Customer Reviews

Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When Sir George Braxton is found lying face down in a fountain with the back of his skull smashed in, no one mourns the murder victim. His three daughters certainly don't: Lucinda, the oldest, is free now to marry the man she loves; Nina had lost a lot of money in bad investments and fears her father's wrath; and Charlotte, the youngest, was trying to hide a serious gambling problem. There are plenty of other suspects, including two houseguests; a cousin who lives permanently at the house; the gardener, who has a criminal past; and the servants, whom Sir George has been less than kind to. Home Security calls in Inspector Gerald Witherspoon to solve the case with one catch - they want the murder solved by Christmas, which is a week away! Good thing the Inspector has Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of his household staff working behind the scenes to help him!

This is another excellent entry in a wonderful series. Emily Brightwell equally shows Witherspoon's investigation and the servant's efforts, which gives insight into all the characters. I like the fact that, while the servants to help Witherspoon, he does turn up important evidence and grows more confident in every book. These books give a good insight into what life was like for servants in the Victorian Age, comparing Witherspoon's treatment of his servants to the way Braxton treated his. As much as I enjoy the series, I can't help but wonder how the dynamic of the books will change when Smythe and Betsy finally do marry.

The mystery itself is well written and well plotted. Seemingly innocent conversations about things like missing chicken livers turn out to be important clues. And the revelation of what the murder weapon was is a surprise and well done.

This series keeps getting better and better. I've read the entire series and there's not a bad book among them. Highly recommended!

Sir George is a parsimonious, mean-spirited man who cares more about his cat Samson than he does his three daughters. The cat, a mean old Tom who scratches everyone except for Sir George has been missing for two days putting his master in a fouler mood than usual. Sir George wakes up quickly when he hears Samson outside and goes to find him. Someone smashes him on his head killing him.

Since Sir George was the cousin of Queen Victoria, his case is very high profile so Scotland Yard assigns it to Inspector Gerald Witherspoon who has a phenomenal successor rate in solving homicides. Neither Witherspoon nor his supervisors know that his housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries and the other servants of his house work behind the scenes to help their master solve his cases. This inquiry is harder than most as everyone has a motive for killing the baronet, including his three daughters, his ex-lover, the gardener the housekeeper, and trades people he cheated out of money.

This is one historical mystery series that never gets boring or dull. The author keeps the series fresh by making each homicide case original. Lovers of late Victorian mysteries will thoroughly enjoy this tale because Inspector Witherspoon comes across as so innocent and naïve that readers will adore him. Emily Brightwell is an author whose mysteries are well worth reading.

Harriet Klausner

Welcome back to my friends at Upper Edmonton Gardens. By now these people do feel like friends to me, and that is what keeps this series fresh. This one is set a week before Christmas, so Inspector Witherspoon's staff are busy trying to get ready for the festive occasion, as well as solve a perplexing murder. This is a murder with too many suspects since no one, not even his family, liked Baronet George Braxton. He has three obnoxious daughters and one "cousin" living with him, and all had reason to dislike him. But they do figure it all out, just in time to celebrate the season.

Another excellent installment in the Mrs. Jeffries series. I've run out of adjectives at this point. I've simply adored each book in the series!

This was my second Mrs. Jeffries novel ("Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter" being my first) and I can honestly I say thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a very easy and light read and anyone who enjoys a solid cozy murder mystery will find much to enjoy here. The idea that Inspector Witherspoon's domestic staff, headed by sleuthing housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries, solves, unbeknownst to their employer, his murder investigations, is a clever one and one that works well. These are short novels (on average between 220 and 240 pages) so don't look here for great character studies, insightful commentary on Victorian mores and society or the origins of aberrant behavior because you won't find it. These works make no allusions of grandeur and are charmingly lacking in pretense. They are what they are and I've enjoyed the two that I've read and look forward to reading others in the future. My one complaint involves some characters that I feel come perilously close to caricature, mainly the American expatriate partner-in-crime, Luty, whose folksy expressions border on the trite and though I like the juxtaposition between Luty's no nonsense American gumption and her butler Hatchet's cool English rectitude, I sometimes felt like I was reading an exchange between Yosemite Sam and Jeeves. Some might feel that Emily Brightwell fails to paint an honest portrait of a time and place and that is somewhat true but that's hardly reason to dismiss her efforts, and though considerable liberties are taken with the vernacular, it does little to detract from the overall pleasure of the stories. If you're looking for more stick-to-your-ribs Victorian murder mysteries, I suggest you read Anne Perry. But if you want a fun and light mystery that delivers the goods, you can't go wrong with Emily Brightwell's, Mrs. Jeffries.

In the 20th book in the Mrs. Jeffries Victorian Mystery series, the beloved Inspector has another murder to solve. This time, Sir George Braxton has been found murdered with his head stuck in a pond of ice. It seems that he was hit on the head prior to his death, and the killer wanted to insure his demise by putting his head in the frozen water. None of the members of his household seem upset by the miserable miser's death, however, and at the top of the list of suspects are the man's three daughters. Being as though Sir George is a distant relative of the queen, Inspector Witherspoon is pressed to find the killer before Christmas...less than a week away. With the list of suspects growing by the day, Mrs. Jeffries and the staff at Upper Edmonton Gardens must work overtime to catch a killer before they can celebrate the holiday season together.

I love this series! The characters are so vividly portrayed that I feel as though I have stepped into Victorian London. This is definitely a cozy series, and the books are a very quick read. Frankly, I don't really read this series just for the mysteries themselves...I read them for the interactions between the characters. The staff work together to secretly assist the Inspector in his cases, and I like to see the camaraderie between the different members of the staff. I am waiting to see if the Inspector ever catches on about the "extra" help he is receiving. So far, he remains in the dark. I also keep waiting to see how Betsy and Smythe will handle their upcoming marriage, and if they will stay on as hired help just to assist in the murder investigations.

The first book in the series is called "The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries". Enjoy!

This was the first book I read in this series. A good introduction. I can could tell from reading this book I enjoyed the writing style of the author. I am curently purchasing many more in this series.

I loved this book just as much as the others. You have to love Samson the cat he is not liked very much but, helps solve the case. An easy read, but enjoyable. I am already on the next book of this series.

Amazon has turned into my purchase media of choice. Trusworthy in its selection of suppliers.

All the Mrs. Jeffries series books are great! Got my book in record time from this vendor.