Series:

Honeychurch Hall

7 primary works • 11 total works

Book 1

Cover of Murder at Honeychurch Hall
"Former TV celebrity host 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, on an isolated country estate, Honeychurch Hall, several hundred miles from London. When Kat arrives at the house, she discovers that Iris has yet another surprise in store. Iris has been writing in secret for years and reluctantly reveals that she's actually Krystalle Storm, the famous bestselling author of steamy bodice-rippers. The gentry upstairs and those below stairs at Honeychurch Hall regard the newcomers with suspicion and distrust. When the nanny goes missing, the loyal housekeeper ends up dead, and Iris is accused of the murder, Kat realizes she hardly knows her mother at all and wonders if she is--indeed--guilty. Although the six hundred year old estate has endured wars, corruption and Royal favors, it's the scandals, secrets and lies of the last few decades that must remain buried at all costs. This is a delightful and traditional cozy mystery that will appeal to fans of Louise Penny and G.M. Malliet"--

Book 2

Cover of Deadly Desires at Honeychurch Hall
"When the body of a transport minister is discovered in the grounds on Honeychurch Hall, suspicion about his unusual demise naturally falls on the folks in the village. After all, who could possibly want a high-speed train line built in their front yard? News of the murder soon reaches our heroine Kat Stanford's nemesis Trudy Wynne. A ruthless tabloid journalist and the ex-wife of Kat's discarded lover, Trudy is out for revenge. She is also interested in exposing--and humiliating--Kat's mother Iris, who is secretly the international bestselling romance writer Krystalle Storm. As the body count begins to build, Kat becomes inextricably embroiled in the ensuing scandal"--

Book 3

Cover of A Killer Ball at Honeychurch Hall
In this delightful new mystery our heroine Kat Stanford stumbles upon a hidden room in an abandoned wing at Honeychurch Hall. However, Kat's initial excitement soon ends in horror. There, lying on the cold, stone floor, Kat comes across the body of a young woman dressed in an Egyptian toga and wearing a tawdry fairground trinket around her broken neck. Suspicion falls on some of those who live at the Hall - both upstairs and down and even those who are just been passing through. Matters come to a head as a killer lurks amid the aristocracy, and Downton Abbey fans will want more Killer Balls at Honeychurch Hall.

Book 4

Cover of Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall
"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"--

Book 5

Cover of Dangerous Deception at Honeychurch Hall

'Just the thing to chase the blues away' M. C. Beaton

All's fair in love . . . and antiques wars!

Things are going well for Kat Stanford; not only is her antiques business thriving, she's also got a new date: Piers Carew, Viscount Chawley, who owns the estate next to Honeychurch Hall.

Unfortunately, Kate has a rival. Impossibly beautiful Cassandra Bowden-Forbes is also in town, conducting valuations at the same fairs as Kat - and she makes no secret of the fact she's got her eye on Piers . . .

And then things start to go wrong: Kat finds herself at the scene of not one but two mysterious deaths, and local tongues are wagging - is it coincidence, or murder? As Kat's fortunes nosedive it becomes clear that unless she can solve these unexplained deaths then she may just be the victim of the next accident . . .

Praise for Hannah Dennison

'Will delight fans and new readers alike' People's Friend

'The perfect classic English village mystery but with the addition of charm, wit and a thoroughly modern touch' Rhys Bowen

'Downton Abbey was yesterday. Murder at Honeychurch Hall lifts the lid on today's grand country estate in all its tarnished, scheming, inbred, deranged glory' Catriona McPherson

'A fun read' Carola Dunn

'Sparkles like a glass of Devon cider on a summer afternoon' Elizabeth Duncan

Book 6

Cover of Tidings of Death at Honeychurch Hall

'Just the thing to chase the blues away' M. C. Beaton

Mistletoe and murder at Honeychurch Hall...

It's ten days before Christmas at Honeychurch Hall and Kat Stanford has persuaded the Earl of Grenville to open the Museum Room to the villagers in an effort to raise money for rooftop repairs. For the price of a ticket visitors will be able to view an unusual display of antiques - including the legendary Bleeding Hawk of Honeychurch Hall.

When an obnoxious young couple drive 200 miles from London to view the treasures it's not just Kate who is suspicious of their intentions; Mr Chips, the estate's feisty Jack Russell makes his feelings plain by taking a bite out of the man's trousers.

But then a suit of armour inexplicably falls on the ancient butler, killing him, and when a second body is found near a quarry nearby Kat becomes entangled in a world of feuds and jealousies, finally encountering a cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing to keep the past at bay.

Praise for Hannah Dennison

'Will delight fans and new readers alike' People's Friend

'The perfect classic English village mystery but with the addition of charm, wit and a thoroughly modern touch' Rhys Bowen

'Downton Abbey was yesterday. Murder at Honeychurch Hall lifts the lid on today's grand country estate in all its tarnished, scheming, inbred, deranged glory' Catriona McPherson

'A fun read' Carola Dunn

'Sparkles like a glass of Devon cider on a summer afternoon' Elizabeth Duncan

Book 7

Cover of Death of a Diva at Honeychurch Hall

'Just the thing to chase the blues away' M. C. Beaton

Spring is in the air ... and so, too, is the sound of music as the residents of Honeychurch Hall are stunned to learn that the Dowager Countess Lady Edith Honeychurch has agreed to the staging of a production of The Merry Widow in the dilapidated grand ballroom.


Fears that the fiercely private octogenarian must be going senile are soon dismissed when our heroine, Kat Stanford, learns that the favour is a result of a desperate request from Countess Olga Golodkin. As one of Edith's oldest friends Olga is the director of the amateur Devon Operatic Dramatic Organization.


Just a week before, D.O.D.O's original venue was destroyed in a mysterious fire but since tickets have been sold, costumes made and lucrative local sponsorships secured, Olga is determined that the show must go on. After decades at the helm of D.O.D.O., The Merry Widow will be Olga's swansong and she wants to go out with a bang . . .

Praise for Hannah Dennison:

'The perfect classic English village mystery but with the addition of charm, wit and a thoroughly modern touch' Rhys Bowen

'Downton Abbey was yesterday. Murder at Honeychurch Hall lifts the lid on today's grand country estate in all its tarnished, scheming, inbred, deranged glory' Catriona McPherson

'Will delight fans and new readers alike' People's Friend

'A fun read' Carola Dunn

'Sparkles like a glass of Devon cider on a summer afternoon' Elizabeth Duncan

Cover of Murder in Miniature at Honeychurch Hall

'Just the thing to chase the blues away' M. C. Beaton

When a body found on the Honeychurch Hall estate proves to be that of a villager who had supposedly moved to Ireland years earlier, tongues start wagging and theories abound. Charlie Green had always been a rogue.

Although Charlie's demise happened well before Kat's arrival, Kat is drawn into the mystery when she finds two rare miniature portraits hidden inside a custom-made dollhouse of Honeychurch Hall. And then Charlie's aunt suffers a mysterious fatal fall and suspicion lands on a stranger who is holidaying in the newly installed shepherd's hut in the walled garden -- one of Lady Lavinia's latest hare-brained moneymaking schemes. Although there is something off about the tourist, Kat believes the culprit is fellow antique dealer.

With tales of blackmail, infidelity and greed gripping the small community, past and present collide and Kat realises that the miniatures harbour a vital secret that one particular person is willing to kill for.

Praise for Hannah Dennison:

'The perfect classic English village mystery but with the addition of charm, wit and a thoroughly modern touch' Rhys Bowen

'Downton Abbey was yesterday. Murder at Honeychurch Hall lifts the lid on today's grand country estate in all its tarnished, scheming, inbred, deranged glory' Catriona McPherson

'Will delight fans and new readers alike' People's Friend

'A fun read' Carola Dunn

'Sparkles like a glass of Devon cider on a summer afternoon' Elizabeth Duncan

Cover of A Killer Christmas at Honeychurch Hall

'Just the thing to chase the blues away' M. C. Beaton

Following the butler's death and the cook's retirement, the ever-gullible Lady Lavinia replaces them with a power couple who are determined to thrust the crumbling estate into the 21st century. The Dowager Countess reluctantly agrees to hold a big-ticket Christmas gala and silent auction with a mystery celebrity flying in from Monaco as the guest of honour.

Needless to say the newcomers' make a few enemies in their quest to change the status quo and when one body is discovered in the Victorian stumpery and a second, in the ha-ha, it seems that their high-flying past is catching up with them.

Meanwhile, Kat is dealing with the theft of a valuable doll that had been earmarked for the auction. When it turns out that all the ticket money has vanished and there never was a celebrity guest, it's up to Kat to save the day and bring the cold-blooded killer to justice.

Praise for Hannah Dennison:

'The perfect classic English village mystery but with the addition of charm, wit and a thoroughly modern touch' Rhys Bowen

'Downton Abbey was yesterday. Murder at Honeychurch Hall lifts the lid on today's grand country estate in all its tarnished, scheming, inbred, deranged glory' Catriona McPherson

'Will delight fans and new readers alike' People's Friend

'A fun read' Carola Dunn

'Sparkles like a glass of Devon cider on a summer afternoon' Elizabeth Duncan

Cover of Dagger of Death at Honeychurch Hall

'Just the thing to chase the blues away' M. C. Beaton

Is it a question of turn the other cheek... or an eye for an eye?

At last St Mary's church is going to have its own vicar! Not only that, the gorgeous Reverend Pritchard is sixty, single... and in need of a wife.

But when he spearheads a campaign to restore a derelict chapel - rumoured to be haunted by a German Luftwaffe pilot- in a far-flung corner of the Honeychurch estate, the Dowager Countess puts her foot down. But nobody quite understands why...

Meanwhile, a fierce bidding war at an auction of military memorabilia ends in Kat's female adversary being murdered and Kat being held as the prime suspect. And then it turns out that several of the auctioned items are connected to Operation Tiger, a doomed rehearsal for the D-Day landings that took place in nearby Slapton Sands all those years ago. And Kat begins to realise that the vicar, the Luftwaffe ghost and all the World War II weaponry may all somehow be related...

Praise for Hannah Dennison:

'The perfect classic English village mystery but with the addition of charm, wit and a thoroughly modern touch' Rhys Bowen

'Downton Abbey was yesterday. Murder at Honeychurch Hall lifts the lid on today's grand country estate in all its tarnished, scheming, inbred, deranged glory' Catriona McPherson

'Will delight fans and new readers alike' People's Friend

'A fun read' Carola Dunn

'Sparkles like a glass of Devon cider on a summer afternoon' Elizabeth Duncan

Cover of A Fatal Feast at Honeychurch Hall

'Just the thing to chase the blues away' M. C. Beaton

When Eric Pugsley, who runs the unsightly scrapyard on the Honeychurch Hall estate, brings home his Turkish fiancée, everyone is delighted -- even if the marriage does seem to include her feisty mother who is never without a Terkel cigarette dangling from her lips.

A Safari Supper at the Hall is held in their honour but trouble begins when somewhere between the first course and dessert, one of the villagers goes missing and is later found drowned in the estate's ornamental lake. Rumours of foul play abound, given that competition is fierce to clinch the Honeychurch Challenge Cup at the upcoming Flower Festival, where sabotage has already come into play - earlier in the week someone released a herd of goats into the village allotments, where of the planned entries were eaten.

But things take a sinister turn when Eric asks Kat to value the bride-to-be's 19th century Etruscan engagement ring only to be told that historically it is used for poison - hardly an appropriate choice for love but Eric is adamant it's what his fiancée wants. And then a second body is found... unearthing a hotbed of sabotage, blackmail, and old grudges.


Praise for Hannah Dennison:

'The perfect classic English village mystery but with the addition of charm, wit and a thoroughly modern touch' Rhys Bowen

'Downton Abbey was yesterday. Murder at Honeychurch Hall lifts the lid on today's grand country estate in all its tarnished, scheming, inbred, deranged glory' Catriona McPherson

'Will delight fans and new readers alike' People's Friend

'A fun read' Carola Dunn

'Sparkles like a glass of Devon cider on a summer afternoon' Elizabeth Duncan