Customer Reviews

Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings

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The holidays are upon the residents of Victorian London, which means that the wedding date of Coachman Smythe and Betsy the Cook is getting close. The pair live in the home of Inspector Witherspoon of the Metropolitan Police Department where they work and assist along with the rest of the staff their employer solve crime cases. Witherspoon is ignorant that his household employees led by Mrs. Jeffries are the reason his detecting record is at 100% solved as they serendipitously work cases by finding the clues but allow their beloved Inspector to get the credit.

The staff prays no murder cases until after the wedding, but their prayers go unanswered when a woman is knifed to death in front of the Evans' home where an engagement party is going on. The daughter of the house Rosemary Evans identifies the victim as her old governess, but neither she nor anyone else knows why she was there. Mrs. Jeffries and the crew understand that they need to expedite this case so it does not interfere with the wedding since Witherspoon is giving the bride away.

The police and the staff separately investigate the homicide and believe they know who the killer is but lack proof. When information comes to light in spite of a lack of cooperation, the housekeeper and her amateur sleuths know they must act quickly to prevent a second murder from occurring even as a second wedding will occur.

It is fun watching Betsy and Smythe work on the crime, prepare for their wedding, and host her sister and brother-in-law as they do an incredible balancing act. Readers, Mrs. J, and the Inspector will be blindsided by who the killer is in this delightful cerebral historical cozy. As always with this terrific series, Emily Brightwell provides her fans with a bright well-written Victorian.

Harriet Klausner

There isn't much I can say except she has done it again! I own and have read every single book in the Mrs. Jeffries series, by Emily Brightwell. I enjoy the light, cozy, victorian murder mysteries. Keep up the wonderful writing! My only wish is that there were more of these entertaining books written each year, it's hard waiting between publications.

Although this is the 26th Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries book by author Emily Brightwell, it is my first. Set in Victorian times, the author stays true to the era providing a setting that is cloaked in fog, horse-drawn carriages, and mansions that hold many secrets.

Just as two prominent members of Inspector Witherspoon's household prepare to marry, a middle-aged spinster is stabbed to death outside a mansion during a late afternoon tea party. Although Mrs. Jeffries and her staff are in the final preparations for the wedding as well as getting ready for Christmas just days away, they also welcome the opportunity to delve into the mystery.

Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings proves to be a combination of mystery to be solved and family relationships to untangle and understand.

As Smythe and Betsy prepare for their wedding, after postponing the wedding twice, they are determined this time it will go on as planned. Unfortunately, Betsy must also deal with her sister who has traveled from Canada for the nuptials. Adding to Betsy's stress are the apparent secrets Smyth is keeping from her.

In the meantime, the Witherspoon household pulls together, works to eek out the secrets of the case, and hopefully solves the case prior to the wedding. The question is, will they make it to the church on time?

While they usually enjoy helping Inspector Witherspoon solve murder cases (even if he doesn't know it) his household staff doesn't really need a case right now. Christmas is coming, as is the long awaited and often delayed wedding of Betsy and Smythe. But murder waits for no one and when ex-governess Agatha Moran is murdered, Witherspoon gets the case. Scotland Yard wants the case solved by Christmas and Witherspoon's staff is determined to help him while still preparing for the wedding. Will Witherspoon, Constable Barnes, his staff, and friends be able to solve the mystery in time for everyone to have a happy holiday?

"Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings" is the nicely done twenty-sixth entry in Emily Brightwell's delightful cozy mystery series set in Victorian England. Fans have long waited for the marriage between Betsy and Smythe and Brightwell smoothly interposes their wedding plans with wedding plans involving Rosemary Evans, who had Agatha Moran as a governess - the contrasts between the world of the upper crust of society versus the world of Witherspoon's household staff are nicely done. Even after several books in the series, Brightwell continues to keep the series fresh as the characters and situations continue to grow. Witherspoon unknowingly has the help of his household staff in solving the mystery, but he has made great strides of his own in solving cases. Mrs. Jeffries, who is usually content to let the others do the investigating while she pieces together the clues, seems aware of becoming stagnant and works to make sure she doesn't become complacent. We get yet another peek into Betsy's life before working for Witherspoon as we get to meet her sister and brother-in-law. Brightwell doesn't ignore the fact that the more cases Mrs. Jeffries and the rest help Witherspoon solve, the more people will catch on to what they are doing and instead addresses that issue head on.

What makes the Mrs. Jeffries series so delightful are the characters and the Victorian setting, but the mystery elements are also a big factor in the series. This mystery is well plotted, with plenty of suspects, all of whom seem to be lying at one point or another. Readers will enjoy not only trying to figure out who the killer is but why Agatha was killed. There are a lot of red herrings and a nifty twist that will keep readers guessing. The ending is action packed and readers will get as caught up in trying to guess who the killer is as Mrs. Jeffries is. If I have any complaint about the book it's that there weren't enough details about Betsy and Smythe's wedding.

All of the Mrs. Jeffries books are an enjoyable read and "Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings" is no exception. Longtime readers will be happy to visit Witherspoon and his staff again and new readers are in for a treat. Enjoy!

I am a big fan of The Mrs. Jefferies series and this book was one of the best. If you love Christmas, cozy mystery and history you will enjoy this book.

This was my very first book that I read on my new Kindle, so that made it exciting on its own, but the book was very good. I love this Victorian cozy series, and I particularly loved this book. It is set around Christmas and close to Smythe and Betsy's wedding. So even though there is a murder and Inspector Witherspoon is on the case, the staff at Edmonton Gardens find they have to divide their time between preparations for the wedding and investigating a murder. The murder itself is a little tricky this time and not easily figured out. In fact, Mrs. Jeffries quite despairs that she will ever solve the case, let alone before the wedding. But never fear, she does at the last moment and all ends happily. Thank goodness; because I can't wait to read the next book in this heartwarming series. And in that book Smythe and Betsy will be married so that will definitely change the dynamics.

It's very hard to accurately place a novel in an unfamiliar setting, and unfortunately the author of this series fails the test. While the story itself is reasonable, the actions of the characters constantly get in the way of the narrative. From the comical cockney (in the Dick van Dyke style) who seems to preface almost every plot exposition with "Gor Blimey!", to the police inspector who introduces himself incorrectly (quickly - can you recall the first name of any of the police inspectors from the Sherlock Holmes stories?), and the overly-familiar manner between servants and employers, too many things simply fail to ring true.

I'm sure that many readers, especially those not particularly familiar with the subtleties of Victorian England, will not be as sensitive to these details as British readers. But for me I found the discrepancies too frequent to overlook, and a bar to my being able to immerse myself in the story.

It is my first book in this series but I don't think there will be more soon. It is true, even if you begin the series from this very book, you will know the characters very well. But the constant reporting coming from the household members on their investigation progress gets boring. For the rest, it is a relaxed cozy read.

Once again, another cozy murder with so twists it keeps you guessing until the end! I love learning a bit about life during this time!

I have read most of the book in this series and love them I have not read this one yet