Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison, a Mysterious Review.

Review: Katherine "Kat" Stanford had been asked by her father to look after her mother, Iris, after his death. Although Kat lives in London where she has a reality TV show "Fakes and Treasures", and has been in the process of finding a store to own where she will buy and sell antiques, she agrees to come to her mother's home in Little Dipperton in Devon, two hundred miles from London, to help her with some typing after her mother broke her hand. She is astonished to learn that the typing is for Krystalle Storm, international best-selling romance novelist, who in reality is her own mother. Iris wants to keep her identity a secret from the townspeople and insists Kat honor her request. While there, Kat becomes aware of news that a high speed rail network that has been planned for this small community, which has everyone upset. Kat feels an obligation to stay to see what options will be available for her mother should the rail come through her property, in Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall, the second mystery in this series by Hannah Dennison.

A town hall meeting with the planners of the rail has been scheduled. Kat and Iris have agree to join the movement to stop the train from coming to their area. Somewhat surprisingly, the townspeople ask Kat to be their spokesman. Even more surprisingly, she agrees. They already have a slogan prepared: Save seconds in travel — Lose a thousand years in history. Little Dipperton is the host to nobility, a popular TV newswoman who loves to spread gossip, hidden money, and some of the best plotted motives for murder that could be unearthed … should the plans for the train succeed.

Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall is a very entertaining, often very humorous, cozy mystery with the many quirky characters displaying their affection or rancor, often both, towards one another. Kat and Iris seem to be constantly snapping at each other (as many mothers and daughters do), and the seemingly endless banter and mockery from friends and foes around the village is more genial than not. Though largely set in an old English manor house, the nicely plotted storyline it isn't stuffy at all here. A fine, amusing, and enjoyable summer read.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall for this review.

Murder at Honeychurch Hall
Minotaur Books (Hardcover), May 2014
ISBN-13: 9781250007797; ISBN-10: 1250007798

Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall

A Kat Stanford Mystery by Hannah Dennison