Mrs. Jeffries Books In Order

Publication Order of Mrs. Jeffries Books

The Mrs. Jeffries series is a mystery series written by the American author Cheryl Lanham under the pseudonym, Emily Brightwell. Author Lanham specializes in writing novels in Historical, Mystery and Romance genres and uses a different pseudonym for each of the genres. The Mrs. Jeffries series consists of a total of 33 novels published between 1993 and 2015. All of the novels are based on the Victorian murder mysteries. In recent years, the popularity of the series has greatly increased as the novels of the series have been reissued as anthologies. The latest installment of the Mrs. Jeffries series ‘Mrs. Jeffries Turns The Tide’ has made it to the New York Times Mass Market Fiction Bestseller List in the year 2013. The second last installment of series titled ‘Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own’ had also featured in the list in the previous year.

The central character of this cozy historical mystery series is Mrs. Jeffries, who is a housekeeper by profession and along with her staff, secretly helps Inspector Witherspoon of the Scotland Yard to solve the murder mysteries taking place in and around Victoria, England. Inspector Witherspoon is a highly successful inspector of the Scotland Yard. The people of Victoria see him as an honest officer, who takes no time in solving the mysteries and serves justice. However, they are not aware of his secret weapon, Mrs. Jeffries. Inspector Witherspoon has hired Mrs. Jeffries as a housekeeper, although She always keeps Inspector Witherspoon on his toes. Inspector Witherspoon is as unaware of the assistance of Mrs. Jeffries in solving the murder mysteries, as the other people of Victoria. She is cleverer and always alert unlike the other ladies. Her detection skills are quite sharp as she is able to detect minute details about the crime scene no matter how messy the murder is or how filthy the crime scene looks. Mrs. Jeffries is always up to the task and watches Inspector Witherspoons back.

In the first novel of the series, ‘The Inspector and Mrs. Jeffries’, Mrs. Jeffries is introduced as a housekeeper serving for Inspector Witherspoon of the Scotland Yard. Apart from housekeeping, she loves to supervise a group of informal investigators such as footman Wiggins, coachman Smythe, maid Betsy, arthritic cook Mrs. Goodge, etc. All these people constitute her staff, who help her and Inspector Witherspoon in the investigations regarding the murder mysteries. In the second novel of the series titled ‘Mrs. Jeffries Dusts for Clues’, Mrs. Jeffries continues to investigate the murder mysteries in Victorian London, in her own style with the help of her household staff. Inspector Witherspoon feels lucky to have Mrs. Jeffries in his household. Mrs. Jeffries comes to know about Inspector Witherspoon as being a not-so-clever detective and hence she sets herself to help him in every situation. Even though she does all the hard work and takes heavy risks, Mrs. Jeffries never tries to take credit of any solved mystery and lets Inspector Witherspoon believe that he has solved the mysteries. Because of her efforts, he has become a well-known personality in Victorian London, so much so that even the criminals are afraid to get confronted by him. Author Emily Brightwell has described all the characters of the series in a unique manner. She has described Inspector Witherspoon as a very decent man who has likeable characteristics, although he lacks the detecting skills pursued by Mrs. Jeffries. However, he is a hard-working officer and is assisted by constable Barns in finding clues about the murder mysteries. Mrs. Jeffries is very well described as a housekeeper and a widow of a Yorkshire policeman. Her domestic staff is quite skilled in non-domestic activities as well. They are well-trained in finding clues and uncovering secrets. Although, these servants are mostly invisible throughout the series, they form an inherent part of the suspenseful plot of the series.

The first novel of the Mrs. Jeffries series was published under the title ‘The Inspectoe and Mrs. Jeffries’ in the year 1993 by Berkey Publishing House. The plot of the novel is set in Victorian London, where all the characters are introduced. The character sketches of Mrs. Jeffries as a housekeeper of Inspector Witherspoon, her support staff and the murder plot of the first crime are uncovered in the opening sequence of the novel’s plot. Soon, it is learnt that a doctor is lying dead in his office. Mrs. Jeffries sets out to search the premises for any clues relating to the murder of the doctor, without the knowledge of Inspector Witherspoon. She comes to know that an experienced nurse named, Luty Bell Crookshank knows something about the death of the doctor. Crookshank, who is a rich widow was aware of the blackmailing nature of Dr. Slocum and believes that he did not succumb to the poisonous mushroom soup. She tells Mrs. Jeffries that he might have been murdered by the person who was getting blackmailed by Dr. Slocum. Mrs. Jeffries begins to investigate the murder along with her domestic staff, by digging deep into the secrets. The novel was very well received by the readers who liked the development of the characters very much. It did not take much time for the novel to become popular among the masses and set the tone for the upcoming novels of the series. The success of the novel helped author Emily Brightwell to establish herself as a well-known mystery writer. She received wide appreciations from her fellow authors and critics.

The second novel of Mrs. Jeffries series was published under the title ‘Mrs. Jeffries Dusts for CLues’ in the year 1993 by the Berkley Publishing House. This novel too is set in Victorian London and depicts the characters, housekeeper Mrs. Jeffries, her domestic staff and Inspector Witherspoon in trying to solve murder mysteries. For Inspector Witherspoon, no sooner a case is solved than another is ready for him to go for the tiresome investigations. However, Mrs. Jeffries never feels tired of trying to bring out the secrets behind the murders. She makes sure that every loose end is tied tight before winding up any case. One such case arises when Inspector Witherspoon finds a missing brooch pinned to a dead woman’s gown. Although, the case of the missing girl is solved when her dead body is found, but another case of the expensive brooch arises. The missing girl named Mary Sparks is found in her gown, but with different shoes and a betrothal ring. Another girl goes missing along with her three boyfriends. This girl Cassie is believed to have a flirty nature which raises many questions in everyone’s mind. However, Mrs. Jeffries sets out to solve the mystery along with her household staff. The novel was also very well appreciated by the readers who once again loved the description of the characters and the mysterious plot. The flow of the plot was fun to read and quite interesting with each unfolding secret. Author Emily Brightwell was praised for her efforts in developing such likeable characters. She felt very motivated by the success of the initial novels of the series which helped her to complete a total of 33 novels. Even today, she is working on the next installment of the series. She loves to bring out novels after novels as much as the readers love to read them.

One Response to “Mrs. Jeffries”

1. Ken Shively: 2 years ago

   My wife and I are enjoying the whole Mrs. Jeffries series. Will there be any more books in this series after the Midwinter Murders story?
   Thanks

   Reply