Delightful Cody as always

Can’t wait for the next one! I miss these characters when I’m not reading about them. They’d make great friends ( )

Olive Kettering might have been paranoid, but she's dead, so someone was after her. While the case starts the way most of Brightwell's do, a well-to-do member of society gets killed and Inspector Witherspoon gets called in. While he does the official inquiry, Mrs. Jeffries and crew start in as well. This one, however, had a truly unsettling murderer. One of her better offerings. ( )

Olive Kettering was not a very nice person and had very few friends, so no one is particularly surprised when she is murdered during a nasty storm. It is up to Inspector Gerald Witherspoon and Constable Barnes to find her killer and they have plenty of suspects to deal with. But Witherspoon has a lot of help with this case, even if he doesn't know it - his household staff, led by housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries, are working behind the scenes to make sure he catches the killer.

"Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind" is the 27th book in Emily Brightwell's engaging mystery series set in Victorian England, a series that never disappoints. Despite there being so many books in the series it never gets stale, with the characters growing stronger in each book. In this particular book it is maid Betsy who takes center stage as she is happily married to Smythe but adjusting to not living with the rest of the servants and afraid she will be replaced by newcomer Phyllis. This storyline is an example of what makes this series so strong - the characters. They think of each other as family (which is especially evident in this book. I had wondered how Brightwell would handle the series now that Betsy and Smythe are married and she does an excellent job.

As for the mystery elements, like all the other books in the series they are well done and the mystery is well plotted with plenty of suspects and some good motives. The fun in this series is watching both Witherspoon and his staff tried to solve the case and finding clues, as they do, and trying to figure out the solution before Mrs. Jeffries does. Astute readers will pick up some clues that Brightwell scatters throughout the book but it may still come as a bit of a surprise when the killer is revealed. The ending is action packed and danger filled and will keep readers at the edge of their seats for a few pages.

"Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind" is another great cozy mystery by Emily Brightwell. ( )

I have enjoyed this entire series. Wonderful, memorial household characters! ( )

The eccentric Olive Kettering swore someone was trying to harm her. Too bad no one listened, though plenty wanted her dead. When Olive is shot and killed, Mrs. Jeffries has no problem speaking her mind to see justice served.

This is the 27th in Mrs Jeffries Victorian Mystery, a historical cozy. The main character is Mrs Jeffries, a policeman's widow and Inspector Witherspoon's Housekeeper and set in Victorian England.

I have not read any of the prior 26 books in this series but it brings the reader quickly into the flow without much fuss. I liked the initial premise of this series. Mrs Jeffries likes her kind and basically good employer even though he started on the police force without making himself shine - until Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of the staff pitch in and work their networks and Inspector Witherspoon is solving the baffling cases without really understanding how he did it. He has risen in rank to Inspector and has grown as a policeman as well.

This time a self-righteous and mean spirited wealthy woman is shot in her own garden during a storm while all the servant's are at the household cook's funeral. There are plenty of suspects since Olive Kettering was even estranged from her brother and niece and all her servants despised her. Ms Kettering had recently gotten very involved with the Society of the Humble Servant led by Reverend Samuel Richards which is a scam by all accounts. But the last few months Ms Kettering swore she heard footsteps in the night and somebody was out to do her harm but nobody believed her.

This is a light and enjoyable read. The emphasis is on the cozy, with the servants and their contributions to uncovering clues and motives being the core story. These servants are a family and you are invited into their midst as they gladly jump into sleuthing on behalf of their employer Inspector Gerald Witherspoon. You will grow fond of them and want to call them friends. Each employee feels they are contributing to seeing justice truly done. Mrs. Jeffries has a relationship where the inspector respects her and likes to unwind by sharing his cases in the evening with her, allowing her to subtly drop ideas and directions for him to dig or question. This case brings danger perilously close to the household staff though.

I will gladly read another of this series when I want a lighter read. The staff are the counterpoint to the evil in the world for they care about each other and their employer and want to see true justice done. It is their delightful relationships that make the series special. Mrs. Jeffries is the investigative mastermind putting all the pieces together. The inspector comes across as a kind-hearted man who truly wants justice although he doesn't really have the stomach for looking at dead bodies. The rest of the staff you will need to meet on your own. There are newlyweds on staff who met working there and recently got married. A new employee joins them as well and it will be interesting to see how she works into the mix.

The plot had some red herrings and a basic murder setup. I figured out who the killer was and slowly worked out the how as the investigation turned up clues early on, so this is not a particularly difficult mystery. I found the strength is in the characters and the magic they create. If you enjoy a mystery where the recurring characters are old friends you want to visit, this is the book for you. The sleuthing makes the characters interesting and fun.

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I truly do enjoy this historical cozy series. I love the people that live at Upper Edmonton Gardens, and that's what makes the stories so much fun. In this book Betsy and her Smythe are married and living next door, not in the house so that's a big change for Betsy and for the rest of the staff, but that does not stop them from getting involved in the inspector's cases. A woman is found shot to death on her grounds. The shooting took place in the morning but there was a terrible rainstorm occurring and no one could figure out why Olive Kettering was in her garden with no coat and house shoes on her feet. Miss Kettering had a lot of people who wanted her dead and its up to the brilliant Mrs. Jeffries to figure out who and why. I did figure out who the killer was about halfway through but did not take away from enjoyment at all because I love these characters so much. ( )