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Rating: 
Summary: Ellie's Hijacked Holiday
Review: Cannell's fans will no doubt agree that Ellie needs a good vacation away from the twins and the most interesting residents of Chittendon Falls. . Understandable then is the reader's frustration, surely shared by our heroine, that yet again that her plans are hijacked by her dramatic and high maintenance family. Instead of jaunting off to a well earned rest and recreate exploring the epicuriously rich France we are delighted to have another Ellie Haskell adventure even if the poor woman must stay at home at Merlon Court. Readers are again held hostage to Cannell's British wit as seen through her characters old and new. Delightful was the creation of new characters, annoying as they may be, and comforting was the venerable Mrs. Malloy to dazzle us with her adventures, sage advice, and forked but witty tongue. A slow start but a dazzling finish brings the reader to a delightful and smiling close that seems to never fail to disappoint this devoted fan of the author, leaving me, and I'm sure other readers, hungry for more adventures. In agreement with some of the other reviews, I'd certainly like to see Ellie and Ben on holiday without the Kids. Someplace far from the family and relatives that often bring Ellie to her wits end, Perhaps a cruise to Australia or an African Safari, or even an adventure in the Scottish Highlands. Would it still be the same however, without the family antics that keep our heroine busy and readers in stitches? Don't miss this witty adventure, excellently written, very amusing continuation of the misadventures Ellie Haskell, her accidental partner and husband, Ben and the usual witty characters of Chittendon Falls.
Rating: 
Summary: Acceptable,, but not memorable.
Review: Readers of Dorothy Cannell's "The Trouble with Harriet" may be disappointed. After such wonderful stories like "The Thin Woman" and "How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams," "The Trouble With Harriet" drags with little humor and passages more suited to dramatic soliloquies. More time was spent on Ellie's father's bouts of depression and ill-humor than I thought was necessary and the premise of the mystery itself was a bit bland. I'd really like it if one of these books were to take Ellie and Ben away from Chittendon Falls on a holiday and then shove them headlong into a mystery....but please! Let's get these two together without the kiddies and Freddie lurking about. Frankly, I'd love to read more of Ben. Although the book was acceptable, I found myself skimming and skipping, a sure sign of boredom with a story.
Rating:
Summary: Acceptable,, but not memorable.
Review: Readers of Dorothy Cannell's "The Trouble with Harriet" may be disappointed. After such wonderful stories like "The Thin Woman" and "How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams," "The Trouble With Harriet" drags with little humor and passages more suited to dramatic soliloquies. More time was spent on Ellie's father's bouts of depression and ill-humor than I thought was necessary and the premise of the mystery itself was a bit bland. I'd really like it if one of these books were to take Ellie and Ben away from Chittendon Falls on a holiday and then shove them headlong into a mystery....but please! Let's get these two together without the kiddies and Freddie lurking about. Frankly, I'd love to read more of Ben. Although the book was acceptable, I found myself skimming and skipping, a sure sign of boredom with a story.
Rating:
Summary: Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves
Review: This is a fine little British cozy with some escapades in Germany on the side. I was drawn in by the title. I had never read this author or series before, and was pleasantly surprised and entertained. Ellie Haskell (sometime interior decorator, full time Mom, daughter of the prodigal Morley) and her husband Bentley (chef and restaurateur) are confronted and confounded with the remains of the mysterious Harriet. Or are they? This domestic duo reminds me somewhat of a Goldie's Colorado Catering (the series by Diane Mott Davidson) Goes Across "the Pond." But the Haskells are more witty and their children far better behaved. It is a fun frolic with some Saints, sinners, relics and characters endearing and quirky.
Rating:
Summary: Gypsies, Tramps, and Thieves
Review: This is a fine little British cozy with some escapades in Germany on the side. I was drawn in by the title. I had never read this author or series before, and was pleasantly surprised and entertained. Ellie Haskell (sometime interior decorator, full time Mom, daughter of the prodigal Morley) and her husband Bentley (chef and restaurateur) are confronted and confounded with the remains of the mysterious Harriet. Or are they? This domestic duo reminds me somewhat of a Goldie's Colorado Catering (the series by Diane Mott Davidson) Goes Across "the Pond." But the Haskells are more witty and their children far better behaved. It is a fun frolic with some Saints, sinners, relics and characters endearing and quirky.
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