Dorothy Cannell - Free Library Land Online - Classics

Peril in the Parish

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 00:11:23 +0200

Secrets, mystery and wedding bells at Dovecote Hatch!
March 1933, Dovecote Hatch, England. Florence Norris knows she has found a good man in George 'Birdie' Bird, the landlord of the local pub, The Dog & Whistle. They are set to marry in a low-key service at the parish church in their beloved village Dovecote Hatch. But when a mysterious stranger seeks out George, sharing family secrets and talks of an illegal burial years ago, an ominous dread falls over the happy couple.
Soon they are pulled reluctantly into this mystery that uncovers unpleasant truths in this idyllic English village. Will Florence and George have the beautiful church wedding with they so long for, or will this mystery stand in the way of them walking down the alise?

God Save the Queen!

Sat, 15 Nov 1997 13:49:41 +0200

Flora was raised at gloomy Gossinger Hall because her grandfather, Hutchins, was the butler there. When Sir Henry announced that he was changing his will to leave the Hall to Hutchins, he upset several people. But then Hutchins was found dead under curious circumstances. Coping with her loss, Flora moved to London, followed by Vivian Gossinger, the heir apparent. Was he trying to protect her—and from what? British Cozy Mystery by Dorothy Cannell; originally published by Bantam

Femmes Fatal

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:43:18 +0200

Once Ellie Haskell's life was a fairy tale: the one about the overweight, underpaid interior designer who falls rapturously in love with a gorgeous prince and lives happily ever after. But now, four months after the birth of her twins, her worst nightmare has come true: the princess has turned into a frog and the bliss has gone out of the bedroom.

Can a course in the sensual arts, featuring naughty nighties and Peach Melba Love Rub, rekindle the romance she and her adored Bentley once shared? It's a question that leads Ellie straight to an organization called Fully Female.

But before she can say "Marriage Makeover," one fellow vamp becomes a sex-crazed zombie and another meets her end in a fatally frothy bubble bath. Then a third victim of amour turns up dead, and Ellie realizes it's more than ill luck. Can Ellie catch a crazed killer before love gets a bad name.

Goodbye, Ms. Chips

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:49:39 +0200

"Ellie, the headmistress wants to see you."
Words to strike terror in the heart of any inmate of St. Roberta's boarding school who has failed to turn in her Latin prep, left out London on a map drawn of England, or prowled the ruins of the medieval abbey at dead of night. Ellie has been guilty of all these sins and more.
Fortunately, however, she is no longer a pudgy, insecure adolescent but a happily married interior designer with three lively children and a beautiful home by the sea. The only cloud in the sky on this lovely day in June is the message relayed by her friend Dorcas, who became games mistress at St. Roberta's when the former coach, Ms. Chips, retired. Having heard of Ellie's success as an amateur detective, the headmistress, Mrs. Battle, wants Ellie to come and find out who has stolen the Loverly sports trophy and is seeking to bring embarrassment to the school.
Her less than rosy memories of St. Roberta's notwithstanding, Ellie...

Death at Dovecote Hatch

Sun, 15 Nov 2015 09:43:17 +0200

The second in the brand-new Florence Norris series.
November, 1932. Still reeling from the recent murder at Mullings, country estate of the wealthy Stodmarsh family, the peaceful little village of Dovecote Hatch is about to be rocked by news of another violent death. When mild-mannered Kenneth Tenneson is found dead from a fall down the stairs at his home, the coroner's inquest announces a verdict of accidental death. Florence Norris, however – the quietly observant housekeeper at Mullings – suspects there may be more to it than that.
Florence's suspicions of foul play would appear to be confirmed when a second will turns up revealing details of a dark secret in the Tenneson family's past. Determined to find out the truth about Kenneth's death, Florence gradually pieces the clues together – but will she be in time to prevent a catastrophic turn of events?

Bridesmaids Revisited

Wed, 15 Nov 2000 09:43:18 +0200

Ellie Haskell received a letter from her dead grandmother Sophia’s supposed “bridesmaids,” which urged her to visit them at the Old Rectory, so Sophia could make “contact.” Since husband Ben is away with the children, Ellie and housekeeper Mrs. Malloy (who wished to avoid one of her former husbands) set out on a journey which would involve an old diary and a séance—and several startling revelations. British cozy mystery by Dorothy Cannell; originally published by Viking

How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams

Wed, 15 Nov 1995 13:49:37 +0200

From Publishers Weekly

The sleuthing is lightweight in this seventh Ellie Haskell story (following How to Murder Your Mother-in-Law), but Cannell's energetic style, loquacious storytelling and subtle humor are firmly in place. After the death of the local librarian in Chitterdon Fells, the recently married milkman adopts her rambunctious dog and the Library League decides to place a bust of the deceased woman in the library. Ellie, who has just hired an au pair for her twins, agrees to contact romance paperback model Karisma to ask if he will appear in a fundraising event. Karisma consents, but, before he arrives, the portly milkman meets an undignified end, suffering a heart attack while trying to wrestle a piece of steak from his new dog. Then, in an apparent accident, Karisma meets his maker in the library. Ellie doubts that the rash of deaths in her small community is just bad luck and, setting her mind to it, finds no shortage of murder suspects. While readers will relish Cannell's witty intelligence, some may wish that this tale, with no clear murder until near the end and little active detection, placed more emphasis on its mystery elements.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Ellie Haskell, happily married to a former paid escort, finds herself absorbed in her twin toddlers, romance novels, and the idea of a career in interior design. Also distancing her from her handsome hubby are events in Chitterton Fells: the town librarian dies under mysterious circumstances, Ellie's nemesis cousin descends on her, and the Library League invites Ellie's fantasy, Karisma?a hunky paperback cover model?to a fundraiser. While told with tongue firmly and dramatically in cheek, the plot loses some humor to often viciously articulate prose and recherche detail. For series fans (e.g., The Widow's Club, Bantam, 1988).
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

How to Murder Your Mother-In-Law

Tue, 15 Nov 1994 13:49:40 +0200

From Publishers Weekly

A plague of mothers-in-law descends upon the small English village of Chitterton Fells with toxic, and hilarious, results. Ellie Haskell, seen last in Femmes Fatal , plans the perfect dinner party to celebrate the 38th anniversary of her in-laws, Magdalene and Elijah. But an evening full of domestic mishaps is capped with the elder Haskells's announcement that they had never officially been wed. After an escalating quarrel, Elijah retires to a hotel, leaving the glacial, pampered and extremely hostile Mag in residence with Ellie and her nonplussed husband Ben. On a visit to a local pub to retrieve Elijah, Ellie meets three other women with raging mother-in-law problems; the foursome, under the influence of gin and tonic, devise wickedly clever ways to murder each live-in meddler. But after a spate of accidents, one of them fatal, befalls the unfortunate older women, Ellie and friends must marshall their resources to find the murderer and a blackmailer. This droll story lurches haphazardly from one crisis to the next, sometimes revealing a lunatic edge. But Chitterton Fells, its full quota of likable, loquacious eccentrics and Cannell's frazzled, overweight heroine are rendered with zest and affection.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Ellie Haskell's mother-in-law comes for a visit, making Ellie's life a living hell. Up to her neck in criticism and crocheted doilies, Ellie seeks solace one night in the village tavern with a few friends. They, too, have serious mother-in-law problems, and the friends spend a tipsy evening plotting imaginary murders to vent their frustration. Suddenly the murders begin to occur, and Ellie races to discover the killer before it's too late. With deft humor and fine characterization, author Cannell draws a pleasant, if dense, mystery. Narrator Sharon Williams's variety and quick pacing do a good job of bringing the myriad characters to life. However, the story's many whining, irritating characters can tax the patience of the heartiest listener. Recommended for larger mystery collections.
Susan B. Lamphier, Somerville P.L., Mass.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Mum's the Word

Thu, 15 Nov 1990 13:49:37 +0300

Several pounds heavier--and gaining--blissful mother-to-be Ellie Haskell knows her days as a thin woman are numbered. Time to let out her clothes, put up her feet, and prepare to enjoy the next nine months as pampered wife. But the first pangs of morning sickness have barely passed when Ellie's handsome husband, Ben, is invited to compete for membership in the world's most exclusive secret society of chefs, and suddenly Ellie finds herself whisked off to America--to Mud Creek, Illinois--and to a gothic mansion straight out of a horror movie.

Sea Glass Summer

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:49:41 +0200

During the course of a long, hot summer in the picturesque coastal village of Sea Glass, shattered lives are restored and new romance blossoms. - Recovering from a painful divorce, Sarah Draycott has moved to the picture-postcard village of Sea Glass on the Maine coast, and is soon caught up in the lives of its inhabitants. As she helps elegant but troubled widow Gwen cope with her desperately ill son, and assists nine-year-old orphan Oliver in uncovering the secrets surrounding the mysterious Cully Mansion, Sarah's broken heart begins to heal. She isn't looking for new romance - but love finds a way of seeking someone out just when they least expect it . . .

The Widows Club

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:48:59 +0200

Agatha Award (nominee) Stylish, amusing, and deliciously wicked, the Misses Hyacinth and Primrose Tramwell are hired to investigate a woman's organization whose members choose widowhood over divorce. With the help of a newlywed friend, the spinster sleuths stalk the mastermind of matrimonial murder.

Murder at Mullings--A 1930s country house murder mystery

Fri, 15 Nov 2013 13:49:38 +0200

An intriguing 1930s country house murder mystery: first in the brand-new Florence Norris series
In its 300-year history, there has never once been a scandal at Mullings, ancestral home of the decent but dull Stodmarsh family. Until, that is, Edward Stodmarsh makes an ill-advised second marriage to the scheming Regina Stapleton, who insists on bringing her family's 'ornamental hermit' to live on the estate. Suddenly everyone wants to visit Mullings to glimpse this mysterious figure. Strange but harmless, thinks Florence Norris, the family's longstanding housekeeper. But events take a sinister turn with the arrival of sudden, violent death - and suddenly the hermit doesn't seem so harmless after all.

02 - Down the Garden Path

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:12:36 +0200

Tessa Fields was left on the doorstep of an English vicarage and adopted by the vicar and his wife. At 21 she’s devised a plan to discover who her birth mother was. Her plan involves faking amnesia and imposing on the two elderly Cloisters ladies. Finding herself surrounded by a cast of eccentric characters, Tessa is not entirely surprised by the bizarre murder she stumbles on. Mystery by Dorothy Cannell; originally published by St. Martin’s Press

The Trouble with Harriet

Mon, 15 Nov 1999 13:49:39 +0200

Ellie Haskell’s prodigal father, Morley Simons, has landed in Chitterton Fells just when Ellie and husband Ben were about to vacation in France. Morley’s luggage contains an urn with the ashes of his lady love, Harriet, to return to her relatives. As her father explains his relationship with the femme fatale Harriet, Ellie begins to suspect something is amiss. And when there’s another fatal car accident… Cozy British Mystery by Dorothy Cannell; originally published by Viking/Penguin