Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen [Mass Market Paperback]

It's Christmas time and Stephen Whitfield is having a small dinner party. Tensions are running a bit high at the dinner especially since the woman Stephen had hoped to marry, Eliza Graham, seems a bit too friendly with Hugh Langford, the guest she brought to the dinner party. Rosalind Murray, Stephen's sister-in-law, is none too happy about the attention Stephen is paying to Eliza. Maria and Basil Farringdon think Stephen is a bit of a snob and Maria gives Stephen a bottle of Bordeaux that is much more expensive than the port he gave them for Christmas. While all the guests seem to dislike Stephen, it's still a shock when someone poisons the Bordeaux and Stephen dies. Inspector Gerald Witherspoon is given the case to investigate since his record of solving murders is unblemished. What he doesn't realize is that his household staff, led by housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries, has been working behind the scenes to help him solve his cases. But this case is far more complex than anything else they've worked on and it begins to look like they may not be able to solve this one.

Emily Brightwell's Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries series gets better and better with each book and "Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen" is the best of a wonderful group of books. The setting is Victorian England and Brightwell does a great job of capturing the time period and bringing little bits of trivia into the books (in this book Christmas trees are a novelty). The characters are all wonderfully written including Inspector Witherspoon, who is getting better at solving mysteries but still needs his household staff to help him even if he doesn't know it; Constable Barnes who knows what it going on and is happy to have help; Mrs. Jeffries; Mrs. Goodge, the cook; footman Wiggins, maid Betsy; coachman Smythe; eccentric American Luty; and her faithful butler and sparring partner Hatchet. Those who read Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans will be eager to find out how Betsy and Smythe resolve the problems in their relationship after he "left her at the altar" and Brightwell doesn't disappoint in that plot line. I've read all 23 books in the series and am always amazed at how much I still learn about these characters in each book. In this book I learned some things about Mrs. Goodge and Hatchet that added more to their character. The mystery is extremely well written and plotted and just like the inspector and his staff, I was completely baffled as to who the killer was and was shocked when the identity was finally revealed. Many cozy mystery books have blurbs on the cover comparing the author to Agatha Christie, but Emily Brightwell lives up to that comparison - the solution to the murder was truly Christie-like.

One of the themes in the Mrs. Jeffries mysteries is how Witherspoon's staff has become like a family to each other and Witherspoon (there's a very touching and funny scene towards the end of the book that shows how much Witherspoon cares for them). At this point, Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of the staff also feel like family to me - I love my visits into their world and can't wait to visit it again.

Mrs. Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen is the latest in Emily Brightwell's Victorian cozy murder mystery series. This series never gets predictable or boring, as Brightwell gives each book a unique stamp. This book is no exception. The mystery in this book is rather complicated for the staff of Inspector Witherspoon to figure out and indeed, the Inspector comes close to handing the case to someone else. There is a keen sense of tension and anticipation throughout the book as you hope the staff can figure out who murdered the aristocratic Stephen Whitfield before the case gets handed to the odious Inspector Nivens!

I highly recommend this book to all fans of the series as well as to anyone who enjoys a cracking good Victorian murder mystery without any blood, gore, or bad language.

Yuletide preparations abound in Victorian London. One celebration is the party Stephen Whitfield is hosting for a few select guests. How rude-the host didn't make it through dinner. He fell forward into his soup, dead. Now six guests are suspects, including a sister-in-law, boyhood friends, and a romantic interest, but who would want to kill Stephen?

Each with their own special connections, Mrs. Jeffries and her below-stairs friends and fellow workers secretly help their employer, Inspector Gerald Witherspoon, solve his latest murder. He can use the help. Christmas is just around the corner and his superiors want the murder of wealthy Stephen Whitfield solved before December 25.

With Witherspoon's nemesis Inspector Nevins waiting in the wings to see him fail and each lead exonerating a suspect, everyone must work harder at pursuing leads and solving the murder.

Emily Brightwell uses slight of hand to build intrigue from the beginning of the story. She skillfully weaves leads throughout the book. The challenge is laid down before you, but are you capable of solving the mystery before Mrs. Jeffries or Inspector Witherspoon?

Humor and romance aren't forgotten during the course of the book. In-depth descriptions of the people and places of the Victorian Era set you firmly in each scene. A pleasant surprise was the spacing used to introduce characters and their traits.

Armchair Interviews says: This is the 23rd book in a delightful series of cozy mysteries. Come, join the search and solve the mystery before the feast of St. Stephen.

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