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Mrs. Jeffries #30

Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own

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 She keeps house for Inspector Witherspoon...and keeps him on his toes. Everyone’s awed by his Scotland Yard successes—but they don’t know about his secret weapon. No matter how messy the murder or how dirty the deed, Mrs. Jeffries’ polished detection skills are up to the task...proving that behind every great man there’s a woman—and that a crimesolver’s work is never done.
When the general office manager of Sutcliffe Manufacturing is murdered, no one is really surprised. Ronald Dearman was anything but a dear man. The tyrannical bully had more than enough enemies to go around. But who hated him enough to walk into his office and put a bullet between his eyes?

For once, Inspector Gerald Witherspoon doesn't get the case; it's given to another inspector.  Then someone from Mrs. Jeffries' past—someone she'd hoped to never see again—shows up and begs for her help. Now Mrs. Jeffries must step into the fray and stop a terrible miscarriage of justice…

294 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 2012

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556 people want to read

About the author

Emily Brightwell

68 books536 followers
Cheryl Lanham was born on 11 October 1948 in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia, USA. Her family moved to Southern California in 1959 and she grew up in Pasadena. After graduating from California State University, she decided to work her way around the world and took off for England. She didn’t get much further because she met Richard James Arguile, the Englishman who became her husband, got married on May 1976, and had two children, Matthew and Amanda. While working in international shipping, she decided to pursue her dream and become a writer – which, of course, is the best job ever. She has written romance novels as Sarah Temple, and Young Adult novels as Cheryl Lanham. As Emily Brightwell, she is the author of the “Mrs. Jeffries” mysteries.

Cheryl Lanham Arguile returned to California, where she lives with her husband and a cranky old cat named Kiwi.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
Profile Image for QNPoohBear.
3,580 reviews1,562 followers
March 18, 2014
Ronald Dearman, manager of Sutcliffe Manufacturing is murdered in his office. Inspector Witherspoon is NOT on the job! He is busy with a fraud case so Inspector Nivens is on the case. When a suspect overhears Nivens complaining about Witherspoon getting help on his cases, the woman has a choice to make: either allow Nivens to do his investigation and risk being taken up for murder or beg help from someone she hasn't seen in years. Mrs. Jeffries is astonished to see her late husband's sister Fiona Jeffries Sutcliff at Upper Edmonton Gardens. When Fiona married Sutcliffe, it broke David's heart. He hated to see his sister become a greedy social climber and the siblings became estranged. Even so, Mrs. Jeffries knows they have to see justice done. This case will be extra difficult without the Inspector but hopefully Constable Barnes can help. Also, Smythe and Betsy are on their way to Canada so they're short handed. The investigation seems to be going nowhere. Mr. Dearman was not a "dear man" and no one seems to be mourning his death. The clues lead straight to Fiona but did she do it? How can Mrs. Jeffries send her sister-in-law to the gallows? She worries a lot over the right thing to do.

The mystery part of the novel got very repetitive as the characters repeated their findings over and over. Since the Inspector was not on the job, it lacked Mrs. Jeffries probing him for more details. I didn't figure out the identity of the murderer or even the motive. I was completely wrong. I did guess one piece of a puzzle that seemed rather obvious but it turned out not to have any bearing on the murder case at all. It was irrelevant though it served as a red herring. I thought for sure I was right. It seemed obvious in the opening scene who the murderer had to be so the big reveal was a surprise. The motive seemed a little weak to be plausible. What I really liked about this story was the absence of Smythe and Betsy. They've gotten boring. Their story is done. I loved seeing Phyllis blossom and become a part of the family. She's becoming a very likeable character. Luty and Hatchet were not used much in this story. I didn't miss them too much but the story then lacks the humor they bring. I also liked the police bits and seeing something different from the usual investigation.

Profile Image for Christine Goodnough.
Author 4 books18 followers
August 25, 2024
Another good story from the Inspector Witherspoons series. This time it's Mrs Jeffries' sister-in-law Fiona who needs their help. She's one of the most likely suspects in the crime, and Inspector Nivens is making his usual half-attempt at finding the truth. Good thing for her -- and the Witherspoon household -- Nivens takes a tumble and breaks his ankle before he can pin the crime on Fiona. When Gerald Witherspoon is assigned the case, he's determined to ensure justice is done.
Profile Image for JoAn.
2,457 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2021
Finally in this one I learned more about Mrs. Jeffries' husband and her past. Another entertaining and intriguing cozy with one suspect that is too close to home for Mrs. Jeffries and Betsy and Smythe are off to Canada so the team had more than usual ground to cover to figure out "who had done it".
Profile Image for Brandi.
1,047 reviews8 followers
February 3, 2020
In this 30th installment of the Mrs. Jeffries cozy Victorian mystery series, we finally meet a character about whom I had never thought: Mrs. Jeffries' sister-in-law, Fiona Sutcliffe. The two women are estranged, as Fiona married up and then never spoke to her brother, Mr. Jeffries, who loved her very much, again. Mrs. Jeffries is therefore reluctant to help Fiona when she shows up on the doorstep of the household at Upper Edmonton Gardens. Fiona's brother-in-law, her husband's sister's husband and manager at Fiona's husband's company, is murdered and all signs point to Fiona, with whom he had a screaming argument the day before the murder. When Fiona overhears the inept Inspector Nivens, our beloved Inspector Witherspoon's rival, complaining about Witherspoon and the secret help Witherspoon receives in his cases from his household, led by Mrs. Jeffries, Fiona rushes to our favorite housekeeper for help.

Mrs. Jeffries, remembering how her husband loved his sister, reluctantly agrees and so enlists our favorite constable Barnes in helping her with the case. Eventually Witherspoon and Barnes take over the investigation, as Nivens is an incompetent, power-hungry ass, and they solve the case, clearing Fiona of all suspicion.

The dynamics within the household are endearing. Mrs. Goodge becomes jealous of the budding relationship and reconciliation between her bestie Mrs. Jeffries and Fiona. Mrs. Goodge quickly overcomes this, but it's sweet to see her care so much about Mrs. Jeffries. It's similar but to a lesser degree, to how Betsy reacted to Phyllis' addition to the household, though Betsy was nastier about it since her hormones were nuts from the pregnancy. Phyllis is now part of the team, self-conscious of her skills, but encouraged by the household, especially Betsy, which helps.
Profile Image for Rebecca.
2,774 reviews35 followers
July 29, 2022
In Victorian London, the incredibly successful Inspector Witherspoon has no idea his household staff and their friends solve most of his murder cases, but it makes it difficult for them when another inspector--the incompetent and universally loathed Inspector Nivens--gets to investigate the murder of Ronald Dearman. Normally Mrs. Jeffries, Witherspoon's housekeeper and the brains behind their investigations, wouldn't get involved in the case, since without Witherspoon's information, solving a murder might be impossible. But then a long-estranged relative--the younger sister of Mrs. Jeffries' deceased husband, who pushed her brother and his wife away when she "married up"--shows up to beg for Mrs. Jeffries' help. She Fiona thinks she's implicated in the case, since Dearman worked for her husband, and Fiona is one of the many people in London who not only wished him dead, but had the opportunity to make it so. She insists she's innocent, and for the memory of her husband, Mrs. Jeffries reluctantly agrees to do what she can.

I've enjoyed all of these found-family mysteries, where the cheerful inclusiveness of the household counters the drama of the murder mysteries. I liked this one because we learned more about Mrs. Jeffries, and her life with her husband; he doesn't come up a lot in the other books, but it's nice to have more background on her. The murder plot is well-constructed, as usual, though at this point I don't even try to guess the murderer--I'm more about enjoying spending time with the household and their colorful (and resourceful) friends. It would make a great TV series for PBS or the BBC.
407 reviews2 followers
July 2, 2020
Ronald Dearman, office Manager for the Sutcliffe Manufacturing Company, is found shot in the forehead and locked in his office. Missing are Dearman's keys and the murder weapon. The crime did not occur in Inspector Witherspoon's territory, so the incompetent Inspector Nivens is in charge of the case. Even though Witherspoon is not involved, his housekeeper Mrs Jeffries is asked to help find the murderer by her sister-in-law, Fiona Sutcliffe. Fiona's husband owns the company. His sister was married to the murdered man. Most important to Fiona, she had a nasty argument with Dearman and threatened to kill him. Although sisters-in-law, Mrs Jeffries has not seen Fiona, her late husband's little sister, in at least 30 years. Fiona broke her brother's heart when she married John Sutcliffe, a marriage above her station, and ignored her blood relatives. Fiona could see Inspector Nivens was not asking the right questions. She feared he would arrest her. She asked Mrs Jeffries and the inspector's servant sleuths to save her from the hangman and find Dearman's murderer. a well-plotted page-turner!
Profile Image for Nolan.
3,744 reviews38 followers
October 30, 2025
Inspector Witherspoon tackles a fraud case with contentment, but his staff chafes. They miss the thrill of secretly unraveling murders together. Their wish comes true when Mrs. Jeffries's estranged sister-in-law, Fiona, begs for help.

Fiona married for money and status, a choice that broke her brother David's heart—he was a policeman and Mrs. Jeffries's late husband, leaving her widowed and now housekeeping for Witherspoon. Someone shoots Ronald Dearman in his office, leaving a bullet hole in his forehead and stealing his keys. Incompetent Inspector Nivens lands the case and bungles it spectacularly: he bullies the household staff and scribbles cryptic, near-useless reports.

Fiona clashed publicly with Dearman, so Nivens salivates at the chance to arrest her. He relishes blocking Witherspoon's team from meddling. Fiona disagrees. After over a decade of silence with Mrs. Jeffries, she chooses aid over the gallows.

Fate steps in when clumsiness and gravity snap Nivens's ankle, handing the case to Witherspoon. The mystery satisfies, but the characters pull me back to the series every time. At about 10 percent longer than necessary, it still earns four stars and leaves me impatient for the next installment.
2,110 reviews16 followers
October 27, 2018
#30 in the end of the 19th century London based mystery series in which Scotland Yard Inspector Witherspoon's domestic staff headed by Mrs. Jefferies, without his knowledge, work to help him solve his murder cases. The recurring and well developed helpers” are Barnes (Witherspoon’s detective sergeant), Mrs. Goodge (cook), Smythe (coachman), Betsy (maid and later Smythe’s wife), Wiggins (servant), Phyllis (maid and newest addition), Luty (wealthy American widow), Hatchet (Luty’s butler), and Ruth (next door neighbor and romantic interest for Witherspoon).

It is early March when Ronald Dearman, a tyrannical bully with many enemies, is murdered. He’s the #2 man in a large successful business who got there by marring the owner’s sister. The case is assigned to Inspector Nevins who is incompetent and doesn’t like Witherspoon. Mrs. Jeffries is brought in because the chief suspect is her long estranged sister-in-law, her deceased husband younger sister who spurned them when she “married up” who asks for her help.
Profile Image for D.L. Morrese.
Author 11 books57 followers
November 17, 2019
In this cozy Victorian whodunit set in London, an unpopular manger is murdered in his office, and Mrs. Jeffries' late husband's sister is a prime suspect. Mrs. Jeffries is both the housekeeper of a highly respected police detective and a crime-solver in her own right. Together with the rest of the household staff and a few friends, she may actually be the reason her employer is so successful. But her boss, Inspector Witherspoon, is not on this case. It's been given to an ambitious and incompetent detective who is likely to charge the first likely person with a motive, which seems to be Mrs. Jeffries' sister-in-law.

According to Goodreads, this is the 30th book in this series. I've not read the others. I never even heard of them before seeing this one on my local library's 'new books' list. Liking the cover, I picked it up. I'm developing a fondness for cozies, and I quite enjoyed this one. I'll keep an eye out for others in the series. Reading them all could keep me entertained for months. :-)
Profile Image for Shelley.
1,244 reviews
October 26, 2022
#30 in A Victorian Mystery series, Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own is a bit different because Scotland Yard's Inspector Witherspoon does not get the case; it's given to Inspector Nivens since the murder takes place in his jurisdiction. That is until it then falls in the lap of Witherspoon.

We also find out a little more about Mrs. Jeffries; she has a sister-in-law! This sister-in-law married up and disowned her brother and wife. But now she's asking for Mrs. Jeffries help because she is the prime suspect in the latest murder.

Ronald Dearman is, or I should say, was the general manager of Sutcliffee Manufacturing before he was murdered, a bullet to the forehead. He was a bully, no one liked him, or was surprised of his murder, but who did it? It's up to Mrs. Jeffries and the rest of the Inspector's household to help him solve another case.

This one was a little bit harder to figure out. For the longest time I thought it was someone else, until I didn't anymore and solved it.
Profile Image for Jeanette C. Montgomery.
459 reviews2 followers
August 11, 2022
As always Emily Brightwell delivers a well executed murder mystery full of multiple suspects, misleading clues and Inspector Witherspoon's staff scurrying around Victorian England gathering clues to help solve the mystery. Interesting plot line is Mrs. Jeffries estranged sister-in-law is the main suspect in the murder. Fiona Sutcliffe arrives on the Inspector's doorstep to plead with Mrs. Jeffries to help clear her name. We learn a bit more about Mrs. Jeffries background when she lived in Yorkshire with her beloved David. She's still angry with Fiona for the way she treated her brother, David but Mrs. Jeffries justice loving nature prevails. The despicable Inspector Nivens reveals more of his loathsome character and Inspector Witherspoon's right hand man, Constable Barnes proves his worth. As delightful read with all the bad guys getting their 'comeuppance'.
Profile Image for Alison C.
1,446 reviews18 followers
November 6, 2024
Mrs. Jeffries is surprised when someone from her past appears at her door, begging for her help: it seems that her sister-in-law, the sister of her late husband, is likely to be a suspect in a murder, and since the incompetent Inspector Nivens is on the case, that possibility is very likely indeed. Once Mrs. Jeffries is convinced that the woman is indeed innocent, she realizes that she will have to help, but how she and the rest of the household can do so without the input of Constable Barnes and absent Inspector Witherspoon’s handling of the case is very hard to determine….This is the 30th Mrs. Jeffries book; in it, we learn a great deal more about her past, which is always a good thing with these books. Betsy and Smythe are absent, but the rest of the gang is as clever and engaging as ever; recommended.
1,475 reviews19 followers
October 25, 2021
When the General Office Manager of Sutcliffe Manufacturing is found dead in his locked office no one is surprised because he was not a likeable man, however, when Fiona Sutcliffe comes close to being accused of the murder she must reach out to her estranged sister-in-law for help. Even though Mrs. Jeffries does not like Fiona she is family and in need of help. (Fiona is the sister of Mrs. Jeffries' deceased and beloved husband.) At first the case is assigned to Inspector Nivens, a man who will do anything to advance his career but when he is injured the case comes to Inspector Witherspoon and with Mrs. Jefferies and her crew of helpers finds himself quite busy trying to catch-up on a case that was already started by an incompetent.



403 reviews
September 4, 2025
Mrs. Jeffries is forced to confront her past when her sister-in-law Mrs. Fiona Sutcliffe comes to her for help. See, her husband John owns a manufacturing firm and one of it's assistant directors has been killed. Fiona had recently had an argument with the deceased in which she threatened to kill him so she knows she will be a likely suspect. Reluctantly agreeing to take on the case, difficult since it was not assigned to Inspector Witherspoon, Mrs. Jeffries sets out to unravel who killed the disagreeable man. As she and her staff follow the clues a larger picture begins to form. A picture that includes blackmail, deaths, unhappy marriages, and illegitimate children.
Profile Image for Barb Martin.
1,090 reviews36 followers
December 20, 2017
An odious man is murdered, and one of the suspects is a member of Mrs. Jeffries' family. Can she prove her relative innocent? Does she even want to?

"Mrs. Jeffries Defends Her Own" is a familiar romp through a murder case for Inspector Witherspoon's housekeeping staff and family. A couple of key characters are missing from this book, but news about the staff's involvement in helping the inspector solve crimes is getting around. Everyone seems to know.

As always, a breezy read that doesn't take much time or effort.
Profile Image for Jacqueline Vick.
Author 36 books42 followers
August 12, 2019
This was my first Mrs. Jeffries mystery. I loved the characters. This story is personal for Mrs. Jeffries, as the case is brought to her attention by her estranged sister-in-law, who may be a suspect. I liked the way solving the mystery was a group effort involving Mrs. Jeffries' fellow servants, and the story jumped to their POV occassionally, which kept the story fresh. The characters were delightful and easy to envision. A homey kind of mystery.
Profile Image for Maria.
2,376 reviews50 followers
March 7, 2024
Mrs. Jeffries is thrown off course when her sister-in-law is a suspect in a murder and asks for her help. It is the first time we really find out anything about her deceased husband, David, not to mention his sister Fiona. I figured out the murder mystery fairly early, but it was still fun to watch the team gather information and come to the same conclusion. In the end, Fiona surprised me, as did her husband John.
25 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2025
It was fun. I needed a cozy mystery as I was recovering from hip surgery so spending a lot of time sleeping!
The original site of the murder provoked a lot of questions. Initially there was no obvious connection to Mrs. Jeffries and her boss however it soon became evident that she was connected due to a long lost sister seeking her help as she was a potential suspect. There a lots of interesting characters and plot twist. I want to read more of the series
Profile Image for Diane.
218 reviews
June 27, 2020
Love this series. I have read 16 of the Mrs. Jefferies series. You can not go wrong with this series. This time Mrs. Jefferies sister-in-law is believed to killed her Mr. Dearman. She comes to Mrs. Jefferies and team to save her from the gallows. Betsy and Smythe are traveling to Canada to see Betsy’s sister. They are not out on the hunt with the team this time.

75 reviews1 follower
June 23, 2021
Interesting series

I've read this series from the beginning, however the last few books have almost been written like a form letter, the same explanations are used for the characters in Every book now. The same phrases are used. I enjoy the mystery but find myself skipping all of the repeated information.
205 reviews
January 12, 2022
Another great story in this series. Witherspoon's arch nemesis is taken off this murder case and the Home Office need it concluding quickly. The household have already started their own investigation before the case is passed on to their beloved inspector. Am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
233 reviews1 follower
March 24, 2022
Another great read by Emily Brightwell. With Smythe and Betsy and the daughter gone on holiday, the rest are ready to solve another murder. Nivens gets his first murder case. Weatherspoon has to come in and clean it up. Of course they bring in Hachett and Luty to help along with the new girl Phyliss This in #30 and its just as great as #1. Can't wait till I read the next one.
Profile Image for Kate.
624 reviews4 followers
October 12, 2023
we meet Fiona.

Fiona Jeffries Sutcliffe, sister of the late David Jeffries, husband to Hepzibah! And she is a prize suspect in a murder. mrs J and the team start working in the case, trying to side step Inspector Niven, who has been assigned to the investigation. Fortunately, case is reassigned to Inspector Witherspoon and all is soon straight,
Profile Image for Elizabeth.
501 reviews41 followers
June 18, 2019
These books are always easy and fun to read, and while they are written with a "formula", the murderer isn't always apparent. I like that they can keep me guessing who-dunnit.
I recommend this book.
Profile Image for Deborah Whipp.
752 reviews9 followers
August 18, 2019
Another enjoyable installment in this series. Having not read a Mrs. Jeffries in a while, I was happy to catch up with these characters and reminded that a nice, old fashioned murder with an unsympathetic victim is one of my favorite, relaxing reads.
Profile Image for Sandra.
687 reviews9 followers
October 7, 2019
If you like Downton Abbey and you like cozy mysteries, you may like the Mrs. Jeffries's mysteries. There certainly are enough of them.

This one is #30 in the series and, although there was far too much dithering around, it was interesting and the ending satisfying.
907 reviews29 followers
January 12, 2020
It was easy to identify the killer early on in this entry in the Mrs. Jeffries series, but the dev was in the details. The how of the crime and even more so the how of the solution kept me reading to the end.
327 reviews2 followers
April 25, 2021
Family members can be trouble

We sometimes lose contact with family, especially in-laws, after our spouse has passed. But there are still connections and it is better to do our best to help.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews

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