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Just because a book is primarily a romp doesn't mean it can't have a few serious undertones, and DEADLY DESIRES AT HONEYCHURCH HALL puts Hannah Dennison's concerns about high-speed railway systems to good use, giving her latest installment in the Honeychurch Hall series a nice focus and toning down a few of the over-the-top elements found in the first book. The novel opens with acknowledgments that put the railroad-versus-preservation element front and center, but the plot (and multiple subplots) quickly turns from real-life politics to the Dennison's wacky fictional world filled with eccentric characters from all walks of life.
In this second novel in the series, the family at Honeychurch Hall is less prominent, while the villagers get more play, but antiques expert Kat Stanford and her romance-writing mother Iris are still the focus as they wrestle with ghosts, secrets - their own and others' - romance, and returning family members who may or may not live up to expectations. Into this swirl of characters come two outsiders representing opposite sides of the railway expansion scheme. The excruciatingly named Valentine Prince-Avery is there to offer advice about compensation to villagers whose property will be affected by the proposed railroad and Benedict Scroope who, if he can raise enough money from the villagers and landowners, promises to come up with an environmental block to the development. Before long, a villager is dead, Valentine has disappeared, and all sorts of suspicions are raised. Adding to the confusion are Kat's own attempts to break off an old relationship and stay out of the public eye as well as decide whether or not she's going to return to London or locate her business in the country near her mom.
If you haven't read MURDER AT HONEYCHURCH HALL, Dennison's, the first book in the series, you will find out a few things that may spoil some surprises in the first book. You may also have questions about who some of the characters are because there are lots, and they're all presented as quick sketches, relying more on their eccentricities to distinguish them rather than any in-depth character development. But for the most part, this novel works as a stand-alone and was actually more successful than Dennison's first installment. Here, Dennison seems to have more evenly balanced the wackiness and the story and tempered some of the fraught relationships enough to make them easier to enjoy, although there are still plenty of edge-of-believability encounters and strained-to-the-limit relationships. And while, ultimately, this is a lighthearted, quick read of a book, it does raise awareness of a real issue the British face when having to choose between preserving an old way of life and progressing to meet the needs of the future. But don't expect a strong political statement - or be afraid of being put off by one. Because while it's clear which side Dennison is on, DEADLY DESIRES AT HONEYCHURCH HALL isn't about political change - it's just about a crazy set of lightly drawn characters that become more likeable the more we get to know them.
§ Meredith Frazier, a writer with a background in English literature, lives in Dallas, Texas
Reviewed by Meredith Frazier, May 2015
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