Murder of Identity

Ellie Quicke #8

by Veronica Heley

The new Ellie Quicke mystery - While out collecting laurel for formidable flower arranger Mrs Dawes, feisty widow Ellie Quicke comes across a corpse without an identity. Next day, Ellie discovers Mrs Dawes badly beaten and close to death. Much to Ellie's dismay, the police think shaven-headed Neil, Mrs Dawes' grandson, is responsible, even after a third body comes to light . . . So who has lost their identity and who has gained it?

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller

234 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Veronica 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

Reviews

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Veronica Heley makes a nice recovery with Murder of Identity after the subpar Murder by Bicycle, the seventh and previous novel in this series.

In Murder of Identity, widow Ellie Quicke discovers a long-dead body, wrapped in plastic and dumped in the rear of a house for sale. Most disturbing! But then Ellie’s longtime friend, the good-hearted but somewhat bullying Mrs. Dawes, is sent into a coma from an night-time attack in her home. When Mrs. Dawes’ grandson Neil gets the blame, Ellie knows the police have got the wrong man and proceeds to discover the true identity of Mrs. Dawes’ attacker.

As in Murder by Bicycle, readers will know almost immediately the name of the culprit, if not much else about him. However, unlike in Murder by Bicycle, Heley keeps readers’ interest in Murder of Identity by sprinkling quite a few puzzles through the book and weaving an interesting subplot involving Ellie’s materially spoiled but emotionally starved grandson Frank, which I won’t spoil by revealing.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mrs. Dawes is making g flower arrangements a large wedding at the church. She doesn't have enough greens to do all the arrangements. Mrs. Dawes sends Ellie to get some more greens at a nearby home that owner has told her to take all she wants. Gathering the greens, Ellie step on a decaying corpse. Meanwhile, Diana has put Ellie house on sale as she wants her half of the money she will inherit on Ellie's. Diana has Frank on the weekends and dumps him without her Mother's permission. Bill, Ellie's lawyer asked Ellie to marry him and she doesn't say no. Mrs. Dawes is beaten almost to death and Ellie feels the police have arrested the wrong prep. What will Ellie do?

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy it when I sit down to read another book in the Ellie Quicke Series. Ellie and her friends have become so familiar and I enjoy reading about their lives. In this book Elile goes to a house for Mrs. Dawes (the church flower lady) to bring back some greens that Mrs. Dawes says she was told she could have. Instead of bringing back greens, Ellie steps on a corpse in the overgrown garden. Then Mrs. Dawes is seriously attacked. The police have tunnel vision and think that Mrs. Dawes grandson did the attack and also the murder of the person in the garden. They can't identify the garden corpse and no one has been reported missing.

Ellie takes charge in helping many of her friends in this book. She does have a dreadful daughter who I would be happy if she wasn't in the books. The books would be very good without her as Diana(the daughter) is major irritant. I like to chose an Ellie Quicke book when I want a light and relaxing read. I like to catch up with the characters. I also like to see how Ellie is living her life now as a recent widow

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie is a martyr who cannot say no and takes on tasks that she has no business being part of. The police are lazy and ineffective, arresting the easiest person with no evidence, and somehow it's up to Ellie to endanger herself for a man who should be capable of handling things on his own. Neil is an ADULT. He is not her relative or her love interest, or even someone that the reader cares about. Yet she spends waaaaay too much time thinking about how to get him out of trouble with the police. When Ellie stumbles across the answer, there is a predictable confrontation with the murderer in which Ellie's life is predictably threatened, and then everything is swiftly cleared up (but only because the author has been giving you updates on what the murderer is doing and thinking, and not because there are any clues).

Also, I don't understand how things with Thomas went so quickly off the rails, and then is put back on track by him showing her his office and asking her advice. What?

[Sherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series has become my most recent go to read for a cozy mystery - it used to be the Agatha Raisin books but recently they have all seemed the same. I thought Murder of Identity was better than a few of the earlier ones in this series. What I like is the story line continues on - babies get older, people break up, get married, change jobs. I am now intrigued by the hint of "romance" between Ellie (the main character) and her minister, Thomas. The convoluted mysteries sometimes seem secondary to the dynamics between characters. The mystery is usually solved by an attack on someone and wind up fairly neatly. But in all I enjoyed this book.

[Ellen Dark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series is described as "gentle" and it is. I always enjoy reading an Ellie Quicke mystery. The books are somewhat predictable. Ellie's daughter is still horrid, little Frank is still neglected, and Ellie is still struggling to find her way through life with the Lord's help, while helping her friends, and solving the mystery.

[harold brynildsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder of Identity

I enjoy the entire series. A series that is about people over 16 years old is wonderfully received. My only suggestion: put Diana in her place. It is appalling that her mother puts up with her. After all mother is suppose to be breaking out from her shrinking violet mode.

[Cayenne Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author basically says, if you dress a certain way you'll "expect" to be treated that way.

if you dress 'like a criminal" then you deserve to go to jail. Would She say the same if she was raped and someone started in by asking what she was wearing to provoke the rapist?!

BULLSHIT!!!

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book to chill out on, Ellie has a knack of making the local plods look like amateurs in evidence gathering. Gave it 5 stars because it kept me interested. I want to continue reading more of the Ellie Quicke series but they art not on goodreads free library list. Disappointing.

[Rene Maloon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

Another day shot down by way of this author. Once I start I cannot seem to put it down. I think I have to leave off for awhile but next time I'm looking for a good read, I start on another in Veronica Helelys series. So I'm off to read another!

[Mr Kenneth L Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Story

This is the first book that I have read by this author but it will not be the last. Great characters and a very enjoyable storyline. Looking forward to reading more in the series.

[Caroline Ingvaldsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The eighth Ellie Quicke murder mystery is predictably light and satisfying reading.

[aprilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice easy series, will continue

[Janeva Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series, now I'm waiting for book nine to come up on Kindle Unlimited. This is similar to her Agency series.

[Jan Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie quicker is a superwoman

Once again Ellie Quicke solves a mystery. She goes out of her way to help her friends grandson and in doing so gets involved in murder.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok

Not the best in the series . But more family and relationship drama and I side serving of slightly convoluted murders , but enjoyable.

[Anne Herbison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ellie to the rescue, again!

[Denise Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Another absolutely brilliant book in an out standing series love all the great Characters.
Will be eager to read the next one.

[Penny Perse · Rating 5 out of 5]

murder of identity

These stories have been great. I have enjoyed all of them and wish they were longer. It’s hard to find reading material

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie Quicke is asked to go and collect some Portuguese laurel branches by bossy Mrs Dawes who is in charge of the church flower arranging ladies. Unfortunately Ellie finds more than just the laurel she was asked to get as she also finds a very dead body in the garden whose owner has moved into sheltered accommodation. Then Mrs Dawes herself is found beaten up and badly injured and her grandson, Neil is prime suspect though Ellie is sure he didn't do it.

This is a well written cosy mystery and is number eight in this interesting and thought provoking series. Ellie herself is a likeable character who is trying to deal in a constructive way with her early widowhood and unexpected wealth. She tries to do the right thing in all circumstances but frequently, like most of us, she falls short of her aims.

This is an enjoyable read with some memorable characters - both pleasant and unpleasant. The series can be read in any order but if you read them in the order in which they were published it is interesting to watch Ellie herself grow and develop.

[Rosemary · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wouldn't exactly say this is a bad book. However, I find the heroine's seemingly martyr like suffering annoying. I also dislike how the novel tells the reader who the killer is, although the main character hasn't worked it out. I don't like the lack of suspense. It also doesn't give the reader a chance to do any sleuthing. When the heroine does figure out who the killer it's because she sees him and "just knows" which I find absolutely ridiculous. The killer is also not a character who moves within the general circle of the other characters, so he is really just an outsider. The final complaint I have of this book is I found it quite sexist. The female charcters often make comments that imply they are not as good as men, or just use outdated ways of thinking. Perhaps this was a deliberate choice by the author to add to her heroine's character but I just didn't like it.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know why I keep picking this series to read. I forget that some of the characters annoy me, the daughter Diana for one should just be spanked. The story is about a man who kills and then takes over the identity of another man and then how he goes on to kill or seriously injure more people all because he is too lazy to work. Of course Ellie is able to solve it but more by blundering into the solution and nearly getting killed herself.

[Kimbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

not much to remember here. I don't really remember much of the book.