What do you think?
Rate this book
Ellie Quicke #14
Murder with Mercy
Ellie’s reputation as Ealing’s answer to Miss Marple is starting to precede her. Now Constable Milburn comes knocking, wanting Ellie’s help with more police business.
Ellie’s neighbours, lonely ladies of a certain age, are dropping like flies. Three have been found dead in recent weeks. It looks like they overdosed on painkillers. But Ellie smells a rat.
Especially when an outraged niece comes out of the woodwork. She says there’s no way her aunt could’ve got her hands on the pills that killed her.
Not without a helping hand . . .
Can Ellie solve the case — before she becomes the next victim to shuffle off her mortal coil?
Ellie’s neighbours, lonely ladies of a certain age, are dropping like flies. Three have been found dead in recent weeks. It looks like they overdosed on painkillers. But Ellie smells a rat.
Especially when an outraged niece comes out of the woodwork. She says there’s no way her aunt could’ve got her hands on the pills that killed her.
Not without a helping hand . . .
Can Ellie solve the case — before she becomes the next victim to shuffle off her mortal coil?
- GenresMystery
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2013
299 people are currently reading
100 people want to read
About the author
Veronica Heley
96 books130 followersVeronica Heley has published more than fifty books, including crime fiction, historical, and children's titles. She is currently involved in the Ellie Quicke series of crime stories and a variety of other projects. A full-time writer, she has been married to a London probation officer since 1964, and has one musician daughter.
AKA Veronica Thorne
AKA Veronica Thorne
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 11, 2015
Observant Detective Constable Milburn comes to Ellie Quicke with a suspicion: Are elderly ladies who are committing suicide being helped to end their lives by a misguided Angel of Death? Overwhelmed by flu striking nearly every member of her household, her very pregnant and unreasonable daughter Diana, her wheelchair-bound and self-pitying son-in-law, and the remodel of a stately Victorian home into a hotel, Ellie doesn’t think she can handle one more task. But, of course, she does.
Murder with Mercy contains a run-of-the-mill mystery with the perpetrator revealed relatively early on, and Ellie’s self-pitying parties nearly equal those of her son-in-law. However, the novel is rescued by two entertaining subplots, one involving that son-in-law, Evan Hooper, and another involving Mikey, the mixed-race son of Ellie’s cleaner, Vera, a clever, sensitive boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. While not up to the standard of Veronica Heley’s best novels, readers will find Murder with Mercy better than your average cozy.
Murder with Mercy contains a run-of-the-mill mystery with the perpetrator revealed relatively early on, and Ellie’s self-pitying parties nearly equal those of her son-in-law. However, the novel is rescued by two entertaining subplots, one involving that son-in-law, Evan Hooper, and another involving Mikey, the mixed-race son of Ellie’s cleaner, Vera, a clever, sensitive boy with Asperger’s Syndrome. While not up to the standard of Veronica Heley’s best novels, readers will find Murder with Mercy better than your average cozy.
August 5, 2018
The Ellie Quicke series is one of my favorite go to series when I want a light and relaxing cozy read. This was not one of my favorite books in the series. It was ok but I noticed it took me longer to read than normal. It seemed like it could have been called the overwhelming of Ellie. There was so much coming at her at one time. She was helping a policewoman look into the suicides of some women. Was there someone aiding them by supplying the pills? Her household came down with a very bad flu and she was going up and down the stairs nursing everyone back to health. Her daughter is just days away from giving birth and is making her usual demands on Ellie that she should drop everything and do what her daughter wants. Someone is sabotaging the remodeling of the next door hotel that Ellie inherited and put in a trust.Even getting groceries in the house is difficult. This is just the start.There is more. It is a 3.75 star rating for me.
August 15, 2021
I found the whole book quite confusing - maybe this is to reflect the mental state of the characters. The most engaging parts are the direct insights into the mind of the elderly lady who may or may not be helping fatally ill people to die before their time.
What annoyed me was the depiction of a Social Services assessment when a child starts missing school and possibly causing problems on a building site. They are depicted as very heavy handed and threatening to take the child into care. I have worked in Social Service settings and this is not how Social Workers operate, taking a child into care is a last resort and would not be their initial response in approaching a new case.
What annoyed me was the depiction of a Social Services assessment when a child starts missing school and possibly causing problems on a building site. They are depicted as very heavy handed and threatening to take the child into care. I have worked in Social Service settings and this is not how Social Workers operate, taking a child into care is a last resort and would not be their initial response in approaching a new case.
April 26, 2018
I keep reading this series because I like the characters and am curious to see what the author does with them. The 2 mysteries in this one were not developed particularly well and I am not sure why the character of Mikey (perhaps it's just the name) grates. What happened to Ellie grandson? He does not appear at all in this one - replaced by Mikey, I guess. Ellie is a bit too good to be true but I will keep on reading these until there are no more.
July 27, 2024
I rarely give any author 2 stars because every book is a fruit of some good hard work thrown in.
While I loved Ellie's character, the book lacked the investigative aspect you expect from its name. I felt like reading a diary of a well brought up middle-class lady, rather than reading a murder mystery. She literally bumps into the murderer which took away my joy. Maybe it's just me. However, I enjoyed reading it.
While I loved Ellie's character, the book lacked the investigative aspect you expect from its name. I felt like reading a diary of a well brought up middle-class lady, rather than reading a murder mystery. She literally bumps into the murderer which took away my joy. Maybe it's just me. However, I enjoyed reading it.
August 2, 2017
Ellie is always on the go but this one is a roller coaster ride from start to finish. A really nice conclusion. Very entertaining.
June 30, 2019
An engaging cozy that lives up to its genre
October 24, 2020
I enjoy this series, will continue
January 12, 2023
audiobook
Absolutely too much going on in this book, not a very good Ellie Quicke book!
Absolutely too much going on in this book, not a very good Ellie Quicke book!
April 3, 2024
Another good book!
I hope I have Ellie Quick energy when I get to her age!
Very good twists! On to the next book.
I hope I have Ellie Quick energy when I get to her age!
Very good twists! On to the next book.
July 8, 2024
Excellent. On to the next Ellie Quicke in my marathon.
October 3, 2024
Ellie is faces up to death, sabotage, winter flu and an impending birth, somehow muddling through.
July 19, 2025
Endings
Veronica Heley sure knows how to write a ending. I have enjoyed all of her endings. On to the next one..
Veronica Heley sure knows how to write a ending. I have enjoyed all of her endings. On to the next one..
September 2, 2025
Great read
Some new characters in this book.
But a very good cosy crime.
Love Ellie Quicke especially and Midge the cat.
Some new characters in this book.
But a very good cosy crime.
Love Ellie Quicke especially and Midge the cat.
September 30, 2013
Ellie Quicke seems to devote her life doing things for other people, including friends, families, acquaintances, and total strangers. Even DC Lesley Milburn has asked Ellie for help looking into cases of a few elderly women who have apparently committed suicide, but could actually be victims of foul play. Ellie agrees to do what she can, even though she also has her hands full with a household of flu patients and a mystery that hits closer to home. Someone is sabotaging the construction project to turn the old Pryce home into a hotel in which Ellie has part interesting, and Ellie’s housekeeper’s young son is being blamed.
Ellie is a likeable character and I enjoy reading about her day-to-day life in suburban London. Ellie is loyal to those she loves, which includes young Mikey Pryce, and she won’t stand still for him being unfairly blamed for interfering in the hotel construction project. When Ellie is fighting for a cause or a loved one, she is fierce. It’s only when standing up for herself that she sometimes fails. Ellie loves helping people and she just can’t say, “No” to anyone asking for a favor. Seeing what she has to accomplish in any given day makes me tired just reading about it! Sometimes the mysteries Ellie was investigating got buried under all favors and household chores she is completing and I found myself losing track of the central story.
However, I love seeing Ellie in action solving the cases and even standing up to her nightmare of a daughter, the manipulative Diana. In this book, Diana has her own hands full with a potentially failing business, husband in a wheelchair after an accident, and due to give birth any day. Diana is such a toxic character, however, that I still couldn’t find any sympathy for her. Ellie gives in to many of her requests, but happily does stand up to Diana’s more blatant attempts at bullying her mother this time. I’ve read most of the other books in this series, and I enjoy them so much more when Ellie doesn’t allow herself to be taken advantage of by friends and family, especially Diana.
In the meantime, Ellie saves the day again and again in this book, talking care of her family and uncovering a dangerous killer. All loose ends from the various storylines are wrapped up by the end of the book. By the end of the book, even Diana seems “human”, so perhaps there is hope for her in future installments. Readers who enjoy Hazel Holt’s “Mrs Malory” series will enjoy the cozy, English setting of Veronica Heley’s latest Ellie Quicke mystery.
This book was provided to me by NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House in exchange for an honest review.
Ellie is a likeable character and I enjoy reading about her day-to-day life in suburban London. Ellie is loyal to those she loves, which includes young Mikey Pryce, and she won’t stand still for him being unfairly blamed for interfering in the hotel construction project. When Ellie is fighting for a cause or a loved one, she is fierce. It’s only when standing up for herself that she sometimes fails. Ellie loves helping people and she just can’t say, “No” to anyone asking for a favor. Seeing what she has to accomplish in any given day makes me tired just reading about it! Sometimes the mysteries Ellie was investigating got buried under all favors and household chores she is completing and I found myself losing track of the central story.
However, I love seeing Ellie in action solving the cases and even standing up to her nightmare of a daughter, the manipulative Diana. In this book, Diana has her own hands full with a potentially failing business, husband in a wheelchair after an accident, and due to give birth any day. Diana is such a toxic character, however, that I still couldn’t find any sympathy for her. Ellie gives in to many of her requests, but happily does stand up to Diana’s more blatant attempts at bullying her mother this time. I’ve read most of the other books in this series, and I enjoy them so much more when Ellie doesn’t allow herself to be taken advantage of by friends and family, especially Diana.
In the meantime, Ellie saves the day again and again in this book, talking care of her family and uncovering a dangerous killer. All loose ends from the various storylines are wrapped up by the end of the book. By the end of the book, even Diana seems “human”, so perhaps there is hope for her in future installments. Readers who enjoy Hazel Holt’s “Mrs Malory” series will enjoy the cozy, English setting of Veronica Heley’s latest Ellie Quicke mystery.
This book was provided to me by NetGalley through the courtesy of Severn House in exchange for an honest review.
December 3, 2017
Ellie Quicke has been asked on an informal basis to see if she can find out whether someone in the neighbourhood is helping elderly ladies to commit suicide. Her daughter, Diana, is about to give birth and her part time housekeeper, Vera, is going down with flu. Then there’s Mickey, Vera’s son, who seems to be getting himself into trouble on the building site next door where there seems to have been an element of sabotage.
It seems to Ellie as though her life is falling apart and even her usually efficient support services are failing. I enjoyed this mystery story with its roots firmly in the everyday events of having to ensure the household is fed and watered and that whoever has been murdered the shopping still has to be done.
Ellie herself has grown and developed over the course of this series and is showing herself to be more and more capable of dealing with people from all walks of life. Even her daughter is finding she can’t depend on her mother to bail her out of every situation she gets herself into.
If you want interesting mysteries with well-drawn characters then try the Ellie Quicke series. They can be read in any order but it is better to read them in the order in which they were published so that you can follow the series characters.
It seems to Ellie as though her life is falling apart and even her usually efficient support services are failing. I enjoyed this mystery story with its roots firmly in the everyday events of having to ensure the household is fed and watered and that whoever has been murdered the shopping still has to be done.
Ellie herself has grown and developed over the course of this series and is showing herself to be more and more capable of dealing with people from all walks of life. Even her daughter is finding she can’t depend on her mother to bail her out of every situation she gets herself into.
If you want interesting mysteries with well-drawn characters then try the Ellie Quicke series. They can be read in any order but it is better to read them in the order in which they were published so that you can follow the series characters.
March 2, 2014
Ellie Quicke has been asked on an informal basis to see if she can find out whether someone in the neighbourhood is helping elderly ladies to commit suicide. Her daughter, Diana, is about to give birth and her part time housekeeper, Vera, is going down with flu. Then there's Mickey, Vera's son, who seems to be getting himself into trouble on the building site next door where there seems to have been an element of sabotage.
It seems to Ellie as though her life is falling apart and even her usually efficient support services are failing. I enjoyed this mystery story with its roots firmly in the everyday events of having to ensure the household is fed and watered and that whoever has been murdered the shopping still has to be done.
Ellie herself has grown and developed over the course of this series and is showing herself to be more and more capable of dealing with people from all walks of life. Even her daughter is finding she can't depend on her mother to bail her out of every situation she gets herself into.
If you want interesting mysteries with well-drawn characters then try the Ellie Quicke series. They can be read in any order but it is better to read them in the order in which they were published so that you can follow the series characters.
It seems to Ellie as though her life is falling apart and even her usually efficient support services are failing. I enjoyed this mystery story with its roots firmly in the everyday events of having to ensure the household is fed and watered and that whoever has been murdered the shopping still has to be done.
Ellie herself has grown and developed over the course of this series and is showing herself to be more and more capable of dealing with people from all walks of life. Even her daughter is finding she can't depend on her mother to bail her out of every situation she gets herself into.
If you want interesting mysteries with well-drawn characters then try the Ellie Quicke series. They can be read in any order but it is better to read them in the order in which they were published so that you can follow the series characters.
August 6, 2015
Some spoilers involved in this review. I felt as exhausted as Ellie Quicke must have been after reading this installment in the series. Nearly everyone in Elli's household has the flu, her ward Mikey is accused of sabotaging the hotel being built next door and demanding daughter Diana expects Ellie to babysit her wheelchair bound husband and vet possible companions for him. Additionally Detective Lesley Milburn asks Ellie to keep an eye and ear out for suspicious suicides in their neighborhood.Despite the tiring activities, Ellie solves all the interrelated problems with the help of lawyer Ken Greenbody and her financial consultant/friend Kate.
October 30, 2013
I picked up this book at the library, began reading, and thought, "Why do I bother reading this stuff?" Then, I get about 20 pages in and I'm once again hooked on these little cozies. It is a "Quicke" read and a lighthearted tromp through the crazy life of a silly woman. She is so annoying, but she gets the job done. She has a messy life, an insufferable daughter, and a rather colorful cast of characters. I do wish Heley would do something about it, clever as she is.
August 4, 2013
Usually like this series but not this one !!! The kid is creepy ( is he 5 or 12 ) ?????
I do like the bea abbott series better ....
I do like the bea abbott series better ....
October 9, 2013
I love this series. Somehow its cozy and dark all at the same. I love Ellie Quicke and every book is like hanging out with an old friend.
November 11, 2013
Best cozy mystery series around!
April 6, 2016
The Ellie Quicke plots are getting a bit thin. The early books are worth reading for a delightful protagonist and a fun cozy mystery series.
February 5, 2014
I wish I had Ellie Quicke's instincts!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews