Honestly. for me this book was hard to immerse myself in...I had high hopes for it based on the description, but I felt there was a lot of unnecessary fluff (like all the detail of the book that Ellie was reading while staying at the Bridesmaids home, I don't really know what it lent to the story) which kept me from really feeling a connection with the story. I found myself easily distracted, not even remembering what I'd read moments earlier. It wasn't until the last three chapters that I finally felt somewhat engaged in the story. I'm sure many love the story, but honestly this one just wasn't for me, I guess.

This is a great book; this book is part of the Ellie Haskell Mystery series written by Dorothy Cannell. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Ellie Haskell mysteries just get better! So funny, quirky and well plotted. This series should be on everyone's to be read list!

Unaware this was a reissue of one of a series of cozies, I was a bit confused at the beginning when hints pointed to this having been written at an earlier time (Word Processor mean anything to you?) and by the eccentric but easy relationship between Ellie Haskell and her char, Mrs. Malloy. While "taking the mickey out of"* the classic gothic novel, the plot carefully incorporates many of the tropes of the earlier genre within a multi-generational mystery, neatly and satisfyingly tying up loose ends in the final chapter. The clues were there but perhaps too subtle for me as I had not worked out all the details by the denouement. (I had typed "final denouement" and then realized that would be redundant.)

I selected this story to read and review from Netgalley's abundant offerings both because the cover and description promised a fun book, and because it is published by Alibi, of Penguin-Random House, whose selections have been uniformly delightful, well-written, and well-edited.

*A British phrase meaning, roughly, poking fun at. I have been careful to use the American "z" in my spelling but had to concentrate as this is, in fact, a thoroughly English tale!

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I found the writing to be confusing, not really engaging me as a reader. The prose seemed to jump all over the place without focusing on one main story line. The characters seemed to be fighting for the spotlight throughout the story, without one really coming out to shine. It seemed there was an internal struggle on which way this story was supposed to go. The creativity was there, but the execution of the mystery was lacking. Overall, hard to follow, too many details that do not seem important, and the story was all over the place.

Dorothy Cannell has long been a favourite author. Her wit, humour and situations have me chuckling aloud as I read. her continuing adventures of Ellie Haskell The latest has Ellie trying to solve the death of a family member which occurred when she was just a child. A touch of Gothic revival, a caste of nefarious characters, a seance, a hidden room, creepy singing and a parrot who swears like a sailor make this rip-roaring read. The ending is superb....tying all the loose ends to create an "AHA" moment

I cannot honestly finish this book. My attention wanders every time I sit down to read, and I can't get any farther than a few chapters in.

I wish that I could say that I really liked “Bridesmaids Revisited” by Ellie Haskell, but I just cannot. I did give it three stars, but would have given 2.5 if half stars were an option. I was intrigued by the synopsis and couldn’t wait to get started on the story.

Ellie Haskell has just sent her husband and children on holiday when she is summoned by three elderly ladies (the bridesmaids) to the rectory where her grandmother lived many years ago for a séance as her grandmother has something she wants to tell her.

To begin, I found Mrs. Malloy (Ellie’s housekeeper) to be terribly irritating. Occasionally, the story did not seem to make sense. For example, too many murders in the past that did not seem to be looked into by authorities. No one noticed a young girl pining for another other than her beau/husband? Not one person in the town recognized a twin (she was disgused)? I did finish the book, but it was at times painful.

This is the first book by Dorothy Cannell that I have read. Perhaps if I had not picked up the series at Book #9, I would have felt a bit more invested and enjoyed the story more. However, the story did stand alone and I did not feel like there were bits that I was missing because I had not read the first 8 books in the series. If you enjoy the other books in the series, then you might enjoy this one. Again, this is my first book by this author and I doubt I will pick up another.

The cover was very misleading. It made the novel seem current and fun. It wasn't. It was interesting enough, I was just expecting something different. Shouldn't have judged by the cover!

Bridesmaids Revisited is one of the thirteen books in Dorothy Cannell's Ellie Haskell mystery series. Set in a time before cellphones and Internet, Ellie must use her wit and wiles to solve the mystery of why the three ladies who were once to be her grandmother Sophia's bridesmaids have contacted her to come see them in her family's ancestral home in Knells, The Old Rectory. Ellie receives a letter from Rosemary Maywood requesting her visit as a matter of utmost importance and says there is a message from her dearly departed grandmother.

At the same time, Ellie's housekeeper, Mrs. Roxie Malloy, hears from her last husband telling her that he has had amnesia since he left their home twenty years earlier on a trip to the store. To avoid seeing Leonard again, Mrs. Malloy tags along with Ellie to Knells with the plan of staying with her childhood friend Gwen.

When Ellie arrives at the Old Rectory it is just as eerie as she remembered from her single visit there with her mother many years ago. To top off the eerie feeling Ellie has, soon after her arrival at the Old Rectory longtime housekeeper Edna's husband,Ted, meets an untimely end in a freak accident.

Between strange mystics, the visions of bridesmaid Jane, and the odd occurrences Ellie experiences, it is quite obvious that someone wants Ellie to leave. There are forces in play to take away the family home led by former local bad boy, now Sir Clifford Heath, an alliance of townsfolk determined to save their homes, and an odd connection between events of the past and Mrs. Malloy's friend Gwen. Will the special package her grandmother's friend Richard is holding provide any answers? If so, how will it connect Ellie's own mother's death, that of her grandfather, and other residents of the Knells area?

A fast paced mystery with intricate clues planted along the way, it will take you to the very end to piece it all together and discover the truth. I did enjoy this book and certainly do recommend it.

This entry in the Ellie Haskell Mystery series has Ellie and Mrs. Malloy away from home for a few days. And, in true cozy mystery fashion, they accomplished quite a bit in those few days. From solving crimes to fighting to save the village from an evil businessman to protecting Mrs. Malloy from an ex-husband, these two were unstoppable. To be fair, though, it was mostly Ellie who was unstoppable and she was more lucky and bumbling than unstoppable.

While this is part of a series, it can also be read on its own. It's been years since I read one of the earlier books and I was able to pick this one up with no trouble. I also remember the earlier books being more clever and much more fun.

I have decided that Ellie is not my favorite character. This book didn't grab my attention. It was easy to be side-tracked. I had to read for quite a while before the story started to flow. Then I would put the book down and then once I picked it back up I had to read for a while before the story grabbed me. I think there are a couple of reasons this book was more difficult for me. Ellie is a bland character. Nothing really sets her apart. I don't know much about her other than she is married with 3 children. She has no friends and the family is absent in this book. So I couldn't form a picture in my mind. Also the writing was a different style than I'm used to. I love British mysteries but this one didn't do it for me. The story takes place in an old house and has a Gothic feel to it. Others may well love this style of writing, me, not so much.

I tried really hard to get into this book, but I just couldn't. After reading 40% of the book, the most exciting thing that had happened was the main character got her car stuck in a ditch and had neighbors help her get it out. Literally nothing happens at all. There is a definite touch of British humor, but not enough to make this book worthwhile.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

What a great cozy mystery ! Absolutely loved it! I found a new Author, Yay! I highly recommend! Thanks! Enjoy!
carolintallahassee

“Rosemary, Thora, and Jane lived at the end of the lane, one was thin, one was fat, and one was very plain.” This is how Ellie Haskell remembers her grandmother’s three childhood friends, known collectively as “the bridesmaids.” Ellie once asked her mother where the nickname came from and her mother replied, “It’s a long story, best forgotten.” After all, every family has its secrets.

Now, thirty years later, a letter from the bridesmaids arrives informing Ellie that her grandmother, Sophia, wishes to make contact. This might have been heartwarming news but for one small detail: Sophia is dead. Ellie sets out to visit the bridesmaids, expecting to set the record straight. What she gets is a life-changing journey into the unknown, from a séance and a hidden diary to a mysterious death that took place more than fifty years ago

I've read most of the Ellie Haskell books (though many before I started using Goodreads), and I liked the earlier ones much better, I think. The last several I've read, including this one, feature Ellie away from her village, her family, and a familiar cast of characters. The only one who seems to be in every book with Ellie is Mrs. Malloy, who irritates me. In this book, as with some of the others set away from Chitterton Fells, there's such a huge cast of new characters to get to know. I had a hard time keeping everyone straight, especially since quite a few of them are from the era of Ellie's grandparents--and we only meet many of those in person once or twice. I know with a British village cozy series, it's hard to keep having murders happen in one small village. But constantly sending Ellie away from her village to another insulated setting (gothic mansion, boarding school, etc.), where a murder conveniently happens, doesn't work any better. The only murder I cared about in this book happened long ago. The current murder is practically ignored, anyway. And the victim is so unlikable that nobody is outraged by this. I finished this book, but I think I'll pass on future Ellie Haskells. She just isn't as interesting as she used to be.

I have read one of the books later on in the series as well as this one. I had forgotten about some of the information so I think that if someone were to pick up this book that they would be able to read it as a stand alone. It gives you enough of the character back story to keep up.
In this story Ellie is invited by some family and family friends of her grandmother that she has not seen since her child hood one time. They tell her that her grandmother wants to contact her from the dead. Since her husband and child are out at a retreat she ends up going thinking it will be a quick trip. She spends time with the 3 ladies and ends up finding out crazy family secrets and why her mom kept some information to herself. She even learns more about her mother who died when she was 18. It ends on a good note.
I did end up figuring out whom it was that was the perpetrator of all the bad stuff that happened in the story the persons behavior was off and it got my suspicion up. I did like this book I just am not sure that I would re read it. But I do like the author and I need to pick up the rest of the series and more of her books.

I loved the suspense o the book. I kept trying to fill in my head the who done it but the twist and turns kept me hanging on. I loved it!

This is the first book by this author that I have read. I was surprised to find that I didn't really care for it much. It had the dark elements that I usually like and a good twisting mystery but I just could not get into it and find it not all that interesting to me.

Ellie Haskell has solve another mystery in her own delightful way. This story has a great denouement that I thought about long after I had finished the novel.