an Antiques Roadshow-style television program; there are celebrity gossip shows and protests over a proposed railway line. The housekeeper even wears designer shoes (though it's a mystery how she can afford them.)
On the other hand, some of the characters are clearly living in the past -- or hiding from it. The dowager countess, Edith, is losing her memory (or is she?) and clings to the past through her horses and snuffbox collection. Young Harry, her grandson, is obsessed with a fictional WWI- and II-era fighter pilot ("Biggles.") And Kat's mother seems to be both revisiting and hiding her own past.
The characters are perhaps the best part of the whole book. Eccentric and individual, for the most part they avoid becoming caricatures, displaying very human emotions and flaws. Kat is both the main character and first-person narrator; she's likable but far from perfect, from her frustrations with her mother to her current love interest. She's not static, either, but grows at least a little in both areas by the end of the book. Kat's mother Iris is a hoot, and I honestly couldn't blame Kat for some of her frustration even as I found myself warming to Iris. I also really like the police detective, Shawn, though he doesn't appear as often as I expected him to. He walks the tightrope between his job and his familiarity with the suspects with tact and integrity, while remaining charmingly casual and even a bit rumpled.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the comic moments and the English setting, I found the novel a little confusing at first. It was hard to keep track of who was who in the beginning chapters. Eventually I did get the cast of characters straight, but there are also scads of secrets -- almost everyone seems to be hiding at least one. And between the nanny's disappearance, the housekeeper's death, a decades-old robbery, and possibly the death of the first earl's wife, not to mention whether and why someone is trying to drive Kat's mum out of the Carriage House she recently purchased... well, it's hard to determine what the central mystery is, which secrets tie in, and which are irrelevant. It may have been a little hard for author Hannah Dennison, too, because while most of the secrets are revealed eventually, not everything is completely resolved, and the solution ends up looking a bit like a jackdaw's nest, with bits and pieces sticking out in all directions.
Still, perhaps that, like the estate itself, is more realistic than the polished grand homes and neat resolutions in an Agatha Christie novel (dearly as I love them.) After all, in real life things rarely resolve neatly, with every detail tucked into place. And perhaps that's why, despite its flaws, I really enjoyed this funny, mixed-up, and sometimes moving mystery, and find myself hoping for more.
FTC disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are entirely my own.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If I hadn't been reading this for a book challenge I would have abandoned it, the lead character is extremely annoying, of all the characters that appear in the book she should have been the one that was murdered. The only good thing I can say about this book is that it was a quick read, I won't be rushing to read any more of this series.
A bit of a slow start but I really loved the setting and some of the characters. I did NOT guess who dunnit!!
As I have made the descent into the world of cozy mysteries, I picked this up thinking it fit all the tropes of a good cozy. And, I was not disappointed! Kat is a reluctant celebrity who gained popularity after hosting an antiques show on British television. Deciding to leave that behind wasn't difficult as her first love was the antiques, not the stardom. Her pseudo-boyfriend, the still married husband of a gossip columnist who seems out to get Kat is disappointed in her decision to leave television behind. Combine this personal life drama, with a dilapidated mansion in the British country and you have all the fixings for an exciting and quick read.
Oh good Lord. The reason this book lost two stars was the everlasting bickering between the heroine and her mother. On and on. Neither one understands the other and most of the book was causing me to grit my teeth rather than smile at the "charming banter."
Otherwise, it was a fine little cozy mystery. Former (though no one seems to have realized it yet) television star Katherine "Kat" Stanford is shocked to find out that, not only does her mother not want to run an antiques shop with her in London, it seems that she's bought a carriage house. In Devon. Which is not at all what Kat expected. Now she's concerned that her mother is somewhat loony. Plus, it seems that the woman has broken an arm. So, Kat drives down to visit the carriage house at Honeychurch Hall Estate and becomes even more convinced her mother is losing her mind. The place is falling apart, the neighbors seem to be unanimous in thinking that her mother needs to leave, and all of a sudden, it seems like her mother's secrets are coming out of the woodwork.
A fun little book. I don't know if I would have continued, but I already had the second book on hand, so ...
Otherwise, it was a fine little cozy mystery. Former (though no one seems to have realized it yet) television star Katherine "Kat" Stanford is shocked to find out that, not only does her mother not want to run an antiques shop with her in London, it seems that she's bought a carriage house. In Devon. Which is not at all what Kat expected. Now she's concerned that her mother is somewhat loony. Plus, it seems that the woman has broken an arm. So, Kat drives down to visit the carriage house at Honeychurch Hall Estate and becomes even more convinced her mother is losing her mind. The place is falling apart, the neighbors seem to be unanimous in thinking that her mother needs to leave, and all of a sudden, it seems like her mother's secrets are coming out of the woodwork.
A fun little book. I don't know if I would have continued, but I already had the second book on hand, so ...
Excellent really enjoyed it. I love it when I discover a new author. Can't wait to read number 2 in the series
Though I was delighted by the mystery (which actually doesn't happen until the very end of the novel) Murder at Honeychurch Hall had the one trope I cannot stand: the killer decided to tell Kat every single detail. Why, book, why?! Still, a solid start to what is turning out to be a fun and intriguing series! M. C. Beaton has a blurb featured on the cover stating this this novel is "just the thing to chase the blues away" and I have to say she's right!
For the full review (and a review of the sequel!) head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
For the full review (and a review of the sequel!) head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!