Customer Reviews

A Vicky Hill Exclusive!

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

A fabulous book that transports you to a sleepy village in England. Vicky Hill is a young, single trainee journalist who craves to discover the next big scoop. Despite only writing about funerals, Vicky starts to realise that not everything is as it seems in this quiet village. I would definitely recommend this book, you cannot help but fall in love with all the characters, especially Vicky. It kept me guessing until the end!

I saw this book yesterday on the New Paperbacks rack and picked it up. It hooked me from page 1. I didn't make dinner, or work on my income tax receipts last night. Instead I read "A Vicky Hill Exclusive!" What fun. It's the best modern day British mystery novel I've read since Dorothy Cannell's "The Thin Woman." Vicky Hill is a likable heroine, and she's surrounded by a mad group of British eccentrics. Highly recommended to anyone who's looking for a classic puzzle and sly wit.

What a pleasure to read this delightful debut novel. The main character, Vicky Hill, is so altogether endearing as she bumbles her way to the doorstep of a local village mystery - which eventually serves as her first front page byline as a journalist. Hannah Dennison successfully delivers a multifaceted story with elements ranging from poignant, comedic, dark, insightful and lighthearted, while seamlessly weaving together the overall message that perseverance will always overcome adversity. A quick read that paints a charming portrait of local village life in England and concludes by sewing up all the loose ends and setting the stage for another Vicky Hill mystery. I don't usually bother writing reviews, but this author deserves some attention. Give it a go...you'll be hooked after the first chapter. And don't be surprised if you find this story being told in movie theatres some time in the near future.

Novice newswoman Vicky Hill is desperate to get a front page exclusive. But she is stuck reporting on the funerals in the small village of Gipping in England while Annabel Lake, who was hired after Vicky, gets sent on all the best assignments.

But when Annabel faces a bout of food poisoning, Vicky jumps on the chance and takes on of her tips. The dustman has found some mutilated chicken corpses, and he things something may be afoot.

Meanwhile, Vicky must cover the funeral of Sir Hugh Trewallyn, a local aristocrat and hedge jumping enthusiast. But why is Vicky's land lady hiding in the bushes outside the church? Who is the strange man the widow attacks after the service? Did Sir Hugh really die of natural causes? And how does all this tie into those chickens?

This book started out well, and I thought I would enjoy it. Vicky seemed naive but fun. The plot started quickly with plenty of questions. And there were some parts that were making me smile.

But the further I progressed, the worse it got. Vicky's naivety turned into stupidity. And every time she got a new piece of information, she had to come up with a completely new theory to fit the facts. Frankly, it got too hard keeping track of what we knew and what was Vicky's latest wild speculation. Plus she kept trust Annabel even after Annabel kept treating her like dirt. Finally, Vicky was obsessed with losing her virginity and was convinced that half the characters, male and female, wanted to take it from her. That created several cringe inducing scenes. About the only thing that kept me going was the plot, and even that had a rather weak ending.

If the story had kept going like the first few chapters, I would have enjoyed it. As it is, I don't recommend this disappointing debut.

I was hoping to find a nice "cozy" mystery to read. If that is what you are looking for skip this book. The book really revolves around Vicky, an aspiring journalist. The book basically revolves around her obsession with losing her virginity (w/a mystery on the side), by the way she acts in her book I am surprised it's still intact! There is crude language throughout. Most regrettably the character is an imbecile...she sounds like a freshman in high school with nothing to filter her wild imaginings or the words that spill from her mouth. Don't bother with this one, watching paint dry is more entertaining and mysterious.

If you like awkward and endearing characters like Bridgette Jones and Ugly Betty you will love Vicky Hill. She's loveable, misguided, and has pretty lousy intuition - An amazing combination for a investigative reporter! Who wants to read about a slick professional detective when it's so much more fun to follow newbie detective-wannabe Vicky as she tries to untangle the biggest murder mystery in Gipping.

I was very sad to see this book end.

I had high hopes for this book when I started reading it. I liked the idea of Vicky's absent felon parents, but the book just got more and more silly, filled with characters that weren't likable or interesting, including Vicky, her nemesis, and every other character in it.

I read two or three mysteries a week, and this was the first in a very long time that I skipped to the end to see who did it after reading about half of it. It wasn't worth the time it takes to read it.

Though she desperately wants to be a hard hitting, award winning crime reporter, the kind that writes features and gets front page exclusives, like her rival, Annabelle does, Vicky Hill finds herself relegated to the dregs, reporting on funerals and writing the obits. So, when she gets the chance to snatch a scoop from Annabelle, she grabs it and finds herself neck deep in alligators fast. First, a handsome man crashes a funeral and kisses the widow, then, people begin to die, and Vicky starts to worry she'll either be next or wind up in jail. Did the widow just want to get rid of her older husband, or has she discovered a coven practicing Satanic rituals? Or is it something else? Could the killer be closer than she thinks?

**** Colorful characters make this debut novel work. Vicky's dark past is hinted at, but only enough revealed to make readers want to come back for more in subsequent stories. There are one or two men who might turn into regular romance possibilities, but it's seeing Vicky handle her friendships with other women that brings in the most laughs. Fortunately, for Americans, the British language is not indecipherable, as is the case sometimes, particularly in other genres, i.e., Chick Lit. The killer's identity will come as a total surprise, I dare say, but that's a plus. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for the Huntress Reviews site.

A found this debut novel, "A Vicky Hill Exclusive!" very amusing. Our heroine is delightfully clueless but very enthusiastic about her new career in journalism. A junior reporter covering the important beat of funeral reporting ("It's important to spell their names correctly!"), she longs to become an investigative reporter. She stumbles across a cover-up of a murder and her imagination soon produces images of witchcraft, orgies, and town-council corruption. A fun, easy read, and hopefully a sign of things to come from the author.

Fun and interesting glimpse into the British countryside. I'd never even heard of hedge jumping before. haha....

Okay, I admit that it took a little effort to get into the mindset/tone of this book since it's a very British. Once I got past the 1st few pages, the character and plot developments got me hooked and I appreciate the British tone. It works well with the plot and the character.

The main character, Vicky, is bumbling, funny, (a little) dingy and oh-so endearing. Once the plot gets rolling (which is quick!!), it keeps going. Vicky's different (and ever changing) murder theories were hilarious. You can't help but root for her. I finished the book in just a few days and can't wait for the next book in the series.