Customer Reviews

The Importance of Being Ernestine: An Ellie Haskell Mystery

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Cannell's latest installment in the Ellie Haskell series, "The Importance of Being Ernestine" bears out the old saying that anticipation is greater than reality. I'm an avid fan of the Ellie Haskell novels so I was overjoyed to buy a copy of "Ernestine" after what seemed an interminable gestation time between publications.

The shaming number of inconsistencies in the novel are distracting. On page one or two, a town is called "Mucklesby" and several paragraphs later is "Mugglesby." Throughout the novel there are transpositions and blatant misspellings and wrong word usage (in the novel a character took a peak -- meaning peek).

Despite the sloppy editing, try as I might, I could only find this novel mildly amusing. This time out, all the silliness that made Cannell's earlier novels (notably "Femmes Fatal," "How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams") at times literally laugh-out-loud escapades, came across as pat and tired. In "Ernestine" the cast of characters were like a family reunion: there was the madcap Mrs. Malloy, still teetering around on 4-inch heels and dying her hair improbable colors, while fracturing the Queen's English; devoted husband Ben, known primarily for his physical beauty and little else; a kleptomaniac Aunt Lulu; and hippy-like Cousin Freddy, who seems to be acting more a mother to Ellie's three young children than Ellie herself. For some reason, these formerly lovable and entertaining characters failed to enchant me this go round.

As for the mystery -- well, Cannell's novels do fall into the "cozy" category, so there are no violent scenes or graphic depictions of murder or mayhem of any kind.

Don't get me wrong: I still love Cannell's work, but I suspect she's fired off the best jokes in her earlier installments in the Ellie Haskell series. Nevertheless, I'm addicted, and will eagerly await the next Ellie Haskell mystery. But please get a decent editor.

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!

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.

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 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

This is the first book I have read of Cannell's and I like it very much, but not without some reservations. Her writing is tight and often very funny. Yet there is something just not quite right about the character portrayal.

I think somehow that Cannell is too reserved in her portraits, especially the main characters of Mrs. Malloy and Ellie. In the right situation I think Cannell should let Ellie go "over the top" so to speak. Everything is so muted even when the situation is totally absurd. When she does allow the characters to exhibit a little more life, as in the scene where the sleuthing duo meet the hilarious Merryweathers, the pages seem to come to life.

Elsewhere, Ellie's observations as the narrative voice just seem lifeless. I think one example that stands out is the bird attack (shades of Hitchcock) on Ellie -- she is in danger and narrates it so matter of fact that it is hard to buy it. Was she in serious danger? Was she truly frightened? Did she feel like Tippi Hedren? It is a dramatic/comedic opportunity lost.

Still, Cannell writes well in general and the story is clever indeed. I will probably try one more of her Ellie Haskell series to see if this one (her 12th I believe) was just created at a point in time where Cannell ran out of steam even as the publishing deadline loomed. The potential is just too great not to give her another shot.

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.