Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot (Victorian Mystery) [Paperback]

Emily Brightwell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Victorian Mystery | Publication Date: November 7, 2000

Annabeth Gentry thinks someone wants her dead. When Mrs. Jeffries discovers three attempts on her life, she thinks Annabeth may be right. Now she must unearth answers-and fast!

"Full of humor, suspense, adventure, and touches of romance...delightful."-Rendezvous• 15th in the successful series

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (November 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425177459
• ISBN-13: 978-0425177457
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #336,282 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 After my entry in the "unpublished authors" contest run by this chapter was announced as a finalist - I was delighted, but the New York editor who read my entry was scathing in her criticism.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

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good cozy series, November 7, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot (Victorian Mystery) (Paperback)

The house on Upper Edmonton Garden belongs to Scotland Yard's Inspector Weatherspoon, a police officer with a homicide resolution rate of 100 %. Except for the participants, no one, including the inspector, realizes that his success is due to his household staff "guiding" him through the quagmire of an investigation.

The latest case comes from a previous murder inquiry. Martha Dowling asks the Weatherspoon household for help. Her employee Annabeth Gentry inherited a fortune, a home, and several murder attempts ever since her dog dug up the body of a pick pocket near her new residence. The caretaker of a school near Dowling's estate is also killed. Weatherspoon and his unofficial team begin to make inquiries.

This is the sixteenth installment in the delightfully eccentric Victorian mystery series yet the story line retains a fresh thought provoking feel as if MRS. JEFFRIES WEEDS THE PLOT is the first novel. Still, the return of the cast feels like old friends are visiting. The mystery is well drawn even though a hint at the identity of the killer at the midpoint seems a bit early, but it does not take away from Emily Brightwell's wonderful historical amateur sleuth tale.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A cracking good story!, October 15, 2005

By 

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

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot (Victorian Mystery) (Paperback)

This is a really good story in the Mrs. Jeffries series. In it we have what seems to be a number of unrelated events, but when Mrs. Jeffries and her crew get to work to try to help a woman who feels her life is in danger, they uncover a very heinous murderer. And they do all this as usual without letting on to their beloved Inspector Wistherspoon what they are doing in their efforts to help him solve the mystery. These books are all about the characters and I am getting to know and really love the characters in Upper Edmonton Gardens, and sometimes the plot of the book is a bit weak as Ms. Brightwell delineates her characters. But that is not the case this time. There is a really tight plot and a wonderful mystery. A really strong entry in the series!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars love this series, May 13, 2007

By 

Ardyth Elms "fantasy writer" (Clovis, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mrs. Jeffries Weeds the Plot (Victorian Mystery) (Paperback)

This is a very entertaining mystery set in England. It is a good type of book to keep your interest. It is hard to know who did the deed until the very end. The characters are lovable and easy to keep up with.