Mrs. Jeffries and the Midwinter Murders
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- USD 9.99
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- USD 9.99
Publisher Description
Mrs. Jeffries and Inspector Witherspoon should be checking off their Christmas present lists but instead they’re listing murder suspects in this latest entry of the beloved Victorian Mystery series.
TIS THE SEASON FOR MURDER
Harriet Andover was a smart businesswoman who did not suffer fools gladly, yet somehow her house was full of them. With a husband who has no head for money and two grown stepchildren who would rather do anything than an honest day’s work, Harriet had every intention of righting the ship and putting her family back on the path to respectability. But she soon discovers that the best intentions can lead to murder when she is strangled inside her mansion with a house full of holiday guests.
It would seem that everyone present had a motive to kill the rich woman, and no one is being quite honest regarding their whereabouts at the time of the murder. And to put the icing on the Christmas cookies, the room where Harriet’s body was found was locked from the inside and she had the key in her pocket. But Mrs. Jeffries and the household have no intention of letting Inspector Witherspoon down and soon mine valuable evidence from the depths of Harriet’s past. As the clues mount, this dedicated band of merry sleuths will not rest until they’ve delivered a stocking full of coal to a crafty killer.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Brightwell's twisty 40th Victorian mystery (after Mrs. Jeffries Demands Justice) opens with the discovery of wealthy Harriet Andover strangled to death in her study. The key to the locked door is still in Harriet's pocket, and the only other key has hung undisturbed in the pantry since Harriet was last seen alive. Insp. Gerald Witherspoon of London's Metropolitan Police quickly decides that Harriet was killed by someone in the household, which still leaves plenty of suspects: Harriet's discontented husband, her resentful stepchildren, her nephew visiting from America, her destitute best friend. Witherspoon is unaware that part of his success is due to the aid of his own devoted household, led by his ever-efficient housekeeper, Mrs. Hepzibah Jeffries. Mrs. Jeffries deploys her team of spies to investigate Harriet's death and subtly feeds the information to Witherspoon. Brightwell skillfully steers the unfolding mystery down an unexpected path. The appealing relationships among Mrs. Jeffries, her crew of spies, and her inspector make up for a plot often bogged down in a surfeit of detail. Fans of locked room mysteries will want to have a look.
