Mrs. Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans
Emily Brightwood is at the top of her game in this, the twenty-second in the Mrs. Jeffries series of cozy mysteries. Her Victorian inspector Gerald Witherspoon tackles the investigation of a murdered banker. It seems the banker spent his life creating enemies—who are now suspects.
This large number of suspects is met by a small army of sleuths. Constable Barnes has been assigned to assist Witherspoon. Then there’s Mrs. Jeffries, the Witherspoon housekeeper, and the remainder of the household staff plus an eccentric American heiress and her butler. Some of the most enjoyable scenes are when these informal investigators meet for tea to share their clues. It also gives the reader an opportunity to catch up on the detailed plot.
For long-time Brightwood fans, this is a welcome new chapter to the Mrs. Jeffries saga. For cozy fans who have not been introduced to Mrs. Jeffries yet, the number of characters and their respective back stories might seem overwhelming. New readers would be well advised to begin with the first in the series, The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries, published in 1994.
