The Importance of Being Ernestine: An Ellie Haskell Mystery

Ellie Haskell and her housekeeper Mrs. Malloy are mistaken for private detectives and asked to locate a missing person by a woman named Lady Krumley. It seems that Lady Krumley had fired her pregnant maid 30 years before and has recently had a rash of unusual deaths in the family due, she believes, to a vow of vengeance the maid made before dying several months after her dismissal. She wants the two sham detectives to find the maid's daughter Ernestine so she can make amends for her actions 30 years ago. I am having a hard time figuring out how to describe this book. It is a parody, sort of. It is a throwback in time to an earlier style of mystery, sort of. I liked it, but it is still hard to describe. The suspension of disbelief factor is very high, but the book is very enjoyable. Much of the book is very tongue-in-cheek as the detectives feel their way through their roles and draw from an assortment of mystery styles and genres - from the gritty film noir private eyes, to the frolicking society detectives, and back again for classic plot twists straight out of Sherlock Holmes. If you have enjoyed mysteries since their inception, this will be a delightful trip down memory lane. One of the strange things about the edition I read is the typos. Or what appear to be typos. Because of the style of the book, you are never quite sure if they are intended or not. Tell me what you think. Look for Mugglesby, micro-cousin, peak, and creak appearing where Mucklesby, microcosm, peek, and creek would be appropriate. One of the great things about this book is the treatment of an overused mystery theme - the long-lost/illegitimate child. As most dedicated mystery readers know, this concept is tired. But Cannell manages to make it interesting. She peppers the book with Ernestine candidates and lots of red herrings that keep you guessing until the end. Favorite character? Mrs. Malloy. An eccentric woman who has an outfit for every occasion and detective personality. Did I guess it? Well, there are really two mysteries in this book. One I did get fairly quickly, but the other involves that old Sherlockian plot twist... Good luck!

Dorothy Cannell is witty and fun. Her leading lady is a hit. I love reading Cannell's books--they're a fun ride of English murder and mystery. I literally laugh out loud. If your're looking for a lighthearted mystery to spend your time on, it would be worthwhile investing in this series. Start at the beginning though to get the best taste for the storyline. I wait with bated breath for the next one to come out!

Ellie Haskell and her housekeeper, Mrs. Malloy are visiting in the detective's office Malloy cleans when a late client drops in. An elderly aristocrat claims that her family is suffering from a curse left behind by a falsely accused maid. The woman, believing that Ellie and Malloy are detectives, asks them to investigate. A gunman attempts to persuade them to drop the case, but only makes them more anxious to find the truth. Egged on by her friend, Ellie agrees and the two women set off on a proper English play of manners. There are no end of suspects: a nephew who may have killed his parents with an exploding train set; the nephew's wife who is interested in blackmail; actresses turned maid; the elderly lady herself; and the mysteriously missing Ernestine. It takes continued efforts for Ellie and Malloy to get to the truth--and still make it home in time for Ellie to take care of her family. Author Dorothy Cannell writes a funny, fast-paced novel. The character dialogue kept me chuckling, as did the rather mad-cap action. The mystery itself won't pose much of a challenge for hard-core cozy readers, but in the case of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNESTINE, getting there is where the fun is. And there is plenty of fun in this charming novel.

Ellie Haskell is in deep trouble. She has just finished redoing her husband Ben's office. She sent all of his beloved and crummy furnishings to charity and now he hates the new ones. Just in the nick of time Roxie her erstwhile charwoman calls for her help at her new place of employment, a private detective's office. The detective has left for a holiday and an aristocratic client shows up three hours after her scheduled appointment. She wants them to find the daughter of a disgraced and dismissed parlour maid named Flossie Jones. Flossie had apparently been accused of stealing a brooch and fooling around with the gardener and was fired. She died not long after giving birth and terrible things have been happening to the family since then. Lady Krumbly wants to make up for accusing Flossie(the brooch has turned up recently) and to end the curse on the family.This isn't the best of the series, but it is still alot of fun, Ellie and Roxie really could have used the services of the Flowers Detective Agency, but went on their own with adequate results. Hopefully, some of the older characters will make a reappearance soon, but in the meantime I really enjoyed this one.

Ellie Haskell proudly shows her husband Ben his redecorated home office. However instead of the praise she expected from her spouse, he is irate as he cuts into her for destroying his space. A stunned Ellie retreats from Merlin's Court to visit their cleaning lady Roxie Malloy at her new job as right hand man for private investigator Mr. Jugg.Jugg is out of town when Lady Krumley arrives seeking help. Roxie misleads the client by saying she works for both Mr. Jugg and Mrs. Haskell, which leads to Lady Krumley to conclude that her two employers are partners. Lady Krumley explains that forty years ago she fired a pregnant maid for stealing jewelry. About a year after that, the maid died leaving a child Ernestine behind. Lady Krumley found proof that the accused was innocent, but also cursed her employer's family. Members are dying and Lady Krumley believes only Ernestine can lift the affliction. She wants the two sleuths to find the girl. Seeing this as a simple diversion, Ellie agrees to help Roxie, not knowing what she is getting into by doing so.THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNESTINE is an amusing amateur sleuth tale that readers will enjoy because of the antics of the delightful detective duet as Ellie plays a straight man to the wild and wacky Roxie. The cast augments the understanding of the dynamic duo so that readers comprehend their motives. Dorothy Cannell, known for her cozies, writes a lighthearted romp that is for those readers who enjoy an insouciant investigative novel starring two delightful incompetents.Harriet Klausner