Mrs Jeffries: Victorian Cozy Mysteries: Emily Brightwell
Mrs. Jefferies Holds the Trump ★ ★ ★
A Victorian "cozy" set in London.
Inspector Witherspoon of Scotland Yard is called upon to investigate a case of drowning, which in actuality is a case of murder. The medical examiner reports that the body he examined was coshed on the head and that there are hand shaped bruise marks on the corpse's shoulders and arms....
The murdered man was on a quest to find out what became of a long-time friend who had recently disappeared. The victim had recently joined a "Men's Club" whereupon he set about making inquiries of his fellow whist players, who for some reason were always in need of a "fourth".
Apparently, Inspector Witherspoon isn't much of a "creative" thinker/detective, for unbeknownst to him, his household (lead by Mrs. Jefferies) tends to do much of his investigation for him, whereupon Mrs Jefferies takes their information and gently feeds it to the Inspector during their afternoon tea or over their after dinner sherry.
Cleverly written but a bit trite....
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Mrs Jeffries and the One Who Got Away
★ ★ ★
Inspector Witherspoon is called upon to handle the murder of a woman outside of his
jurisdiction... She was strangled w/ a heavy red cord and left in a cemetery, in her hand was an old news clipping about Inspector Witherspoon....
As it turns out, the victim, Alice Robinson, in reality was Edith Durant, the one murderess that got away before she could be apprehended & brought to justice by Inspector Witherspoon.
As Alice Robinson, she was running a shabby overly expensive boarding house for traveling businessmen/salesmen, but had recently been having problems with missing rent payments & their tenants personal items.....
Elsewhere in the area are a large number of local homes experiencing burglaries, but the local "fences" & pawnshops are not the ones getting the "goods".
An interesting story, I was able to put it all together well before the end. Again a bit trite, but not overly annoying. The one thing that does bother me is: The way Mrs Jeffries in pictured on the covers of the books, this is Victorian era, and she is always dressed as if in her night clothes made to look like a silly old lady, which in normal circumstances would make me ignore the series completely and choose another....
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Mrs Jeffries Forges Ahead
★ ★ ★ ★
Same people, similar circumstances, Victorian cozy....
Inspector Witherspoon's friend & neighbor, Lady Ruth Cannonberry is in attendance of a
popular London Ball, invited by Arlette Bandfield (the younger). Lady Banfield (the elder, now no longer the head of the household) is in the corner with two of her friends dishing dirt about Arlette.
Prior to dinner being served, Arlette & Ruth are in conversation when Arlette complains she does not feel well, her breathing becomes labored, she falls to the floor, she convulses and dies.
With quick thinking, Lady Cannonberry, calls for a doctor, and refuses to allow the table to be cleared of "evidence". Inspector Witherspoon & Constable Barnes are called in and the investigation begins.....
Many people disliked Arlette for: her shunning of "social graces", her political stance, her artistic patents' background, her marriage to Lewis Banfield, & her social circle of artist friends..... In other words because she openly defied convention!
As the Inspector's investigation is hampered by the aristocratic women involved, Mrs Jeffries & her cohorts do what they do best.... gather evidence from sources not available to the Inspector.
I figured out who done it & why, but that did not take away from the story. The more I read this series, the more I am able to ignore the triteness of Mrs. Jeffries. I have one more to go, then I have finished my goal of 4 and I will most likely not continue with the series.
