Expose! Category:  Mystery/Suspense Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Type: Fiction Pages: 313 Copyright: December 1, 2009 ISBN-13: 9780425231586 The third book in the Vicky Hill mysteries set in Devon, England and featuring an eager obit writer anxious for a front-page expose! It’s snail-racing season in the small town of Gipping-on-Plym. And obituary writer Vicky Hill is racing, too—to solve a mysterious death.  When an early-morning call wakes Vicky from the arms of her dream man, reality had better be worth it—and it is. An anonymous tipster tells her about the secret funeral of local celebrity Scarlett Fleming—coordinated by her husband, Doug. The entire town is baffled by the sudden death and oddly discreet funeral. After all, Scarlett was never one to stay in her shell. Vicky’s suspicions heighten when she learns of the Flemings’ shaky finances—and that Doug has almost as many admirers as Scarlett had enemies. While canvassing suspects and juggling three suitors, Vicky must stay one step ahead of a killer once she realizes she’s no longer writing an obituary—she’s writing an expose!

Richmond Times Dispatch
Village violence
Jay Strafford
November 29, 2009 3:59 PM
The English-village mystery has been dear to the hearts of fans for decades: the vicar, the gardener, the retired colonel, the little old lady, the calm setting. 
Hannah Dennison’s Vicky Hill series is set in a British burg, but you might feel as if you’d stepped into the setting of “Cold Comfort Farm,” too. 
In “Exposé!” (313 pages, Berkley Prime Crime, $6.99), obituary writer Vicky suspects something is amiss in the Devon village of Gipping-on-Plym when a Scarlett Flemming, a local celebrity, dies and her husband, Doug, holds a private service for her. Vicky sets out to investigate but gets caught up in the community’s craziness, including the annual snail races. 
Dennison provides plenty of laughs in this third installment in the series — and a tricky plot, too. Miss Marple might not recognize Gipping-on-Plym, but it’s guaranteed to make you smile.



Critical Mass
This is the third in a series of mysteries involving Vicky Hill, a reporter whose routine jobs turn into dangerous assignments, whose previous exploit was quite enjoyable. Her latest involves the death of and funeral for a local celebrity, whose husband seems rather indifferent to her passing and in haste to get her buried. Our feisty journalist's investigation heats up when she begins to suspect that the cause of death might not have been as simple as suggested - no surprise to the reader, and her persistence naturally makes her a target for the killer. There are some nice twists and I’ve gotten to really like the protagonist, who is neither as flat nor as cutesy as those that appear in a lot of similar mysteries. Dennison is one of the best of the cosy writers, mixing the tropes of that form with hints of the private detective story. Not quite the best in the series, but then again, it has some serious competition for that title. 11/30/09