Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen (Wheeler Cozy Mystery) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Emily Brightwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2008 | Series: Wheeler Cozy Mystery

The case is an unexpected bother for Inspector Witherspoon's household, already abuzz with plans for the holidays, but Scotland Yard wants this crime solved before Christmas. Now the busy sleuths must rally in support of their Inspector-especially since the clues are harder to find than a silver sixpence in a plum pudding...

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Brightwell's unobtrusive 23rd Victorian historical mystery (after Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans) adds a dash of holiday spirit to the adventures of Insp. Gerald Witherspoon and his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries. At the height of the Christmas season, Witherspoon is called in when Stephen Whitfield, a member of the upper class, is poisoned by foxglove slipped into his wine. Jeffries's below-stairs crew of irregulars track down those who were present when the fatal drink was poured, collecting rumors and gossip concerning the dead man and his family and friends. They soon find that Whitfield belonged to a tontine (an investment group where the last one alive collects the dead members' contributions) whose membership has been steadily dwindling. The writing lacks the wit of other Victorian series, such as Peter Lovesey's Sergeant Cribb novels, and the characters often border on cliché, but readers looking for a light diversion will be satisfied. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Emily Brightwell is the author of twenty-three Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries books. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 385 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing (March 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597227129
• ISBN-13: 978-1597227124
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,110,697 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in West Virginia, the middle sister to Nanette and Linda. My parents moved the family to Los Angeles in the early sixties, and I graduated from Pasadena High School. I attended California State University at Fullerton and earned a Degree in American Studies.
On a visit to England in 1975, I met my future husband, Richard. We were married in May 1976 and lived in a small village outside London. We came back to California in September 1977.
In 1988 I began my new career as a fiction writer. Although I was working in the shipping industry, and enjoyed my job, I wanted to fulfil my long-held desire to write!
I began by writing romances. I joined the Romance Writers of America - Orange County chapter. After my entry in the "unpublished authors" contest run by this chapter was announced as a finalist - I was delighted, but the New York editor who read my entry was scathing in her criticism. I was crushed for a day or so, but it hardened my resolve to continue writing. My very next proposal was the one that my agent sold to Silhouette. It was published under my pen name of Sarah Temple as KINDRED SPIRITS. I was thrilled - a published author!

I wrote two more Special Editions for Silhouette but I jumped at the chance to write a Victorian mystery series for Berkley - I've always had a keen interest in mysteries. I called my brother-in-law, Robert, who lives in London and he found old,original London newspapers from the 1880s and a host of books on Victorian households. These books and newspapers were priceless guides to my understanding of the real Victorian world of Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries.
I have also written some Young Adult novels,which are not currently in print - writing as Cheryl Lanham - my maiden name. These were such fun to write because teenagers are so emotional and it was great therapy to switch from the lives of a Victorian household involved in solving murders to the angst of a contemporary California teenager! By some strange quirk of events, the Young Adult books sold really well in Norway - translated into Norwegian, I hasten to add. Sales in the United States were not as dramatic and the series was cancelled.

I quit my part-time job in October 2010 so I could write mysteries full-time. I live in southern Orange County.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Feast!, October 12, 2007

By 

drebbles (Arlington, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen (Hardcover)

It's Christmas time and Stephen Whitfield is having a small dinner party. Tensions are running a bit high at the dinner especially since the woman Stephen had hoped to marry, Eliza Graham, seems a bit too friendly with Hugh Langford, the guest she brought to the dinner party. Rosalind Murray, Stephen's sister-in-law, is none too happy about the attention Stephen is paying to Eliza. Maria and Basil Farringdon think Stephen is a bit of a snob and Maria gives Stephen a bottle of Bordeaux that is much more expensive than the port he gave them for Christmas. While all the guests seem to dislike Stephen, it's still a shock when someone poisons the Bordeaux and Stephen dies. Inspector Gerald Witherspoon is given the case to investigate since his record of solving murders is unblemished. What he doesn't realize is that his household staff, led by housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries, has been working behind the scenes to help him solve his cases. But this case is far more complex than anything else they've worked on and it begins to look like they may not be able to solve this one.

Emily Brightwell's Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries series gets better and better with each book and "Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen" is the best of a wonderful group of books. The setting is Victorian England and Brightwell does a great job of capturing the time period and bringing little bits of trivia into the books (in this book Christmas trees are a novelty). The characters are all wonderfully written including Inspector Witherspoon, who is getting better at solving mysteries but still needs his household staff to help him even if he doesn't know it; Constable Barnes who knows what it going on and is happy to have help; Mrs. Jeffries; Mrs. Goodge, the cook; footman Wiggins, maid Betsy; coachman Smythe; eccentric American Luty; and her faithful butler and sparring partner Hatchet. Those who read Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans will be eager to find out how Betsy and Smythe resolve the problems in their relationship after he "left her at the altar" and Brightwell doesn't disappoint in that plot line. I've read all 23 books in the series and am always amazed at how much I still learn about these characters in each book. In this book I learned some things about Mrs. Goodge and Hatchet that added more to their character. The mystery is extremely well written and plotted and just like the inspector and his staff, I was completely baffled as to who the killer was and was shocked when the identity was finally revealed. Many cozy mystery books have blurbs on the cover comparing the author to Agatha Christie, but Emily Brightwell lives up to that comparison - the solution to the murder was truly Christie-like.

One of the themes in the Mrs. Jeffries mysteries is how Witherspoon's staff has become like a family to each other and Witherspoon (there's a very touching and funny scene towards the end of the book that shows how much Witherspoon cares for them). At this point, Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of the staff also feel like family to me - I love my visits into their world and can't wait to visit it again.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clever Victorian cozy, October 9, 2007

By 

Bookworm "Bookworm" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen (Hardcover)

Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen is the latest in Emily Brightwell's Victorian cozy murder mystery series. This series never gets predictable or boring, as Brightwell gives each book a unique stamp. This book is no exception. The mystery in this book is rather complicated for the staff of Inspector Witherspoon to figure out and indeed, the Inspector comes close to handing the case to someone else. There is a keen sense of tension and anticipation throughout the book as you hope the staff can figure out who murdered the aristocratic Stephen Whitfield before the case gets handed to the odious Inspector Nivens!

I highly recommend this book to all fans of the series as well as to anyone who enjoys a cracking good Victorian murder mystery without any blood, gore, or bad language.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 23rd in a series--and a most delightful cozy, October 29, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen (Hardcover)

Yuletide preparations abound in Victorian London. One celebration is the party Stephen Whitfield is hosting for a few select guests. How rude-the host didn't make it through dinner. He fell forward into his soup, dead. Now six guests are suspects, including a sister-in-law, boyhood friends, and a romantic interest, but who would want to kill Stephen?

Each with their own special connections, Mrs. Jeffries and her below-stairs friends and fellow workers secretly help their employer, Inspector Gerald Witherspoon, solve his latest murder. He can use the help. Christmas is just around the corner and his superiors want the murder of wealthy Stephen Whitfield solved before December 25.

With Witherspoon's nemesis Inspector Nevins waiting in the wings to see him fail and each lead exonerating a suspect, everyone must work harder at pursuing leads and solving the murder.

Emily Brightwell uses slight of hand to build intrigue from the beginning of the story. She skillfully weaves leads throughout the book. The challenge is laid down before you, but are you capable of solving the mystery before Mrs. Jeffries or Inspector Witherspoon?

Humor and romance aren't forgotten during the course of the book. In-depth descriptions of the people and places of the Victorian Era set you firmly in each scene. A pleasant surprise was the spacing used to introduce characters and their traits.

Armchair Interviews says: This is the 23rd book in a delightful series of cozy mysteries. Come, join the search and solve the mystery before the feast of St. Stephen.