Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women
- Author: Emily Brightwell
- Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition
- Print Length: 288 pages
- Release Date: September 4, 2018
- I Rate it:
- Genre: Cozy
- Purchase on Amazon
Book Summary
Mrs. Jeffries returns for the holidays in the latest mystery in the New York Times bestselling Victorian series.
Christopher Gilhaney isn’t a popular man, and he proves why once again when he insults every guest at Abigail Chase’s Guy Fawkes Night dinner party. When Gilhaney is shot dead under the cover of the night’s fireworks, his murder is deemed a robbery gone wrong. But when the case hasn’t been solved six weeks later, Inspector Witherspoon is called upon to find the killer–and quickly!
With Christmas almost here, Inspector Witherspoon and everyone in his household is upset at the possibility of having to cancel their holiday plans–all to solve a case that seems impossible. Only Luty Belle, Ruth, and Mrs. Goodge refuse to give up and let the crime become a cold case. In fact, the American heiress, the charming next-door neighbor, and the formidable cook use all of their persuasive powers to get the others on board, because these three wise women know justice doesn’t take time off for Christmas.
Justice doesn’t get time off for Christmas-Emily Brightwell
When I sat down to write Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women coming up with the plot was the easy part, but what I didn’t realize was that as I wrote the novel, I was also delving into the true motivations of three of my characters. Old friends, people I thought I knew like the back of my hand since I’d been writing about them for years suddenly began behaving in a way that revealed hidden depths to their characters.
Luty Belle Crookshank, Lady Cannonberry and Mrs. Goodge, my three wise women become the conscience of the Witherspoon circle when the others don’t want their Christmas ruined because of a murder. For goodness sakes, it’s a cold case; a killing that had been done six weeks earlier and the murderer is probably long gone. For once, they’ve all got plans for the holiday and having to solve a murder would ruin everything.
But the three wise women know that justice doesn’t take a holiday. So when appealing to everyone’s better nature doesn’t work, they come up with a way to manipulate their friends into doing their duty. That’s right, these three ladies become crafty schemers in their quest to prod the others into doing the right thing.
It was fun to see that side of their characters pop onto the page. But then I asked myself why these three, all of whom came from very different backgrounds, would have the same burning desire to make sure that a dead man, someone they’d never met, would find justice? Then it hit me, despite their diverse pasts, all of them had seen the horrifying consequences of injustice gone unchecked.
Lady Cannonberry was the daughter of a country vicar and took Christ’s admonition to love thy neighbor as thyself very seriously. In her youth, she’d witnessed how the poor were treated, seen them driven out of the homes and forced in factory jobs. She’d seen the misery of working twelve or fourteen hours a day for wages that kept them living in hovels and their children hungry. As a child, she had witnessed one of the last transports of convicts sent off to the western coast of Australia and had watched the anguish of families separated forever.
Luty Belle Crookshank married an Englishman and together she and her husband had made a fortune mining silver in Colorado and Nevada. They worked hard but along the way, Luty saw that hard work was no guarantee that life would treat you fairly. It instilled in her a sense that if the universe wasn’t fair then it was up to humanity to step up and do the right thing. She knew it was impossible to level the playing field completely, but after watching an innocent seventeen year-old boy get hung for a crime he didn’t commit, she vowed that if she ever got the chance, she’d make sure no one was ever unjustly convicted. When she met the Witherspoon household and Mrs. Jeffries in particular, she got her chance.
Mrs. Goodge has spent a lifetime living in other people’s house, cooking for the high and mighty, the aristocrats and the bankers. But along the way, she’d watched as young footmen had been tossed out into the street for improperly polishing a shoe or a housemaid had been sent off without a reference because she’d accidentally broken a lamp or caught the attention of the young master. For years, the cook had simply told herself that was the way the world worked and there was nothing anyone could do about it. But then she’d come to work for the Inspector and everything had changed. She’d realized that individuals can do something to right the injustices of the world and more importantly, that they should do something.
These three women were shaped by different backgrounds and even different cultures yet all of them have the same burning need to right the wrongs of the world and make sure that justice is always served. Now don’t get me wrong, most of the time, the rest of the Witherspoon household and their friends feel the same way, but sometimes, they give in to their own selfish desires. But occasionally, we all act that way. That’s why wise women are so very important; they remind us that justice never takes a holiday.
Emily Brightwell was born in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia. Her family moved to Southern California in 1959 and she grew up in Pasadena. After graduating from California State University Fullerton, she decided to work her way around the world and started in England. She didn't get any further because she met future her husband there, got married and moved back to California. While living in Long Beach, she decided to pursue her dream and become a writer - despite having two children and a full-time job. She began the Mrs. Jeffries series in 1993 with "The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries" and has written thirty-five more mysteries in the series in the following twenty-four years. The latest book is "Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women" - published October 2017. Now that her children are grown and have left home - Emily and her husband live in Northern Nevada. Her books have sold in the United Kingdom, Japan, and Hungary.
Book Review by Bree Herron
This is book 36 in a series that I have only recently discovered but love dearly. It host the Victorian charm that many enjoy in period mysteries. Mrs. Jeffries is not only a smart lady but also kind and truly looks after the household in many ways. I love the Christmas theme to this novel as we are headed to the holiday season in a few short months.
Characters
So many wonderful characters but I am a huge fan of Mrs. Jeffries. She is an old hat at solving mysteries with Inspector Witherspoon and the entire household staff. I really like that the Inspector takes these people into the mystery with him and allows them to shine. It is a charming characteristic to him. Mrs. Jeffries is a character that forms in the mind as a delightful new character, then quickly becomes a friend. All these characters have similar effects on this reader. I felt at home in this book even with the decades/centuries between us and of course the plain fact that I couldn’t solve a mystery as well as they do!
Cover
I suggest looking at this series and seeing how all the covers just flow together. This one is right up in my top five favorites, ever. I really love the holiday scene. I am smitten with it in fact. The cover has Jeffries and Witherspoon on it allowing for a reader to truly see what they could look like.
Enjoyable Moments
I would say a frustrating moment was when the case was handed to Witherspoon. Six weeks went by on this case before we were given a true chance to solve it (okay maybe a few pages for the reader). When you hit the pavement/cobblestone streets for clues it is a challenge but one I was eager to accept. I was sad that the holidays got turned upside down, but the devotion the characters have to each other makes a heart feel warm.
Synoptic
Overall, I would say that fans of period mysteries, and Victorian era settings will find this series to be a perfect fit. I could easily read this series in a weekend, but I love when I can savor the books. This one was a favorite, and will leave me ready for the next. I can’t believe that I haven’t known Mrs. Jeffries until these past few months. I encourage readers to find comfort and joy in this mystery that takes you on an adventure through time, and allows you to help solve a “cold” case.
Let’s talk the murder victim of the story, why do you think a victim that was disliked by many could end up being killed? Besides being mean.
**DISCLAIMER: I was provided an opportunity to read this book as an Advanced Reader Copy in return for a fair and honest review.
I am eager to give away a copy of this wonderful book! Answer the question above by 9/28/18 for your chance to win!
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Gilhaney is almost certain to have made many enemies on his journey through life. One of those enemies could’ve run out of reasons not to kill Gilhaney so that enemy gave in and committed the murder. There are SO many reasons an unkind, rude person like Gilhaney was killed. He may have threatened to reveal damning information about someone or he may have taken credit for an accomplishment when he knew someone else deserved the credit (and possibly the reward) for the accomplishment. His death may have been the result of a random act of violence simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It could be about money.
Love or money. Never fail.
It is difficult to speculate without more information, but even unsympathetic victims deserve justice. This book looks so charming!
The killer might have a problem.
If someone is disliked by so many, aside from general meanness, there have to be quite a few reasons or quite a few things that person has done to different people, which can = lots of suspects when that person is killed.
I think when a person is disliked by so many then the odds go up that someone with an extremely bad or uncontrollable temper may take actions on that dislike. Also that dislike could be over money or a valuable treasure that the murderer thinks is theirs, an injustice that they feel compelled to extract revenge for, or even jealousy over a variety of things that finally gets the best of them. It’s almost like if person is nasty, evil or plain mean that it’s more “accepted” for them to be the one murdered.
I think it’s fun to read cozies because you get to see the “bad” person get their comeuppances however you also see how wrong it was and in the end the murderer is caught and has to pay for his own horrible crime. Along the way, the “good guys” show fortitude and determination in solving the crime and help bring the murdered to their own justice proving that crime doesn’t pay.
Thank you for your review on “Mrs. Jeffries and the Three Wise Women” by Emily Brightwell. Loved reading about the book which had me placing this book on my TBR list. Love the cover! Can’t wait for the opportunity to read the book. Greatly appreciate the chance to win a copy.
I think a person that was disliked by someone could get killed by an unrelated reason such as ….. she was in possession of an object that the killer wanted or needed for some reason. She may not even have realized that the killer wanted it. Also she coukd have seen something and the killer wanted to shut her up.
This looks like a great series in a favorite setting.
It could be any number of reasons such as passion, money, mental illness, etc, I love this series
If someone is disliked by so many people, there could be just as many reasons. Some people all you have to do is say something mean about their mothers and you are a future dead person.
I have to say that these books are new to me… I enjoy reading cozy mysteries, because they engage me, and relax me! A character who is disliked by many, for many reasons, could be murdered for many reasons. Embezzlement, for one.
Thanks, Cindi
Perhaps he was going to reveal a secret about someone that would affect their life. He was killed to keep him quiet.
I think this person knew a secret about someone.
She knew a secret? This is a new author to me. Thank you for sharing.
One idea that I have is that his murder occurred, because of him attempting to embezzle someone!
Thanks, Cindi
There are a lot of possibilities when it comes to someone disliked by many people.
Other than being mean? That’s funny. Other than robbery, most murders are committed over money or jealousy. Greed is one of the strongest “reasons” for murder.
Jealousy, money, attitude. If the person wasn’t liked by many, maybe she knew something the others didn’t want to be made public.
I have read many of the Mrs. Jeffries mysteries and occasionally or more, the victim is not a person you would feel sorry was murdered. But this group of friends will seek justice for the victim regardless. This victim probably was a snob or just, as Lutybelle might say, a mean varmit. Victorian mores could be very restrictive.
I need to pick up this series again.