Mrs. Jeffries Appeals the Verdict (A Victorian Mystery)

Mrs. Jeffries and her band of amateur investigators are racing the hangman in the latest entry in this series. And they are at a disadvantage because the case was not handled by their own Inspector Witherspoon. Worse yet, the case was investigated by the dread Inspector Nivens, an ambitious detective who envies and despises Witherspoon.

Late one night in an apparent street robbery, Mrs. Caroline Muran was efficiently shot to death and her husband was hit in the head. Soon after the crime, pickpocket Tommy Odell was found to have pawned Mr. Muran's pocket watch.

After an investigation by Nivens, Odell was convicted of the murder and scheduled to hang. But a friend of Odell's mother doubts his guilt and asks the Witherspoon household's servants for their help - just a few days before the execution date.

Others have doubted the thoroughness of Nivens' investigation. When the victim's brother - thought to have died in the US - turns up alive and well in London and asking questions, the investigation is reopened. Nivens is livid - and then he's beyond rage when the reopened case is assigned to Witherspoon.

The victim was a good woman who ran the family business well and cared for the welfare of the workers. Mrs. Jeffries and her crew must sort through facts implicating people who had business or personal reasons for wanting her dead - and find the killer before more deaths occur.

A strong book in the series. We don't see Luty or her butler, but the lovely and spirited neighbor Ruth Cannonberry lends her talents to this investigation.

Even though we don't get to see Luty or Hatcher in this book, it is still a very entertainlng book. In it we have Mrs. Jeffries and her crew trying to stop a hanging of a man convicted of murder. They are convinced that the man is innocent of murder, and they have to work against the clock to prove it. This series continues to remain fresh and new, and I look forward to each book.

I adore this series; indeed, it is one of my all time favorite cozy series ever, as it combines my two loves: Victorian England and a cozy mystery. The only reason I gave it 4 stars is because the author drops a huge clue - almost a giveaway - in the first few chapters as to who the killer is. In the previous books, I've always been surprised at the killer's identity when it is finally revealed, but in this one, Brightwell practically gave it away fairly early on.

Other than that, I enjoyed the book. The staff at Upper Edmonton Gardens have become like family and Brightwell is superb at painting a vivid picture of Victorian England. Even though Luty and Hatchet weren't there, we got to see more of Ruth Cannonberry.

Overall, this is a great book that fans of the Mrs. Jeffries series are sure to enjoy.

Story

I used it for the pleasure of an entertaining book, I love the whole series!

The book itself was in fair so so condition but did not discourage me from jumping right in and start reading another story of one of my favorite authors who's stories never disappoint. It was delivered undamaged and timely.

Enjoyable read

I love the characters and this was one of the best books in this series. A young man has been sentenced to hang for murder and they must find out who really murdered the woman in a short time.

Love mrs jefferies

Excellent service - enjoyed the book.