Review and Giveaway: Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide

Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide (Mrs. Jeffries/ Victorian Mystery - Book 31) by Emily Brightwell

Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 0425252124
ISBN-13: 978-0425252123

(Received for an honest review from Berkley Prime Crime)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound

Emily Brightwell on the WEB: Webpage, Facebook, Goodreads

Books in the series:

The Inspector and Mrs Jeffries(1993), Mrs Jeffries Dusts For Clues(1993), The Ghost and Mrs Jeffries(1993), Mrs Jeffries On the Ball(1994), Mrs Jeffries Takes Stock(1994),Mrs Jeffries On the Trail(1995), Mrs Jeffries Plays the Cook(1995), Mrs Jeffries and the Missing Alibi(1996), Mrs Jeffries Stands Corrected(1996), Mrs Jeffries Takes the Stage(1997), Mrs Jeffries Questions the Answers(1997), Mrs Jeffries Reveals Her Art(1998), Mrs Jeffries Takes the Cake(1998), Mrs Jeffries Rocks the Boat(1999), Mrs Jeffries Weeds the Plot(2000), Mrs Jeffries Pinches the Post(2001), Mrs Jeffries Pleads Her Case(2003), Mrs Jeffries Sweeps the Chimney(2004), Mrs. Jeffries Stalks the Hunter(2004), Mrs. Jeffries and the Silent Knight(2005), Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict(2006), Mrs Jeffries and the Best Laid Plans(2007), Mrs Jeffries and the Feast of St. Stephen(2007), Mrs Jeffries Holds the Trump(2008), Mrs Jeffries in the Nick of Time(2009), Mrs Jeffries and the Yuletide Weddings(2009), Mrs. Jeffries Speaks Her Mind(2010), Mrs. Jeffries Forges Ahead(2011), Mrs. Jeffries and the Mistletoe Mix-Up(2011), Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own(2012), Mrs. Jeffries Takes a Second Look(2012), Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide (2013)

Coverart: Click the image for a larger, clearer photo of the covers in this series

Synopsis:

IN THE WEEDS
 
Beautiful and new in town, Ellen Langston-Jones doesn't have any enemies. So, when she's found dead in the communal gardens, Inspector Witherspoon quickly narrows the field of suspects down to one: Lucius Montague, who was seen threatening Mrs. Langston-Jones shortly before her death.

The Inspector and all of London are positive that he's the killer, but Mrs. Jeffries has doubts. Her biggest problem is that Lucius Montague is a very disagreeable character and no one - including Inspector Witherspoon's staff - is inclined to save his skin. Now, she must turn the tide of the investigation...or watch an innocent man take the fall for the real killer.

A Mrs. Jeffries Mystery

She keeps house for Inspector Witherspoon...and keeps him on his toes. Everyone's awed by his Scotland Yard successes - but they don't know about his secret weapon. No matter how messy the murder or how dirty the deed, Mrs. Jeffries' polished detection skills are up to the task...proving that behind every great man there's a woman - and that a crimesolver's work is never done.

Thoughts:

Emily Brightwell continues her long-lived Mrs. Jeffries, Victorian Mystery series with her latest book, Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide. Fans of Downtown Abbey and the upstairs, downstairs folks will love this series. Historical cozy mysteries are often some of my favorites. Books set in England or overseas tend to be a bit more intense than there laid back counterparts set in the states, this one is no different. Mrs. Jeffries once again saves Inspector Whiterspoon and Scotland Yard a lot of work with her amateur detective skills. Brightwell once again adds something new to the series that gives it new life.

One of my favorite English series ever, Mrs. Jeffries is always somewhat the same, yet different. It is always amazing to me how authors who write a series that has 20 or 30 books can still make each story unique and different from all those who have come before. Mrs. Jeffries, always seem to pull Inspector Whitherspoon out of the fire. She is always working behind the scenes to figure it all out. But the thing that is usually different in each book, is how she goes about it, or the people who encounters in the process of solving the crime. She gets herself in hot water in most books and the latest, Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide is no different. It's how she gets out of it that will surprise readers and give them a chuckle or two.

As a character Mrs. Jeffries reminds me someone like the great Agatha Christie's Mrs. Marple or even Angela Lansbury's portrayal in Murder She Wrote. She comes across as this little old lady who can't keep her nose out of everyone's business. She just has to know what's going on. She has to figure it out. Reminds me of my grandmother too, lol. I can hear her now, "And just where have you been?" 

Inspector Whitherspoon is not slouch but he needs Mrs. Jeffries to pull it off. He reminds me of Rumple or even Charlie Chaplin in some ways. But he even has elements of Inspector Gadget of all things. Readers get the feeling that maybe he could have gotten the right answer on his own, but it probably would have taken him a lot longer. I like the dynamic between Whitherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries and I can't wait to see if Emily Brightwell continues this series.

Another selling point on this series for me is the cover. Unbeknownst to most readers, Emily Brightwell has designed and painted the original for every cover in this series. This particular cover is just gorgeous. I love the colors she uses and the idealism. I enjoy seeing the new cover for each one of her books almost as much as the book itself.

If you are a fan of English cozies, this is a series you can't afford to miss. Brightwell scores again with her latest book in the Mrs. Jeffries series!

Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide is available NOW from your favorite bookseller. 

I'm giving this one 5 out of 5 apples from my book bag.

About the Author:

I was born in West Virginia, the middle sister to Nanette and Linda. My parents moved the family to Los Angeles in the early sixties, and I graduated from Pasadena High School. I attended California State University at Fullerton and earned a Degree in American Studies.
On a visit to England in 1975, I met my future husband, Richard. We were married in May 1976 and lived in a small village outside London. We came back to California in September 1977.
In 1988 I began my new career as a fiction writer. Although I was working in the shipping industry, and enjoyed my job, I wanted to fulfil my long-held desire to write!
I began by writing romances. I joined the Romance Writers of America - Orange County chapter. After my entry in the "unpublished authors" contest run by this chapter was announced as a finalist - I was delighted, but the New York editor who read my entry was scathing in her criticism. I was crushed for a day or so, but it hardened my resolve to continue writing. My very next proposal was the one that my agent sold to Silhouette. It was published under my pen name of Sarah Temple as KINDRED SPIRITS. I was thrilled - a published author!

I wrote two more Special Editions for Silhouette but I jumped at the chance to write a Victorian mystery series for Berkley - I've always had a keen interest in mysteries. I called my brother-in-law, Robert, who lives in London and he found old,original London newspapers from the 1880s and a host of books on Victorian households. These books and newspapers were priceless guides to my understanding of the real Victorian world of Inspector Witherspoon and Mrs. Jeffries.
I have also written some Young Adult novels,which are not currently in print - writing as Cheryl Lanham - my maiden name. These were such fun to write because teenagers are so emotional and it was great therapy to switch from the lives of a Victorian household involved in solving murders to the angst of a contemporary California teenager! By some strange quirk of events, the Young Adult books sold really well in Norway - translated into Norwegian, I hasten to add. Sales in the United States were not as dramatic and the series was cancelled.

I quit my part-time job in October 2010 so I could write mysteries full-time. I live in southern Orange County.

Giveaway Details:

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Mrs. Jeffries Turns the Tide.

You must be a GFC follower or Email subscriber to participate.

US addresses only. (Publisher request)

Deadline: Midnight EST May 28th.

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