She Shoots to Conquer (Hardcover)

“Hilarious and engaging sleuth Ellie Haskell is back—always a good thing for the health of British cozies. This time she and her husband, restaurateur Ben, and their faithful employee, slightly wacky Mrs. Malloy, are stranded in a fog-bound, deteriorating Yorkshire estate called Mucklesfeld Manor. Mrs. Malloy ends up being a replacement contestant on a new television reality show called Here Comes the Bride. The program is being filmed at the manor to help owner Lord Belfry save his estate from financial ruin. Ben is drafted to prepare meals for the devious cast, the cantankerous crew, and the mysteriously linked contestants. But when contestants begin to die, it’s up to intrepid Ellie to save the day as she explores the creepy Gothic estate looking for clues. If British cozy fans who have somehow missed the earlier books in Cannell’s endearing series give this one a try, they will soon be clamoring to read the rest. Pair Ellie with Nancy Atherton’s equally charming Aunt Dimity.” --Booklist

“A wrong turn on a foggy night brings Ellie and Ben Haskell and their housekeeper, Ellie's crime-solving partner Mrs. Malloy, to Mucklesfeld Manor, where Lord Belfrey offers them the scant comforts of his home. Belfrey, a Cary Grant look-alike, has opened his manor to a TV crew filming Here Comes the Bride, a reality program whose six candidates compete to charm Belfrey and raise money to fix up the crumbling manor house. Tragedy has already derailed the contest when one contestant dies in a car crash off the fog-shrouded driveway. Although Mrs. Malloy jumps at the chance to take over the vacant spot, his lordship is more taken by Ellie, who bears a striking resemblance to his secret love, the young second wife of the former lord who apparently absconded with the family jewels. Because the household staff is limited to a trio right out of The Addams Family, all of whom had been squatting in the house before Belfrey arrived, the desperate director begs Ben to stay on and cook. For her part, Ellie befriends a wandering Labrador retriever and the assorted ladies vying for Belfrey's attention. Soon she's investigating the car crash, which may have been murder, and piecing together a romantic tale of lost love and missing gems.” --Kirkus Reviews

“While the title is clearly a tribute to James Hilton's classic Good-Bye, Mr. Chips, Dorothy Cannell's most recent Ellie Haskell mystery pursues a plot all its own--and one well worth exploring at that. As a happily married young wife and mother, series protagonist, Ellie, leads an idyllic life--except for the fact that she continually stumbles upon mysteries and murders. With her funny but astute sidekick and housekeeper, Mrs. Malloy, Ellie again faces a new dilemma. In Goodbye Ms. Chips, the 13th series novel, Ellie is summoned to her less-than-beloved old school, St. Roberta's, to recover a trophy that has gone missing. While this mission seems to be fairly innocuous, it eventually turns deadly when Ms. Chips, a retired athletic coach, is found dead, most likely by foul play.
Of course, Ellie succeeds in getting to the bottom of both crimes, but as always, her means of doing so is the truly delightful facet of this series. Ellie's acumen and curiosity manifest themselves readily and in entertaining fashion. Her hilarious exchanges with Mrs. Malloy only enhance their amusing predicaments, and Cannell's wicked depiction of a snobby British boarding school is a far cry from the benign setting of Hilton's novel. I won't reveal the precise and telling details that Cannell employs in Goodbye, Ms Chips, but I will assure you that readers won't abandon this book before devouring it whole.” –Mystery Scene