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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Won a copy of Murder at Honeychurch Hall through First Reads!
This book definitely defines what I consider to be the typical "cozy-mystery". Light and fluffy with lots of dialogue and a fast paced plot. A perfect weekend read. The descriptions of the house and surrounding town and land are wonderfully detailed and complete. You can very easily imagine the crumbling mansion with its grounds and outbuildings. Falls a little short on characters backstory and detail, sometimes it felt like there plot points that should have merited at least a few pages of description rather than a short paragraph and then a subject change. It really prevented me from fully connecting with the characters. That being said though this book isn't pretending to be the next all american classic, it is exactly what it appears to be-an interesting, quirky mystery!
This book definitely defines what I consider to be the typical "cozy-mystery". Light and fluffy with lots of dialogue and a fast paced plot. A perfect weekend read. The descriptions of the house and surrounding town and land are wonderfully detailed and complete. You can very easily imagine the crumbling mansion with its grounds and outbuildings. Falls a little short on characters backstory and detail, sometimes it felt like there plot points that should have merited at least a few pages of description rather than a short paragraph and then a subject change. It really prevented me from fully connecting with the characters. That being said though this book isn't pretending to be the next all american classic, it is exactly what it appears to be-an interesting, quirky mystery!
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Great fun! Charming cozy mystery with a great cast of characters and witty dialogue.
This was a fun mystery that I think would appeal to most mystery readers. Not so cutesy for non-cozy readers but not so dark for those that enjoy cozies. The characters really make this book. I definitely hope this is a start to a series.
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2014/05/murder-at-honeychurch-hall-review.html
Full Review: http://iwishilivedinalibrary.blogspot.com/2014/05/murder-at-honeychurch-hall-review.html
This is a perfect read for a rainy afternoon or a day at the beach; with quirky characters that entertain you.
The first chapter is entirely dialogue. I almost stopped reading then. It wasn’t the start of a comfy mystery I was hoping for. I started to enjoy it as the story went along.
Nope. This did not work for me at all!
Every character in this book was either wimpy, clueless or nasty. I kept hoping that one of them would be likeable, as the many characters were introduced over the first 65 pages, which is as far as I could stand to read of this.
I don't understand the thought process behind making everyone in a book annoying or unpleasant. Are there readers who enjoy this? I guess there must be because there were plenty of very favourable reviews of this book which is what prompted me to try it.
Unfortunately, it did nothing for me. Moving on, back to the library it goes.
Every character in this book was either wimpy, clueless or nasty. I kept hoping that one of them would be likeable, as the many characters were introduced over the first 65 pages, which is as far as I could stand to read of this.
I don't understand the thought process behind making everyone in a book annoying or unpleasant. Are there readers who enjoy this? I guess there must be because there were plenty of very favourable reviews of this book which is what prompted me to try it.
Unfortunately, it did nothing for me. Moving on, back to the library it goes.
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 isn’t 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 Iris’s 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.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I knew before I finished the first chapter I was going to love this story.
Iris is a very independent woman especially now that her husband has passed away. She also has a couple of secrets. Her relationship with her daughter Kat reminded me so much of my relationship with my own very independent mother. All are stubborn women and hate having anyone tell them what to do. The dialogue between Iris and Kat was spot on and at time absolutely hilarious.
Kat has come to Honeychurch Hall to help her mother but to also find out why she left London and where this leaves their plans to go into business together. Kat has left her job on the telly for a few reasons but she thought she was leaving to follow her dream of opening an antique shop. Her mother can’t seriously want to live in this broken down carriage house surrounded by a bunch a crazy people. The nanny has already left, the child has quite the imagination, he pretends he is Biggles, is a fictional pilot and adventurer, and spends his days chasing down missing pilots and hiding from the enemy. The matriarch of Honeychurch Hall may be in the early stages of dementia or is she just trying to pull one on her family. Her son has his own ideas on what to do with Honeychurch Hall. The maid had a heck of a shoe obsession and she is the one Kat finds dead in the garden tunnel.
There is so much happening in this story. We meet some very extraordinary characters and they are all twisted into an incredible mystery. This story was a pure joy to read. I hated to see it end. I can’t wait for the next one. Write fast please Hannah!!!
Yet it seems that Iris isn’t 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 Iris’s 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.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I knew before I finished the first chapter I was going to love this story.
Iris is a very independent woman especially now that her husband has passed away. She also has a couple of secrets. Her relationship with her daughter Kat reminded me so much of my relationship with my own very independent mother. All are stubborn women and hate having anyone tell them what to do. The dialogue between Iris and Kat was spot on and at time absolutely hilarious.
Kat has come to Honeychurch Hall to help her mother but to also find out why she left London and where this leaves their plans to go into business together. Kat has left her job on the telly for a few reasons but she thought she was leaving to follow her dream of opening an antique shop. Her mother can’t seriously want to live in this broken down carriage house surrounded by a bunch a crazy people. The nanny has already left, the child has quite the imagination, he pretends he is Biggles, is a fictional pilot and adventurer, and spends his days chasing down missing pilots and hiding from the enemy. The matriarch of Honeychurch Hall may be in the early stages of dementia or is she just trying to pull one on her family. Her son has his own ideas on what to do with Honeychurch Hall. The maid had a heck of a shoe obsession and she is the one Kat finds dead in the garden tunnel.
There is so much happening in this story. We meet some very extraordinary characters and they are all twisted into an incredible mystery. This story was a pure joy to read. I hated to see it end. I can’t wait for the next one. Write fast please Hannah!!!
Kat has just left her lucrative job starring in an Antiques Roadshow type television show in order to open up her own antique shop with her mother. Suddenly though, her widowed mother calls to tell her she doesn’t want to open the shop with her and she’s moved several hours away to northern England and bought a rundown carriage house on an old estate! On top of that she’s broken her arm and needs Kat to come right away to help her.
Highly exacerbated, Kat takes off for Little Dipperton to the Honeychurch Hall estate only to discover not only her mother’s house falling down around her but tons of mayhem all around. The Honeychurch family is fighting amongst themselves and Kat’s mom is hiding something and acting very strangely. Next thing you know someone has been murder and there are so many suspects it’s hard to figure out which one of them is the guiltiest!
This is the first book in a fun little cozy British mystery series. At first I was a little confused with all the characters and all of their connections (everyone was related somehow or other!?) but I finally worked it all out in my wee little brain. Kat is a really good female lead character but rather dense when it comes to men. Kat’s mother, Iris, is crazy-in-a-good-way character who will definitely be providing a lot of laughs. My favorite character was probably little Harry whom I’m hoping makes several appearances in the rest of the series!
My only complaint about this story is that the actual murder didn’t happen until about two thirds of the way through the book so the solving of the crime was rather hurried at the end. I never guessed “who dunit” as there was honestly so many possibilities. This to me is the mark of good mystery writing! I will definitely be reading more of this series and hope that Kat wises up about the men in her life.
Highly exacerbated, Kat takes off for Little Dipperton to the Honeychurch Hall estate only to discover not only her mother’s house falling down around her but tons of mayhem all around. The Honeychurch family is fighting amongst themselves and Kat’s mom is hiding something and acting very strangely. Next thing you know someone has been murder and there are so many suspects it’s hard to figure out which one of them is the guiltiest!
This is the first book in a fun little cozy British mystery series. At first I was a little confused with all the characters and all of their connections (everyone was related somehow or other!?) but I finally worked it all out in my wee little brain. Kat is a really good female lead character but rather dense when it comes to men. Kat’s mother, Iris, is crazy-in-a-good-way character who will definitely be providing a lot of laughs. My favorite character was probably little Harry whom I’m hoping makes several appearances in the rest of the series!
My only complaint about this story is that the actual murder didn’t happen until about two thirds of the way through the book so the solving of the crime was rather hurried at the end. I never guessed “who dunit” as there was honestly so many possibilities. This to me is the mark of good mystery writing! I will definitely be reading more of this series and hope that Kat wises up about the men in her life.