The Thin Woman

Ellie Haskell Mysteries, Book 1

By: Dorothy Cannell

Narrated by: Sasha Higgins

In this delectable debut that earned her instant acclaim, award-winning author Dorothy Cannell serves up a cozy murder mystery to be savored.

Ellie Simons stands to inherit her Uncle Merlin's huge English country house. But on three utterly bizarre conditions. One: she must lose sixty-three pounds (rude!). Two: she must marry the fake fiance she's been passing off as her true love all weekend. And three: she must catch whoever killed Uncle Merlin in the first place.

Her family constantly mock her single status (and her weight!), so Ellie hired a boyfriend for this latest awful family reunion at Merlin's Court. Bentley T. Haskell is devastatingly handsome and so annoying—and he's making this fake engagement very difficult . . .

But Bentley and her catty family are the least of Ellie's worries. Uncle Merlin's death looks more than a little bit like murder. Which can only mean one thing. One of her horrid relatives is the killer . . .

An utterly charming English cozy murder mystery to sink your teeth into.

©1984, 2023 Dorothy Cannell (P)2024 Tantor

Critic reviews

Voted one of the 100 Favorite Mysteries of the 20th Century by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association of America

Sorry! Waste of a Credit

Annoying characters and narrator! Perhaps the characters made me think the narrator was annoying. I’m glad this was part of a 2 for 1 deal but it surely was a waste of time.

Cozy Mystery

Enjoyed every minute of these loveable characters, their seaside setting and the fun plot.

It's fun

The heroine of our narrative is overweight, self effacing, and funny. The style is very entertaining and the performance is good. Some others didn't like the reader, but I did. The ending is just a bit contrived, but it's happy and I'll be back for the sequel. This is a book you read for the style more than the plot.

such an odd collection of characters

This book started off so strangely, that I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. But I found myself being drawn back to see what was happening with Ben and Ellie. It grew on me and I kept listening and cheering Ellie on with her redecorating and hopes of romance. The mystery then continued to keep me guessing. I enjoyed the resolution, which I didn't see coming. This is a fun read or listen.

I love this story and the characters!

Unfortunately I did not like the narration. She sounds breathless and anxious. I listen to audio books to relax, her narration was anything but relaxing. I’m sure others won’t be bothered but I am. Disappointing because I was so looking forward to hearing Elle Simmons and all of her antics come to life.