When
Inspector Witherspoon is called the Highgate Cemetery about
a body, he's confused because it's not his division, but once
he sees the victim and the clipping left with her, the past
comes rushing back. The victim is Edith Durant, the murderer
who got away. She's evil and her case haunted him for years.
Witherspoon
discovers Durant lived close but had made changes to her appearance.
Durant took on the alias Alice Robinson and owned a lodging
house. Needless to say there are plenty of suspects from Durant's
murderous past and her current crooked dealings. The inspector
and Constable Barnes conduct interviews with the lodgers and
neighbors. The Inspector isn't aware his household knows about
the murder and they are actually divided about working the
case. Those with the inspector during the Durant case feel
the victim got her just dessert.
Mrs.
Jeffries, the inspector's housekeeper, is a widow of a Yorkshire
policeman. She leads the inspector's household and their friends
in digging up gossip, following suspects and hunting down
clues. The problem is they're coming back empty handed every
day. The victim's life is secreted away and hard to follow.
The inspector's staff realizes this is the most difficult
case to solve, and the most dangerous. It's not enough that
Inspector is finding no clues but he also has to deal with
professional jealousy from the other division. Leave it to
Constable Barnes to deliver some great verbal blows in the
inspector's defense. The constable also keeps Mrs. Jeffries
in the loop on the case.
I've
always enjoy reading Brightwell's Victorian mystery series.
As the series has grown so has Mrs. Jeffries merry band of
amateur sleuths. The characters and sub characters have gone
through some changes throughout the series, but the author
generally catches the reader up in case they missed the last
in series. Brightwell knows how to line up her suspects and
drop clues throughout, but I have to say, the murderer was
well-hidden in the storyline. If you like mysteries in the
cozy and historical genre, you should try this series.
Other reviews in this series
Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict, #21 [review]
Mrs. Jeffries Forges Ahead, #28 [review]
Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight, #20 [review]
Mrs. Jeffries and the Mistletoe Mix-Up, #29
[review]
Mrs
Jeffries Defends Her Own, #30
[review]
Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide #31 [review]
Mrs. Jeffries and the Merry Gentlemen #32 [review]
Mrs. Jeffries and the One Who Got Away #34 [review]
Mrs Jeffries Wins the Prize
#35 [review]
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