Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight (A Victorian Mystery)

Being very partial to Mrs. Jeffries murder mystries, I found this offering to be a delight. It kept me guessing right up to the end. I recommend it to one and all.

Another excellent installment in the Mrs. Jeffries series. I've run out of adjectives at this point. I've simply adored each book in the series!

Welcome back to my friends at Upper Edmonton Gardens. By now these people do feel like friends to me, and that is what keeps this series fresh. This one is set a week before Christmas, so Inspector Witherspoon's staff are busy trying to get ready for the festive occasion, as well as solve a perplexing murder. This is a murder with too many suspects since no one, not even his family, liked Baronet George Braxton. He has three obnoxious daughters and one "cousin" living with him, and all had reason to dislike him. But they do figure it all out, just in time to celebrate the season.

When Sir George Braxton is found lying face down in a fountain with the back of his skull smashed in, no one mourns the murder victim. His three daughters certainly don't: Lucinda, the oldest, is free now to marry the man she loves; Nina had lost a lot of money in bad investments and fears her father's wrath; and Charlotte, the youngest, was trying to hide a serious gambling problem. There are plenty of other suspects, including two houseguests; a cousin who lives permanently at the house; the gardener, who has a criminal past; and the servants, whom Sir George has been less than kind to. Home Security calls in Inspector Gerald Witherspoon to solve the case with one catch - they want the murder solved by Christmas, which is a week away! Good thing the Inspector has Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of his household staff working behind the scenes to help him! This is another excellent entry in a wonderful series. Emily Brightwell equally shows Witherspoon's investigation and the servant's efforts, which gives insight into all the characters. I like the fact that, while the servants to help Witherspoon, he does turn up important evidence and grows more confident in every book. These books give a good insight into what life was like for servants in the Victorian Age, comparing Witherspoon's treatment of his servants to the way Braxton treated his. As much as I enjoy the series, I can't help but wonder how the dynamic of the books will change when Smythe and Betsy finally do marry. The mystery itself is well written and well plotted. Seemingly innocent conversations about things like missing chicken livers turn out to be important clues. And the revelation of what the murder weapon was is a surprise and well done. This series keeps getting better and better. I've read the entire series and there's not a bad book among them. Highly recommended!

Sir George is a parsimonious, mean-spirited man who cares more about his cat Samson than he does his three daughters. The cat, a mean old Tom who scratches everyone except for Sir George has been missing for two days putting his master in a fouler mood than usual. Sir George wakes up quickly when he hears Samson outside and goes to find him. Someone smashes him on his head killing him. Since Sir George was the cousin of Queen Victoria, his case is very high profile so Scotland Yard assigns it to Inspector Gerald Witherspoon who has a phenomenal successor rate in solving homicides. Neither Witherspoon nor his supervisors know that his housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries and the other servants of his house work behind the scenes to help their master solve his cases. This inquiry is harder than most as everyone has a motive for killing the baronet, including his three daughters, his ex-lover, the gardener the housekeeper, and trades people he cheated out of money. This is one historical mystery series that never gets boring or dull. The author keeps the series fresh by making each homicide case original. Lovers of late Victorian mysteries will thoroughly enjoy this tale because Inspector Witherspoon comes across as so innocent and naïve that readers will adore him. Emily Brightwell is an author whose mysteries are well worth reading. Harriet Klausner