A Vicky Hill Exclusive!: Devon's answer to Bridget Jones

Vicky Hill #1

by Hannah Dennison

'Just the thing to chase the blues away...' M. C. BeatonVicky Hill has two goals in to escape the never-ending boredom of funeral reporting and find the right man. Then a tip leads to what might be the scoop of a lifetime. There is a bizarre connection between three grisly chicken corpses and the unusual death of a local hedge-jumping enthusiast Sir Hugh Trewallyn. Suddenly, it seems that this quiet market town harbours more than its fair share of secrets but when Vicky opens Gipping's Pandora's box, her own secrets come back to haunt her...Praise for Hannah 'A dizzy romp with an endearingly gullible investigator' Ann Purse'A laugh a page ... a hilarious debut' Carolyn Hart'Dennison delivers a novel that both Monty Python and Miss Marple would approve of' Fresh Fiction

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Chick Lit, Crime, Murder Mystery, Cozy

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 4, 2008

About the author

British born, Hannah originally moved to Los Angeles to pursue screenwriting. She has been an obituary reporter, antique dealer, private jet flight attendant and Hollywood story analyst. After twenty-five years living on the West Coast, Hannah returned to the UK where she shares her life with two high-spirited Hungarian Vizslas. She enjoys all country pursuits, movies, and theatre, reading and seriously good chocolate.

Hannah writes the Honeychurch Hall Mysteries (Constable) the Island Sisters Mysteries (Minotaur) and the Vicky Hill Mysteries (Constable)

Fun Fact: Hannah is part of the BookTalk author group on social media with pals Kate Carlisle, Jenn McKinlay and Paige Shelton.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I can usually make myself finish almost anything, but I just did not want to finish this book. Maybe I didn't get what the author was going for, but I actively disliked every character - Vicky too. I was disinterested in the mystery too, so maybe it was really meant to be more of a comedy? I'm not sure.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Witty, clever, and laugh out loud funny.....A Vicky Hill Exclusive! by Hannah Dennison is one of the most entertaining cozies I've ever read. Funeral reporter Vicky Hill is looking for her big scoop, and along the way has to deal with a cutthroat rival at the newspaper, a hedge jumper with Olympic aspirations, a mysterious tea shop proprietress who has a crush on Vicky, a horrid landlady, a possible satanic cult, and parents who are on the run. Highly recommend!

[MsAprilVincent · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you've read any of the Shopaholic books, you will recognize the title character of this book. She's extremely self-centered, jumps to the most outrageous conclusions, and is wrong 99% of the time.

But where I love Becky Bloomwood (at least, I love the original BB; she gets increasingly annoying with each new book), I don't have empathy for Vicky Hill. There was never a time when I didn't think, "Wow, YOU ARE STUPID."

I get that the author was trying to go for endearingly clumsy or humorously incompetent, but she didn't quite make it.

I'm not sorry I read the book, but I probably won't pick up the next in the series.

Rating: an emphatic "eh"

[Colleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this to be extremely weird. I could not relate to the character at all, and found her thought processes to be beyond odd. It seemed to take forever to read. Thankfully, I didn't buy the book but got it from my public library.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't finish. Just didn't hold my interest. I made it almost half way through, but the characters didn't seem promising, nor the plot.

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't awful. Just too many characters. Also, too many theories that went nowhere and made the story confusing.

[Alan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Score is between 2 and 3.
A 2 Star for me is a book I have to really push myself to finish. This was that sort of book,
An easy read,straightforward characters and I think aiming for the cosy mystery/shopaholic/Bridget Jones-ish type of characters.
Characters wise it is similar to another newish series of mystery stories set on the south coast called the miss dimont mysteries. Coincidentally both series have main characters working as reporters for small local papers but I preferred that over this.
Nothing bad to say about this book but definitely not my cup of tea

[Aaliyahsbookshelf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look this won’t win any literature prizes but it’s an easy and quick read- perfect for getting out of a reading slump.
Fairly cringey at parts and a very far fetched detective story.
The characters were very accurate for a small, close knit town in terms of basic stereotypes. However, I didn’t like any of them, mostly including the main character, and some plot lines were just left hanging or clumsy wrapped up. Overall I wouldn’t recommend it, however it did get me out of a reading slump so props for that.

MY RATING (ATM): ⭐️⭐️✨ (2.5 but rounded up)

[MARK D · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried too hard to be inclusive

I'm not against people trying to be fair, but I've gone through the gay romance stuff and it just doesn't work for me. This book is laborious to read and not believable. Topaz and Vicky are like when I have another guy attracted to me and I'm just trying to be nice. This book is like my workplace. I want to relax and escape, not deal with more people like I do at work! Off to the library to find a different series to read. Thumbs up for trying to be fair!

[Donnell · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cozy, cozy mystery, set in a small town in England and full of quirky characters.

One feels the oppression of sexual harassment however, A little more than is comfortable.

Part of this of course is due to the time the book was written 2008. Still it’s a bit tough to realize Vicky’s career could be influenced by how attractive her boss finds her and/or how attractive he finds her co-workers.

[JennLynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Two stars is too generous for a book I almost didn’t finish. I’d really enjoyed Dennison’s "Honeychurch Hall" series, but this book was barely readable until about 2/3 of the way through. Before that the characters were insufferable and unlikeable, and the story rambling. Self-centred protagonist Vicky was particularly annoying, sounding more like a high school sophomore than a supposed career woman. Ive borrowed the second volume, but doubt I’ll invest the time in it.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with this book. The plot was so far fetched even for a cosy mystery and the characters so flawed and bumbling the were neither likeable or funny. That said maybe it's some sort of bizarre pastiche of the genre and I've just completely missed the point. That said I did manage to finish it and when I purchased it was as a set of three so I might give the second one a go to see if they get better.

[Nancy H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a funny first entry in the Vicky Hill mystery series. Vicky is a journalist who is waiting for her big scoop. What makes it funny is that she misinterprets almost everything, which is especially interesting when she is trying to uncover what really happened when a wealthy man was murdered. Vicky manages to survive her 'big scoop' and eventually finds out who the real murderer is when she herself is nearly killed.

[Mille · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the more unusual cozy mysteries I have ever read. I have enjoyed Hannah Dennisons HoneyChurch Hall mysteries, and decided to give this one a try as well. I couldn’t tell you where Hannah gets her ideas, and her dialogue, and her quirky characters. It was definitely one of the most original stories I’ve read in a long time.

[Laura Ruetz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this three stars but only because the second half of the book was vastly improved from the beginning. The first several chapters,I found Vicky to be unlikeable. Every character felt largely exaggerated almost to the point of feeling cartoonish. The second half seemed to be smoother and the characters were more tolerable.

[PuNkyHeAd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooooo... To get through this book you have to know 2 things:
- Vicky is a naïve virgin who believes anything you would say
- Vicky changes her mind every 2 minutes about... Anything..
Once you get that you can actually read the book and enjoy it.

[Judi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stopped reading a third of the way in. Life is just too short.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but the ending was lacking

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Vicky Hiil

Very good hard to put down. Can't wait to start the next book. Kept my interest to the very end.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good and funny cosy mystery.

[Mary Hickory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny!

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun book by Hannah.

[Sharknado Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book so much! Way more than I thought I would...now I wanna read the whole series, Vicky Hill is an amazing character!

[Manon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre déconcertant mais sympathique, délirant avec beaucoup d'actions.

[Carrisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Apple]

I picked up this book on a recommendation by Krista Davis (Domestic Diva Mysteries), but I was sorely disappointed with it. I saw it through to the end out of morbid curiosity, but I definitely won't be picking up any more of Hannah Dennison's books in the future. The main character, Vicky, I assume was supposed to come off as endearingly naive, but in reality she's obnoxiously immature. She's a virgin, which she tells us on every other page, and she's on the lookout for a way to lose her virginity with all the obsessive fervor of a fourteen year old boy. When she's not earmarking men as possible candidates to deflower her, she's jumping headlong to the most ludicrous conclusions imaginable. And she wonders why her juniors at the newspaper are advancing in their careers ahead of her! The book is meant to take place in rural England; however, aside from a few gross generalizations and stereotypes (and a half-hearted cockney accent), there was little attempt made to make it feel authentic. Her treatment of homosexuality was downright offensive, as was her main character's insistence that every man she met would most certainly rape her if she allowed herself to be in an enclosed space with him. This book was written with all the maturity and worldly knowledge of a twelve year old. It did occur to me that it might be a spoof of the mystery genre, but even that wouldn't excuse it. I will definitely not be pursuing any more of this author's books, and I only recommend this one to those who want a good laugh.

[Dharia Scarab · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just couldn't get into this book, it wasn't at all what I expected when I picked it up. While not necessarily bad, I won't be reading anymore in this series.


Since I don't normally write reviews unless I have something specific to say, here's the break down of how I rate my books...

1 star... This book was bad, so bad I may have given up and skipped to the end. I will avoid this author like the plague in the future.

2 stars... This book was not very good, and I won't be reading any more from the author.

3 stars... This book was ok, but I won't go out of my way to read more, But if I find another book by the author for under a dollar I'd pick it up.

4 stars... I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be on the look out to pick up more from the series/author.

5 stars... I loved this book! It has earned a permanent home in my collection and I'll be picking up the rest of the series and other books from the author ASAP.

[Brandie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vicky Hill is the funeral reporter for the Gipping Gazette and a great job she does! Determined to be the best reporter Gipping has to offer, she is constantly on the lookout for things to make the headlines. And she finally things she might have just the thing - murder! When hedge jumping fanatic Sir Hugh Trewallyn is found dead in his home it is suspected to just be a heart attack. But closer inspection shows something more sinister and Vicky is confident she can discover the truth. But while she does, her own tricky past comes back to haunt her…

There were mixed reviews for this book but I found it hilarious. The way Vicky’s thoughts process is very comical and had many laugh out loud moments. The plot was interesting and well thought out and the characters were very funny.

Overall, I gave the book 4/5 because it really was incredibly funny and had a good plot. I would recommend to anyone who likes a laugh and a good mystery.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmmm....not what I was expecting - & not in a good way! So I was hoping for a sort of Grace Smith (Liz Evans) & with maybe a touch of Stephanie Plum but seemed to get some weird hybrid of Becky Bloomwood & Agatha Raisin, not good...in fact I looked the author up as I wasn't convinced she wasn't another incarnation of M C Beaton. I don't know how old the author is but at times it seemed like an "old" author trying to be current (which why I'm reminded of M C Beaton!) Topaz on describing Vicky & her as lesbians says they are "...frightfully modern girls" - a bit twee or what? Can't imagine a twenty-something using that phrase. I didn't find Vicky's dizziness & gullibility endearing & her naivety got on my nerves..... and was I sick of hearing about her virginity!
Disappointing :o(

[Mark Baker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vicky Hill is trying to make a name for herself in journalism, but she's stuck in a small English village. Fortunately, she stumbles on a strange case involving a dead hedge jumper and chickens. Can she figure things out? The plot hooked me early and kept me going, which is a good thing considering how much I hated Vicky. She kept spinning wild theories that any sane person would dismiss. And her obsession with losing her virginity wasn't nearly as funny as it was supposed to be.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.