Mrs. Jeffries Pinches the Post

...or does he? Police Inspector Witherspoon is the toast of Scotland Yard with his impressive record of solved cases. Lately his success rate is so impressive that the quiet unassuming man that he rivals that of that detective fellow from the stories in the Strand, that Sherlock Holmes. What Witherspoon and his superiors don't realize is that the good Inspector has help, help from a most unlikely source. Those ever present but never seen members of every well run Victorian household, the servants, have taken quite an interest in their employer's occupation. In fact they have taken to solving his cases for him! The unlikely group of detectives, lead by the housekeeper, Mrs. Jefferies, manage to uncover the truth while observing the restrictions of class conscious Victorian England and, of course, maintaining the fiction that Witherspoon has cracked the case on his own. In this adventure a wealthy businessman is found dead on the doorstep of a vacant house. As Mrs Jefferies and the rest of the servants begin to ferret out the truth the situation becomes murkier rather than clearer, a young servant from another household goes missing, a long ago swindle is uncovered as is an illicit romance. Ultimately the truth is uncovered and all questions are answered. There is a pronounced overall story arc to this series but it is possible to read and enjoy these stories without strictly to order. This is a charming series, of clever cozy mysteries told with gentle humor.

This is quite a delightful series, and each little book is a gem in its own right. The characters are very real and believable, and they are what make the stories. After 17 or 18 books, I feel that I know these characters very well indeed, and I look forward to reading the next installment. In this book a man is found knifed on the step of an empty house that is not his own, and Inspector Witherspoon is symied as he tries to find a suspect as well as a motive. But his staff are on the job as usual, and even though it's almost too late when Mrs. Jeffries figures it out, they still manage to make it on time to prevent another murder. Come meet these warm and wondeful people, and you will enjoy them too.

I always thought Victorian Mysteries were boring and stuffy with long drawn out plots. I am now eating my words! I loved this book. The peek into the life of a Victorian households help was wonderful. The added fun of watching them solve a mystery was just plain wonderful. Sherlock Holmes would have loved Mrs. Jeffries and her band of merry helpers!

This is the first book I have read in the series, but I absolutely loved it and plan to read the others. The characters are very lovable and I enjoyed the Victorian England setting.

Scotland Yard Inspector Gerald Witherspoon is a legend because he has solved every homicide case ever assigned to him. What no one knows, including the Inspector, is that his loyal staff of servants secretly assist him by obtaining information and serendipitously feeding it to him so he thinks he thought of it himself. Their loyalty is rewarded by how well he takes care of them, a radical departure for most Victorian households. His latest case involves wealthy nabob Harrison Nye who goes out late one night following a dinner party. His corpse is found at the home of a woman who vanished two months ago. No one provides answers to why Harrison was there or what happened to the woman. It will take the combined forces of the Inspector, Mrs. Jeffries leading her staff and tons of blind luck to prevent any more murders from occurring, but even that may prove not enough. MRS. JEFFRIES PINCHES THE POST is a fun to read amateur sleuth-police procedural tale due the varying personalities of each of the likable servants. This is one of the more complex who-done-its in this series because none of the facts tie together and clues seem scarce and not quite forthcoming. Emily Brightwell continues to brighten the well being of her fans with entertaining mysteries. Harriet Klausner