Customer Reviews

Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter

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In this mystery set in Victorian England, Inspector Gerald Witherspoon is in charge of the investigation of the murder of Sir Edmund Leggett, who was killed on his way home from his engagement party. Witherspoon has plenty of suspects, beginning with a young woman who has been stalking him. But there's plenty of other people that wanted him dead, including his fiancée who hates him (he was marrying her for her money, her parents agreed because they wanted his title), his mistress who is furious at the upcoming wedding, his cousin who inherits everything, and the numerous people he owes money to. But Witherspoon will have no problem solving this case, not while his housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of his household staff are working behind the scenes to help him!

I really enjoy this series. The mysteries are always well written and well plotted. Brightwell switches back and forth between Witherspoon's investigation and the servants which I like, because it gives insight into all the characters. What I like the most is that, even after nineteen books in the series, the characters continue to grow and in each book we learn more and more about them. In this particular book, it was a little tidbit about Hatchet that made him come even more alive to me as a character. And Witherspoon's detecting abilities develop more and more each book, which is a nice touch as it would have been easy for him to become a caricature.

I highly recommend these books for fans of cozy mysteries. My only complaint is I read the book in one night and now have to wait for the next one!

It is very difficult to keep a series fresh. Plots easily become stale, and begin to sound like the last book you read by the same author. Emily Brightwell has found a method in which she keeps her readers interested and her endings reasonable. I like this book because it touches on real feelings of loyalty in the inspector's house and among other characters. The series continues to be a welcome distraction from a busy day and really fine entertainment.

In Victorian England, Sir Edmund Leggett is so in debt he is marrying heiress Beatrice Parkingtom for her money even with her parents in trade and the chit not wanting to marry him. A woman stalks Edmund hanging outside his home every day and follows him wherever he goes. Afraid that his cash cow will cry off if she learns about the stalker, Edmund announces their engagement at a society gala so she cannot dump him. Later a drunken Edmund heads home; someone he knows shoots him and calmly walks away leaving him dead.

Inspector Gerald Witherspoon is assigned the case and finds too many suspects with motives as Sir Edmund played fast and loose with women, abused his servants, and was late paying off his gambling debts. Even his fiancée loathed him and the female stalker is assumed to have been one of the many women he discarded. The inspector worries that this will become a cold case, but his housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of his household staff are helping him although he remains unaware of their assistance.

The nineteenth installment in this long running series retains its fresh, unique "police procedural" premise due to a terrific who-done-it, the fabulous Witherspoon and his unofficial experts, and a solid secondary cast loaded with reasons to kill Edmund. Although his nasty behavior provides much of London as suspects, perhaps the only weak link is the odious Edmund, who was so nasty and hedonistic that no one cares that he died. However, what makes this well done who-done-it shine even brighter is the vivid look at Victorian England from the perspective of several lifestyles.

Harriet Klausner

Emily Brightwell has give us yet another wonderful book in her Mrs. Jeffries series. I read this one in three hours without putting it down. I loved it!

I agree that it is difficult to keep a long-running series fresh and exciting, but Ms. Brightwell has found the right formula. This Victorian mystery series keeps its charm through book after book. As I read I begin to think of the staff at Upper Edmonton Gardens as old friends, and can't wait to see what murder they'll be trying to help solve next. In this book the victim was not a well-liked man. He was a bounder and profligate, so no one was really upset when he was killed, but Inspector Witherspoon has to find the killer regardless. That means his staff have to help him. By this time Witherspoon is able to do some real detecting on his own, but that doesn't mean that he's ungrateful when he gets a break somewhere. This series is pure delight.

I loved this book just as much as the last one. Mrs Jeffries is at it again with her crew. Sir Edmund was a cad who got shot and in this one I did not put two and two together till the last chapter. Very well done. I look forward to the next book.

In the 19th installment in the Mrs. Jeffries Victorian Mystery series, the beloved Inspector has another murder to solve. This time, Sir Edmund Leggett has been shot to death on the night of his engagement announcement. It seems as thought Sir Edmund has a bit of a past...and as of late, he has been haunted by it. He had acquired himself a stalker, presumably one of the women that he used and tossed away like garbage. Everyone jumps to the quick conclusion that his stalker must be the murderess, but when she shows up begging for help from the Inspector's household, Mrs. Jeffries is not so sure. It seems Sir Edmund was not well liked, and the list of suspects seems too long for even the staff at Upper Edmonton Gardens to weed through. Will Mrs. Jeffries and her team of undercover detectives help the Inspector solve another murder, or will the murderer go free?

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. I found the puzzle in this book to be a bit more difficult to solve as in previous books. But I don't really read this series 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.

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