MRS. JEFFERIES SPEAKS HER MIND by Emily Brightwell

A Victorian Mystery Series #27
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Date Published: June 1st, 2010
ISBN 978-0-425-23524-9
Cozy Historical Mystery
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by publisher


Olive Kettering is worrying her friends. She has changed and not in a good way to their thinking. Joining a religious cult, working her servants hard and being estranged from family and friends has them all concerned about Olive. When Olive turns up dead, it is up to Inspector Witherspoon to solve the case and he has a little help in the form of Mrs. Jefferies, his housekeeper, who is determined to help serve justice to a murderer.

I have to admit that I’ve never read one of this author’s series books, but after reading this latest one, I plan to check the rest of the series out. MRS. JEFFERIES SPEAKS HER MIND is a delightfully wonderful mystery that has some wonderful engaging characters to enjoy, a mystery that keeps you flipping the pages and some twists I didn’t see coming. Ms. Brightwell writes an engaging story that will take you back to Victorian England, with characters that practically step from the pages of her latest book in the Mrs. Jefferies series. The series centers around Inspector Witherspoon’s household and his servants who help him solve his cases. I loved the family feel of the characters in this book. You could tell they had affection for each other and worked just like family-warts and all. This well plotted out mystery helped keep me intrigued and I loved how there was a small competition with other members of Witherspoon’s household, to see if they could find the clues first before Mrs. Jefferies. To me that was what made the whole book so enjoyable. The ending was a complex web of danger, twists you didn’t see coming and adventure that will leave you breathless.

If you enjoy reading a character driven mystery story, then grab MRS. JEFFERIES SPEAKS HER MIND and settle in for a fun filled afternoon of mysteries, family and adventure…right out of Victorian England. Make sure your seat belt is on as the adventure in London is about to get bumpy, as Mrs. Jefferies and all Inspector Witherspoon’s staff help solve the latest “who done it?”. Definitely one I will be reading again in the future…that is once I am done with the other books in the series.

This is an objective review and not an endorsment of the book.