Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight (A Victorian Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Emily Brightwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 3, 2006

Sir George Braxton was found lying face down in a frozen fountain with the back of his skull bashed to bits.  The case is complicated by a distinct lack of holiday cheer in the victim’s three argumentative middle-aged daughters and their sullen houseguests.  Even the cranky cat hates everyone. To top it all off, the Home Secretary has called in Inspector Witherspoon over the heads of some touchy local lads, making matters stickier than a plum pudding.  Only the help of his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, and her crime-solving staff will give the poor Inspector any chance of sleeping in heavenly peace on Christmas Eve…

She keeps house for Inspector Witherspoon…and keeps him on his toes. Everyone’s awed by his Scotland Yard successes—but they don’t know about his secret weapon. No matter how messy the murder or how dirty the deed, Mrs. Jeffries’ polished detection skills are up to the task…proving that behind every great man there’s a woman—and that a crimesolver’s work is never done.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Emily Brightwell is the author of the "Mrs. Jeffries" series of mysteries. She lives in Lake Forest, CA.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 3, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425207080
• ISBN-13: 978-0425207086
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,889 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

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mystery, October 19, 2005

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 Silent Knight (Hardcover)

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!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great historical mystery, October 4, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight (Hardcover)

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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mrs. Jeffries and a Christmas mystery!, June 4, 2006

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight (Hardcover)

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.