Review: Mrs. Jeffries and the Yuletide Wedding

TITLE: MRS. JEFFERIES & The Yuletide Wedding


AUTHOR: EMILY BRIGHTWELL

Historical Cozy Mystery Series

Paperback

Berkley Prime Crime

ISBN: 978-0-425-23791-5



Betsy and Smythe are getting married and murder doesn't stop for Christmas or Weddings. The murder is complicated as an exgoverness (Agatha Moran), who hasn't worked for the family in years is murdered outside the gate of Jeremy Evans and to make matters worse Mr. Evans daughter is about to be married. So at the time of the murder the house was filled with important people and there was a social affair going on and of course nobody saw anything because the curtains were closed. The lady of the house was out sending someone to look for her husband but then found him before the footman could be sent.

They of course knew Agatha but at first said they hadn't seen her in years.

Agatha Moran was a woman of substance she rain a boarding house for those who didn't have any relatives left and most of her residents had been with her for years. Plus Agatha had just returned from a month long vacation just a day or two before her murder.

Something that came in the post had upset Agatha so much that she left the house in a huge hurry and never returned. She had no enemies and was somewhat comfortable but not well off.

The long and short of it is that if Inspector Witherspoon wants to be free to walk Betsy down the isle he had to hurry and solve this case that seems to lead nowhere and natters on and on. But as readers know we can sometimes get a break in the case.

Smythe and Betsy have their own problems asBetsy's sister and brother-inlaw arrive and it's not the heartwarming moment Betsy envisions after all of these years. Plus while Smythe knows where they are going to live it wants it to a suprise for Betsy and Betsy thinks that is fine but her sister well her sister does not have Betsy's personality.

This is the book we've been waiting for and I LOVED it as there are more than a few plot surprises and the household staff rise to the occassion. What a lovely Christmas Gift Emily Brightwell has given us in this splendid seasonal surprise.

At or a 10

Pamela