The Spring Cleaning Murder
- Author: Dorothy Cannell
- Publisher: Alibi
- Print Length: 226 pages
- Release Date: May 9, 2017
- I Rate it:
- Genre: Cozy
- Purchase on Amazon
Book Summary
Dust mops are deadly in this “irresistible” (Minneapolis Star Tribune) and “wickedly witty” (Chicago Sun-Times) cozy mystery featuring the beloved Ellie Haskell—the signature heroine of Agatha Award nominee Dorothy Cannell.
When the ever-scrupulous and ever-caustic Mrs. Roxie Malloy leaves her employ in tears, Ellie Haskell—busy mother of twins—is forced to find another cleaning person. As she searches for someone who can at least aspire to taking Mrs. Malloy’s place, Ellie turns the household topsy-turvy, overcome with spring-cleaning fever. But when members of the Chitterton Fells Charwomen’s Association (C.F.C.W.A.) start biting the dust, Ellie swaps scrubbing for sleuthing to find out what dark secrets have been swept under the rug.
With the help of her husband, Ben, her feckless cousin Freddy, and an assortment of homemade cleaning solutions, Ellie joins the C.F.C.W.A.’s roster and embarks on a brief stint as a mercenary maid—just long enough to snoop through her neighbors’ things and find out which one has more than dust bunnies and dirty dishes to hide.
Dorothy was born in Nottingham, England and came to the U.S. in 1963. She married Julian Cannell and they lived in Peoria, Illinois, from 1965 to 2004. They then moved to Maine where they now reside with their two dogs, Teddy and Watson.
Dorothy became an aspiring writer after taking English 110 at Illinois Central College and being encouraged to write for publication by the class teacher. Seven years later she sold her first short story.
Her first novel, The Thin Woman published in 1984 has been selected as one of the 100 favorite mysteries of the Twentieth Century by the Mystery Book Sellers of America. In 2014, Dorothy received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Malice Domestic. Dorothy has published eighteen novels and a collection of short stories.
You can find Dorothy on:
Book Review by Bree Herron
If only a true Spring cleaning could have such humor. I was chuckling through 95% of this book. I was smiling through 100% of this book. Overall, it is a delightful read that has been revamped for kindle readers.
Ellie is seriously the cutest character ever. I don’t know how this mom of twins gets it all done. And she does it all with a humorous charm that engages the reader. It is the seventh book in the Ellie adventures, but for being my introduction to the series, it read as it was the first. So it could easily go as a stand alone, but I could see a reader like myself reading the rest quickly! I love that Ellie is a really kind character, and truly doesn’t want to find murder or mayhem all the time. She engages the reader though into her mysteries and you are quickly her partner in crime.
That is certainly a huge task for an author to create a character that grabs the reader, and yet it was done with this book. You are instantly next to Ellie solving this crime!
Please join the conversation and comment below. Have you read… If so what did you think/like?
**DISCLAIMER: I was provided an opportunity to read this book as an Advanced Reader Copy in return for a fair and honest review.
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