Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780140276152
ISBN number: 0140276157
Label: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Manufacturer: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 288
Printing Date: May 01, 1999
Publishing house: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Sale Popularity Level: 834130
Studio: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Other books you might be interested in perusing:
Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
A brand-new Ellie Haskell mystery from the doyenne of malice domestic-- 'wickedly witty . . . outrageous plotting' (Chicago Sun-Times).
For thirteen years, Dorothy Cannell, the award-winning author of The Thin Woman and The Widows' Club, has enchanted readers who relish Nancy Atherton, Carolyn Hart, and Diane Mott Davidson. Now she brings us her inimitable Ellie Haskell--heroine of the weight-loss wars and busy mother of twins--in a mystery that fizzes with deadly wit.
Spring cleaning fever has Ellie nearly scrubbing the Merlin's Court chandeliers with a toothbrush. But when yet another member of the Chitteron Fells Charwomen's Association bites the dust, Ellie swaps scrubbing for sleuthing to find out who has more than dust bunnies and dirty dishes to hide. With Ellie and a madcap cast that includes her handsome husband Bentley, her feckless cousin Freddy, and caustic home helper Mrs. Malloy, The Spring Cleaning Murders is Cannell at her best.
'If there's anybody funnier than Dorothy Cannell, I don't want to meet her until my sides stop aching.' --Nancy Pickard
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
-
I especially enjoy mysteries in which the author fools me. In this case, I did not have any firm idea as to "who done it." The modern English small town setting and characterizations make this a delightful read. The book is clean, clever, and well written.
If you love traditional mysteries, you will probably enjoy this one.
Rated by buyers -
What a lively and charming book. It's on my top list of Dorothy Cannell favorites. The characters are fun and interesting and never a dull moment. I read it in one day, couldn't put it down. I love books that take place in quaint English villages. The setting always enhances the book for me. Ellie Haskell is a great character and I love that she has a great husband and family. I laughed so hard when reading parts of this book I cried. She can be hilarious. I could not figure out who "done it" until just before it was revealed. Clean, funny, charming mysteries - that's what cozies are all about and I loved this one.
Rated by buyers 
-
Maybe Ellie needs a break from the twins. This book plods rather than waltzes. Cannell's usual sparkle is missing, and Ellie's character is somewhat anemic, showing little of her usual goofy charm. The ending is Victorian mush, which may appeal to some, but seemed overdone to me. Spring tonic? Vacation in Mazatlan? Let's hope that the subsequent Cannell outing shows more spunk. In this one, Roxie rules.
Rated by buyers -
The opening of this entry is as funny as the opening to *The Thin Woman* [first in the series], which I recently reread. The rest of the book is delightful. One of the things that I like about this series is that Ellie is among the handful of female mystery solvers who is permitted to be happily married. I'm so glad that Ms. Cannell hasn't broken up said marriage or bumped off Ben. The end of the book made me wonder if Mrs. Cannell was thinking of Louisa May Alcott when she wrote it. The atmosphere reminded me of *Little Women*, the book that taught me that book friends are never lost. (You just turn the pages back to the beginning and your friend is alive again.) Then again, perhaps I felt that way because Vanessa's daughter, Rose, made me think of Ms. Alcott's Rose in *Eight Cousins* and *Rose in Bloom*. I look forward to my subsequent stay at Merlin's Court. Ann E. Nichols
Rated by buyers -
It is Spring and Ellie Haskell's nesting instincts are in full bloom. She cannot wait to get started, along with the help of her trusted cleaning woman Mrs. Malloy, to whip Merlin's Court into tip top shape. There is only one problem with her plan. Mrs. Malloy is leaving her to become a full time nanny to her newborn grandchild. However, she has arranged for Mrs. Large to replace her as the cleaning woman on the staff.
Ellie feels that her new employee will work out until she is found dead, a victim of an accident, in the home of the Miller sisters. When her subsequent helper is also found dead in her own home and a third corpse is found inside her missing car, Ellie finds herself working another murder mystery. She intends to solve the case so she can keep her help a little bit longer.
Dorothy Cannell, author of the classic THE THIN WOMAN is in fine form with another extraordinary Ellie Haskell mystery. The cast of eccentric characters that readers have loved for years are all present in THE SPRING CLEAN numING MURDERS, which is one of Ms. Cannell's most humorous novels to date. Anyone who needs an uplifting experience should try this series that hopefully will have another entry soon.
Harriet Klausner
Find other books like this one:
