Book Review: The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries

The “Mrs. Jeffries” books may be one of the longest-ever cozy mystery series. If there is a longer one, I am unfamiliar with it. I was introduced to these books by a fellow Red Adept Publishing author earlier this year. If you’re someone who gets into series books, start with book one and work your way through. That’s what I’m doing. The most recent book is Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women (October, 2017).

Delightful. Inspector Witherspoon, a kindly employer of an assortment of quirky household help, is a Victorian-era police detective at Scotland Yard who is an example of the Peter Principle in action. Inspector Witherspoon is not a very good detective. Not at all. But with the help of his housekeeper, Mrs. Jeffries, and her sleuthing, he is made to look like a good detective. His superior, Inspector Nivens, is thoroughly mystified as to how this bumbling detective manages to solve so many crimes, having no idea of the shadow investigations that go on unbeknownst to Witherspoon or Nivens.

The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries, published in 1993, is the first in the 36-book series by author Emily Brightwell. Each short cozy features the clever Mrs. Jeffries, widowed wife of a police officer, nudging the Inspector toward the clues she has assembled with the help of the household staff she directed. The ensemble cast of cook, footman, maid, and driver aid her in searching out information she can assemble into a coherent theory for each crime.

The crimes in the books I’ve read are tight little mysteries that allow you to think along with Mrs. Jeffries as she puzzles out each murder, modeling her thinking and her deductive methods. The characters are engaging tropes who each fill a slot. The books remind me a bit of the “Miss Fisher” mysteries and her ensemble cast of amateurs who manage to solve crimes before the police can.

I also enjoy the peek into Victoria society, sensibilities, and scenery. Historical mysteries put together two of my favorite things.

If you’re a cozy fan, take a look at the “Mrs. Jeffries” Victorian mystery series. I predict you will find them fun and a bit different from others you might be reading.