Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump by Emily Brightwell

In Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump, Michael Provost is found floating next to the wharf. As Mrs. Jeffries and her team investigate, they discover that no one would want this man dead. Well, almost no one. They soon discover that this death may be connected to another death; one that Provost himself was investigating. Of course, Inspector Witherspoon is also investigating, and Mrs. Jeffries is there to help him as needed. Mrs. Jeffries isn't sure her suspicions are correct and starts to doubt herself. She certainly has her hands full in this cozy Victorian mystery.

I adore this series. It's quaint, very British and so fun to read. The Victorian setting makes this series different from others. Rather than getting bogged down in details of the era, Brightwell offers little clues about the setting. For example, characters travel by carriage, not cars. I especially love how Mrs. Jeffries holds her meetings with her "team" and assigns the different tasks to solve the mystery. I also love how she dispenses the information they gather to the Inspector without him catching on to what she's doing.

I've only read a few of these, but I love them. I have noticed that Mrs. Jeffries has taken more people into her confidence about helping the Inspector. Pretty soon everyone in town is going to know about her secret. Everyone except the Inspector, that is.

This particular story was a little confusing at times and I think I mixed up two of the characters at one point. That didn't last long, though, and it certainly didn't stop me from really enjoying this book.

New words:
bombazine (page 6): twilled material
woolgathering (page 61): daydream. This isn't a new one for me, I just love the word.
temerity (page 107): nerve, gall

Highly recommended for the cozy mystery lover.

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For more information about the author and her other books, please visit Emily Brightwell's website.

Mrs. Jeffries Holds the Trump by Emily Brightwell, The Berkley Publishing Group (Penguin), ©2008. ISBN 9780425222089(mass market), 245p.