Princess Fuzzypants here:
Ellie is at it again. This time her long lost father has returned to her, kaboshing her romantic plans for a getaway with her husband. Her father is carrying with him the ashes of his true love to give to her family in England. He did not know Harriet long but he is totally bereft at her loss. Harriet isn't the only thing to get "lost", The absent minded vicar steals Ellie's car with the urn in it thereby starting a crazy chase to find the missing car and ashes.
But Ellie senses there is something wrong with the story. Too many odd occurrences make it more than coincidence. Nothing and nobody, including Harriet, is quite what they are supposed to be. And you know when Ellie and company get involved in the weird and wonderful, there is going to be lots of wacky humour.
Written not unlike a melodrama that swings into theatre of the absurd, the characters and the books are highly entertaining. Ellie is a down to earth person who bravely attempts to make sense of the craziness that swirls around her. It is great fun for the reader to accompany her.
I give this five purrs and two paws up.

While this book was interesting. I had a hard time getting into the story. I wanted to love it because of loved the characters and setting, but it just never seemed to speak to me.

Oh my, trouble was right! This book kept me on my toes and begging for more.

Ellie Haskell was certainly in a pickle. The instant that gypsy was in the book she was done for. Or more like her vacation. Don’t worry Ellie, I would have felt on edge too after having her getting 99.99% of your life right by reading your hand. It was delightful as a reader to envision this scene. It was well detailed, that as a reader I was sitting with Ellie, no I was Ellie with my palm nervously out getting it read. It was magical to read. The author had that flair through the entire book. Each chapter painting a piece of the hidden picture and providing the reader with an adventure in sleuthing.

I loved that there were funny moments in this book, and yet it was also an overall interesting mystery. I mean a urn of a dead woman that has a family more excited to get her now to visit than when she was alive? Plus, Ellie’s dad, oh my, the moments he filled the pages were the moments the reader sunk into a comfy seat to not put the book down. It was just a delightful read, that is the best description of the book. It is now expected that all the Ellie books will be this delightful.

Wasn't able to download successfully, so haven't read and am unable to review.

This book is a fun mystery involving a quirky female protagonist, her somewhat bumbling family, a dramatic housekeeper, and a confused vicar that shows up and disappears at the strangest times. These are only a few of the interesting characters who live or just show up in a village in England where the story takes place.

The story starts as the protagonist's long, lost father shows up at her doorstep with the ashes of the "love of his life" (Harriet) in tow. (no spoilers as this happens very early in the story). It is a crazy, twisting good British mystery with a dash of humor. There is constant coming and going of all the characters, so the pace moves fast.

The protagonist keeps a running commentary on her perception of who is responsible for what based on the clues which unfold. This provides the reader with insight to various answers which can help solve who is guilty for which crime and how all is intertwined.

This a good read for pure enjoyment. It can be a quick read or the reader may take their time and analyze all the facts. The Trouble With Harriet would make another great beach read for the summer.

I enjoyed this book, it was a great fast read and had a great pace. I liked the mystery it was weaved so nicely and had me looking back for clues that I might have missed. The characters as always are endearing and delightful. I would recommend this to anyone who loves a good mystery

What a delightful mystery! I'm new to Dorothy Cannell's Ellie Haskell Mystery series. After reading The Trouble With Harriet, I'm determined to read the others in the series. Ellie and her husband have plans to vacation in France, when a fortune teller advises her not to leave home. Very soon they can't leave home because Ellie's long-lost father shows up, along with an urn filled with the ashes of his much-missed lover. Of course nothing is as it appears and nothing goes smoothly in this fun-filled novel of zany characters. A great read from beginning to end!

Truthtelling: I bailed on this one. I found the breezy style of writing unappealing, as though the author were wokring too hard to achieve a madcap style adventure. It's been awhile since I read Dorothy Cannell, and I know I have enjoyed her work in the past. I'll probably go back to this one and try it again when I need a lighter type of reading. I do appreciate having the option to read a review copy, though. Thank you.

I truly don't know what rock I've been under to have missed
Dorothy Cannell and the Ellie Haskell cozy mystery series.

First the cover captured my interest. And then . . .

From page one I was captured by Ellie and the other characters.
The towns folks were genuinely charming. I felt I was transported to the quaint little English village.

Ellie and her husbands dream romantic holiday in France (without the kids) is put on hold when her father shows up totin' the remains of his beloved Harriet.

The urn disappears, there is a car crash and Ellie's father becomes a suspect.

I enjoyed The Trouble With Harriet and look forward to checking out the series.

I received a complimentary copy from Great Escapes Tours.
This review will appear on Amazon and B&N.

This book hooked me quickly and kept me entertained and intrigued from beginning to end with quirky characters, great twists and turns, and delightful family drama. I love reading British mysteries and found Ellie Haskell charming. This is the first book I have read by Dorothy Cannell and I definitely look forward to reading more from this talented author. I received a free advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my unbiased review.

Although I don't care for this style of voice the mystery kept me reading until the end. Freddy is like the goof in every family that everyone loves.

he Trouble With Harriet is only one of many titles this book could live up to. Harriet is not HALF the trouble arriving in Chitterton Fells or to the Haskell family.
Told with very subtle wit and a touch of sarcasm, this is a bumpy, twisty ride for the reader to appreciate. I bet you will find yourself coming to various conclusions and changing your mind before all is said and done.
Dysfunctional family to the max when not only Ellie's long missing father arrives on the doorstep, but cousin Freddy's eccentric and kleptomaniac mother appears as well, with a new bag of tricks.
This book is a story within a story with a few additional tales adjacent.

Buckle your seatbelts and grab the hand grip. Prepare for a wild ride.

In this re-release of the eighth book of this thirteen book series, Ellie Haskell is once again searching for the solution to a mystery. It really isn’t a murder mystery per se but rather puzzles that need some solution. While there are deaths, the point isn’t to solve those. The who was fairly easy to solve but the why took a bit more puzzling and clues.

Ellie’s father has turned up out of the blue after he left her to her own devices at age 17 (just after her mother passed away.) He drops on their doorstep just as she and her husband are about to leave on a much needed get-away to France sans children. Needless to say, the trip is off.

Daddy is a fairly over dramatic figure who is given to carrying on in excess about his grief though he does find time to eat pretty much anything in front of him. I found the character to be funny in an over the top sort of way. I could see others thinking him irritating but I looked at him as the farce in the book.

As usual with Ms. Cannell’s books, there are a cast of characters with unusual issues which generally come to roost in Ellie’s neck of the woods.

I’ve read a number of books in this series, starting with “The Thin Woman” many years ago. I always enjoy spending some time with Ellie and look forward to finishing the series.

I was provided a digital advance reader copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley.

I have managed to read this series backwards. I like the stories and the characters. This is a book that is being re-released.
This book starts out with Ellie and her husband Ben getting ready to go on a vacation in France. Well the day before they leave she meets a gypsy who tells her not to go. Her dad suddenly shows up and turns her family life upside down. He is upset due to the death of Harriet who he fell madly in love for. We slowly learn of the whole story and meet some of her family when they come for the ashes. At one point the ashes disappear. Several people are after the ashes.
A lot was going on in the book so I was not able to guess some of the events. I did guess a couple but I won't say what so that I won't ruin it for others.
It was a nice read. i look forward to reading some of the other books in the series and at the rate I am going completely in the wrong order.
I received this book for free from netgalley to read in exchange for my honest review. The opinions in this review are 100% my own.

I have read a few cozies by this author as of yet she hasn't disappointed me. The characters are endearing and funny.

"Some moments in life are sacrosanct and not to be impinged upon by the vulgarly curious. In England, of course, it wouldn’t have mattered, because as a nation we have the good breeding not to aspire to fluency in other people’s languages." (from "The Trouble with Harriet")

An ultimate tour-de-farce [sic], the overblown prose flows silkily through the early chapters evoking the shades of myriad famous British literary figures in their drawing rooms sashaying through history. As the plot unfolds the cast of Monty Python starts slipping into the castles, priories and Merlin Court with a play within the play providing pivotal mayhem.

This is the third of the Ellie Haskell mysteries I have discovered on NetGalley (why, yes, I do search them out!) and they were released not quite in order (the powers at the publishers have not seen fit to include me in their thought processes) which, considering they do represent a linear progression through the life and trials of our heroine, is a bit of a mystery to me. But as each one actually stands alone quite nicely, this isn't the critical issue it could have been.

No, I'm not going to tell you any more about the story. The blurb does a fine job of that. If you are looking for funny with a side of mystery to exercise your gray cells you have come to the right place.

The kids are at the grandparent's home and Ben and Ellie are ready for a much-deserved getaway to France. Their plans are disrupted however when Ellie's long absent father, Morley, shows up bearing an extremely ugly urn containing the ashes of his lady love, Harriet. Morley is a character, to say the least; large, emotional, with a specialty in drama. Ellie is conflicted since Morley essentially abandoned her after her mother's death when Ellie was only seventeen. She wants to do the right thing but Morley's story of his meeting Harriet abroad, falling head-over-heels with her, and her subsequent death in an accident doesn't add up. Morley is in England to deliver her ashes to her relatives but doesn't want to give the urn up. The relatives are very strange and the ashes go missing, thanks to an absent-minded vicar. Ellie becomes convinced that there is more to the story, and to Harriet than meets the eye.

The Trouble With Harriet has some very funny situations and characters but is not one of my favorites in the series. My personal taste doesn't lean toward farce and The Trouble With Harriet is pure farce from beginning to end. It is, however, a fun and fast-paced read and features most of the quirky characters I have enjoyed in previous books.

Thanks to Random House Alibi and NetGalley for an advance digital copy. The opinions above are my own.

RATING- 3 Stars

Review to be posted on amazon on 6/13

This is your typical English cozy series set in a small village with Mama at home with the children and being involved in the activities. This Ellie Haskell series is very true to form and is standard Dorothy Cannell writing. This book has Ellie's father showing up and bringing trouble with him. From a gypsy fortune teller to a living "dead" woman whose ashes have been stolen. A fine offering to this series.

I truly enjoyed this book. Well written. Moves along at a good pace. British humor at its best for me. Highly recommend.

The surprise of finding her estranged father at her door step with a heartbreaking tale of lost love and the remains of his beloved in an urn, make Ellie to put everything on hold. What will transfix of this will be a complex unraveling of facts and events that make an interesting plot.
This book has unique and well developed characters and a whimsically location.