Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall - Cozy Mystery Review

Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall (Honeychurch Hall #4) by Hannah Dennison

Rating: Very Good
Source: Publisher

Description:  When the only copy of Ravished, Iris Stanford's new manuscript, never arrives at her London publisher's office, her daughter Kat investigates the tiny local village post office, where it appears the package never left the building. Iris is on tenterhooks--not only is her novel gone with the wind, but she's deathly afraid that Muriel Jarvis, the postmistress and notorious busybody, will expose her secret identity as the bestselling romance writer Krystalle Storm. Meanwhile, Muriel has her own problems with the sudden death of her husband Fred, which has left her heavily in debt. In the spine-tingling climax, both past and present collide as Kat fights for her life and those she holds most dear, dancing once again with the dark forces lurking behind the grandeur of Honeychurch Hall.
This nail-biting addition to Hannah Dennison's Honey Church Hall mystery series, Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall is not to be missed.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This is a series I've really enjoyed and always look forward to the next book!

My Impression:  I fell in love with this series right from the beginning.  Honeychurch Hall and the surrounding village is a fantastic setting and Kat is an interesting an intelligent protagonist though her choices are not always good ones.  As well the side characters are always entertaining with eccentric Honeychurch family, Kay's secretive mother Iris, Iris' secretive and sometimes criminal step-brother Alfred, and the rest of the village residents.  Unfortunately, the third book - A Killer Ball at Honeychurch Hall - wasn't my favorite and I was a little nervous going into this mystery because I was afraid it would be a disappointment.
This proved to be a thoroughly entertaining mystery.  I loved the mystery from the English Civil War and all the family history that was discussed.  As well the more modern day mystery was quite complex with all kinds of red herrings and false leads.  The actual modern day murder takes awhile to show up but it is very clear that something is terribly wrong in the village as thing are going missing with an astonishing regularity from the very valuable to the unimportant.  Is it mischievous children or something far more ominous?
This proved to be a fast read and one I thoroughly enjoyed.  My primary compliant is that Kat makes some very odd decisions at times.  Most are related to her personal life and I question her sanity when it comes to her romantic choices.  The dishonesty of Alfred and Iris would normally drive me crazy but it fits so well with their personalities and back stories that it would feel weird if they were up front.  While this is the 4th in the series you could jump in here though reading the first book would probably make the characters make a little more sense.  Both the first boo and this one are delightful so it will be time well spent!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Absolutely!  Several hints were dropped about Kay's future and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!  If you're a long time fan of the series I think you'll really enjoy this latest entry.  If you're new to Honeychurch Hall you may want to go back and read the first book before this one but I think any mystery lover would enjoy both.