When Annabeth Gentry's bloodhound, Miranda, digs us a corpse in a nearby lot it does bring Annabeth a bit of attention to an otherwise calm life. When she is almost run over by a runaway and a bit later has bricks toppled on her head from an adjoining wall, life is a little more upsetting. Why would anyone be trying to kill her? Know about Mrs. Jeffries and her staff at Inspector Witherspoon's house, Annabeth goes in search of help to find out what is going on.

Inspector Witherspoon has the reputation of being able to solve any and all murder cases for Scotland Yard. To look at him, people wonder how, but he does. What he doesn't really realize is the he has quite the investigating team behind him...his staff.

This cozy series takes place in London during Victorian times. It is a fun series to read, with a nice cast of characters. There is humour and some tension along the way. I read this book in 2 sittings; about 8 hours. I did want to find out 'who dunnit.' ( )

A Victorian mystery. Mrs. Jeffries, housekeeper, leads the entire staff, and their friends as they help, Inspector Witherspoon solve the mystery and catch the murderer.

A delightful cozy mystery in the vein of Miss Marple, I take that back in the vein of Miss Jeffries and the staff of Inspector Witherspoon!. ( )

This series centers around the household of Gerald Witherspoon, an extremely kind, but not terribly bright individual who has a great reputation for his amazing (if not downright unlikely) success at solving murders. Inspector Witherspoon doesn't realize it, but his good deeds and kindly nature have created great loyalty on the part of his household staff. Led by the housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, a policeman's widow, they successfully (and competitively) investigate every case, and tactfully pass the information along to Witherspoon. A few friends and neighbors eventually join in to help.

I like having a largish band of appealing, repeating characters who are distinct from one another and continue to develop throughout the series. The stories are somewhat formulaic, which the reader may like or dislike. Personally, I wish that the continuing subplots would develop and change a little faster. The books are best read in order, although it isn't entirely crucial. With such a long series, it is often hard to get all the books.

A friend recommended this series to me when I was extremely depressed, and it was perfect! ( )