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Mrs. Jeffries and the One Who Got Away
Mrs. Jeffries Series #34
Emily Brightwell

Penguin / Berkley Prime Crime
2/3/2015 / ISBN 9780425268100
Mystery / Cozy / Historical -Victorian England

Reviewed by Brenda Weeaks

 

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

   

Reviewed 2015
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