THE TROUBLE WITH HARRIET (Ellie Haskell Mystery)
Dorothy Cannell
Random House Alibi
June 13, 2017


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