The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries (Mrs.Jeffries Mysteries Book 1)

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Harriet Andover had no intention of dying young like her silly siblings had. She intended to outlive them and outdo them as she always had. But Harriet discovers that the best intentions can lead to murder when she is strangled inside her mansion with a house full of holiday guests.

The whodunnit mystery they are trying to solve revolves around the death of Dr Bartholomew Slocum. How did he die, and who did it? Each book will be like a great little game of Clue, with lots of suspects, clues, twists and turns. Cozy mysteries can be such fun, and this one especially looked so by the blurb and cover – a maid and other household help assist an investigator without his knowledge to solve crimes. It’s set in Victorian times with afternoon teas, proper society regulations on etiquette, and the infamous Scotland Yard. When looking at this series, I’m surprised to find there is over thirty books in it. Wow. I plan to get more of the series but not sure I’ll ever be able to get and read all of them.Inspector Gerald Witherspoon has solved more homicides than any other Scotland Yard detective, but he didn’t accomplish that alone. The inspector and Constable Barnes have had assistance from Witherspoon’s household and a few close friends without his knowledge. In his newest case, two of those friends, Luty Belle Crookshank and her butler/friend Hatchet, are first on the scene. A man with many enemies is murdered at the archery club where Hatchet was participating in a competition. Hatchet and Luty are able to give Mrs. Jeffries, Witherspoon’s housekeeper and super sleuth, first-hand knowledge of the crime to help her deduce who the killer is. In the mystery of “ Mrs. Jeffries Pleads Her Case,” the magistrate rules Westover’s death as suicide, but doubts remain. Inspector Witherspoon investigates political dangers in search of the potential killer. Mrs. Jeffries and her team guide the inspector, preventing another staged suicide by a possible murderer. Mrs. Jeffries Sweeps the Chimney Ultimately it wasn’t a mystery easy to guess, the clues were leading on many paths and pointing fingers everywhere. Plenty of red herrings helped cloak the genuine culprit. The road to solving it wasn’t paved with anything obvious. Sometimes it’s cheating not to give enough clues for the reader to really guess, and sometimes it’s overwhelming to have so many suspects in the pot and little of them explored, but the point of this story seems to be the path to investigating and the enjoyment of observing the process with the cast and crew, not the ultimate outcome itself.

When a not so respectable businessman is shot and dumped into the river, who is responsible? Was it the investors in his silver mine in America, when they discovered that the mine wasn't being worked? The maid who was in love with him and planned to marry him? Or, was it someone else entirely? Mrs. Jeffries and crew are reaching out to all their sources in London to find the answer! From the household staff, tradespeople in the neighborhood, chimney sweeps, delivery persons and hansom drivers of the suspects, the crew gathers clues and brings them to Mrs. Jeffries to organize into a solution. Well, Mr.Jeffries leads the dim witted Witherspoon to quite an obvious solution to poisoning of the thoroughly despicable Dr. Barthlomew Slocum. While Inspector displays his Victorian class prejudice, although devoid of evidence or any motive, Witherspoon decides that the murder is slocum’s cook , who apparently for some unknown reasons had left the employ of duke of Bedford to instead work for the doctor. It is now up to Mrs Jeffries to unearth the real identity of the killer. Inspector Gerald Witherspoon, Constable Griffiths, Constable Reed, and Constable Barnes will have their work cut out for them if they want to solve the case before Christmas. Of course, none of them other than Constable Barnes knows that they are also getting a massive dose of behind-the-scene help from the people who consider Inspector Witherspoon THEIR inspector and always want him to succeed. Mrs. Jeffries is the housekeeper and ring-leader of the group whose other members are: Luty Belle Crookshank – a wealthy American who loves bright colors; Hatchett, Luty Belle’s butler with benefits; Lady Ruby Cannonberry, widow of a peer; Smythe, the secretly very wealthy groom; Betsy, Smythe’s wife; Mrs. Goodge, the cook; Phyllis, the parlor maid; and Wiggins, the footman. With their wide set of skills, knowledge, social strata, and acquaintances – both home and abroad – they’ll fan out and gather clues they can surreptitiously pass along to the Inspector – especially through Constable Barnes. The readers of Inspector and Mrs Jeffries will see how people live in Victorian times in London. Also, Tis the season to make merry, and a Yuletide dinner in West Brompton should provide a festive occasion for all. But the good cheer disappears when the host, wealthy Stephen Whitfield, dies before the second course.It had the potential for frivolity and is historical fiction but I was pleasantly surprised. I gave it a modest three stars but am keen to revisit this cast who do intrigue me, by buying the second novel. I am a physical reader who savours the treasure of owning what I like, therefore finding sales is the way we build our home reading material. It is fun when story volumes gradually match the series pieces I have. Then I can read them! In Book 29, art collector Daniel McCourt is found dead with his throat slit under the mistletoe. Inspector Witherspoon aims to solve the case before Christmas Eve, enlisting the help of his sharp-witted housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries. They explore various theories on why McCourt met such a violent end. Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own The plot in a nutshell: Mrs. Jeffries is the housekeeper for Inspector Gerald Witherspoon. Witherspoon received a promotion after helping solve a rash of horrible murders. He used to be a records clerk for Scotland Yard, but now is an inspector who investigates and solves major crimes. Behind the scenes, Witherspoon is assisted by his staff of servants, headed by Mrs. Jeffries. The assistance with his cases is done in secret, of course, because they don't want to hurt Witherspoon's feelings. But, he can be absent minded at times and most of the time his investigations just need a nudge in the right direction. While he isn't the best investigator, Witherspoon is a very kind and generous employer. So his servants don't mind sneaking about to help him solve complicated cases. In the end, he believes he solved the cases himself, and his staff knows that they helped him maintain his reputation as one of the greatest investigators at Scotland Yard.