Happy Armed Forced Day! This is a day to honor those men and women who serve bravely in all the branch of the armed forces. This day was created and first celebrated on May 20, 1950. My father served in the navy and he had some very interesting stories. I especially enjoyed hearing about the Panama Canal. If you have a parent who was in the armed forces, please take the time to listen to their reminisces.
A Killer Ball in Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison is the third book in the Honeychurch Hall Mystery
series. Katherine “Kat” Stanford is
starting out her new business Kat’s Collectibles and Valuation Services. Kat has been called up to the hall to evaluate
and crate up a William Dobson painting (they need the money). The ceiling in the King’s Parlor has suffered
severe water damage and is in desperate need of repair (it is Elizabethan and
will need a specialist to fix it). While
looking around Kat discovers a priest hole (a hidden room). Upon entering Kat stumbles and discovers
another hidey hole (it is called a double hide) and a dead body. The body is that of a woman and it looks like
she has been there for some time. Who is
this woman and how did she end up the double hide? The priest hole is usually only told to the
owner of the house who then passes it along to his heir. Detective Inspector Shawn Cropper is called
out. Upon investigation it is discovered
that this woman disappeared in June of 1958.
This leads the investigation towards Kat’s mum, Iris. Iris is known for her secrets and not telling
the truth. Iris needs to be more forthcoming
this time or she could end up in jail.
Kat will have her work cut out for her finding the real killer.
A Killer Ball in Honeychurch Hall
is not a stand-alone book. You do need
to read other books in the series, otherwise the story can be confusing (trust me on this). Some things are explained (from prior books),
but not everything. The mother, Iris was
not likeable to me. I think she is supposed
to come across as humorous (and mysterious), but I just found Iris
annoying. She was too over-the-top (and
not in a good way). Secrets and lies are
all Iris tells even to her daughter (and everyone else). The murder mystery was simple, and I solved
it early in the book. There are quite a
few characters in the book which can be befuddling and there is quite a bit
going on. I just told you about the
murder. There is a man sneaking about
the property; Harry, the Earl’s son, is having trouble in school and everyone
blames Kat because she convinced them to let Harry go to the local school;
Alfred, Iris’ brother, is a thief and forger (and up to no good) are just a few
things going on in A Killer Ball in Honeychurch Hall. I give A Killer Ball in Honeychurch Hall 3
out of 5 stars. It was okay (just not for me).
The book is easy to read and has a good pace. I am just not a fan of this type of humor and
the quirky, exaggerated characters (I have no problem with quirky but do they
have to be so overstated). But many
readers will enjoy it (especially if you are a fan of the series or if you like
comedies).
The other books in the Honeychurch Hall Mystery series are Murder at Honeychurch Hall and Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall. I received a complimentary copy
of the novel from NetGalley and the publisher (through the Cozy Mystery Review Crew)
in exchange for an honest evaluation of the book.
I am currently enjoying Murder Most Fowl by Edith Maxwell. Do not forget that Outlander is on tonight if you enjoy that show (which I do). I was watching the season one of Wayward Pines today before the new season starts (I wish they would replay the last season for all shows). Have a wonderful evening! Take care and Happy Reading.
Kris
The Avid Reader
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