Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art (Victorian Mystery) [Paperback]

Emily Brightwell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Victorian Mystery | Publication Date: March 1, 1998

Mrs. Jeffries is back - keeping house for Inspector Witherspoon and, as always, keeping him on his toes. This popular Victorian mystery series is "full of Humor, suspense, adventure, and touches of romance." Rendezvous," and in Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art, a missing artist's model is the catalyst for a baffling mystery that will satisfy and delight Mrs. Jeffries legions of fans.
First time in print
A consistently popular series featuring "the Miss Marple of Victorian mystery." ( "Paperback Forum" )

Product Details

• Paperback: 231 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425162435
• ISBN-13: 978-0425162439
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,005,230 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 After my entry in the "unpublished authors" contest run by this chapter was announced as a finalist - I was delighted, but the New York editor who read my entry was scathing in her criticism.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

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great installment in this delight ful series, January 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art (Victorian Mystery) (Paperback)

There are very few people who has a group of devoted servants like the most fortunate Inspector Witherspoon has. Every member of the household adores their master and will do anything to help him, to include solving murder cases. Of course, he is unaware of their assistance or that his renown as one of the police's leading lights is because of their efforts.

In spite of the servants discreet support, some individuals are well aware of their secret occupation. One person, who has previously benefited form their help, pleads with the group to find her tenant's missing daughter, who was on her way to visit one of her gentry. The housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries "persuades" the Inspector to have a talk with the residents of that house. When he arrives at the doorstep, he finds one of the guests has choked to death from a candy that turns out to have been laced with arsenic. Witherspoon begins to investigate the murder and the missing person with a little covert help from his cracked team of servants.

MRS. JEFFRIES REVEALS HER ART is another warm addition to the "Mrs. Jeffries" series. The novel is a part police procedural, part cozy, and part amateur sleuth(s). As usual, the book leaves the audience feeling satisfied by knowing that good always triumphs. The servants are all wonderful characters, but it is the Clouseau-like Witherspoon who steals the show as women will want to mother him. Emily Brightwell continues to produce fresh mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another enjoyable little book., July 26, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art (Victorian Mystery) (Paperback)

This is another solid entry in the Mrs. Jeffries series. These little books are lots of fun to read. It's a series that warms its way into a reader's heart. The characters are lovable, and as you read you feel that you really get to know them. They are all quick reads, and are a wonderful way to spend a rainy afternoon. In this book the staff at Upper Edmonton Gardens are pursuing two mysteries - a disappearance which may be a kidnapping or a murder, and an actual murder. Are these two seemingly unrelated incidences connected? We also find out a little about the art world as we watch Mrs. Jeffries and her crew unravel these mysteries. These books are such a lot of fun.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mrs Jeffries review, October 30, 2008

By 

J. Ballard "harried and tired" (SLC, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries Reveals Her Art (Victorian Mystery) (Paperback)

This is a great book and I love the whole series. It builds the characters and develops their stories throughout each book. I would recommend this series by Brightwell to any readers of murder/mystery fiction and newcomers to the genre.